AUGUST CAMP: Sunday Freshmen Nuggets & Practice Insider
By: Larry Williams & Paul Strelow
We repeat it quite a bit year over year: Freshmen play for two reasons.
Either they're too good to keep off the field, or there's opportunity that forces them into early action. The latter can come because of roster management or the door being opened by older players in front of them.
While the balls were thrown Ronan Hanafin's way during our viewing window Friday, the freshman receiver for whom opportunity beckons is Tyler Brown.
Will Taylor has gone to baseball full-time. Troy Stellato's third preseason camp has begun inauspiciously with hamstring issues again keeping him out of practice.
That's two slot receivers removed from the equation.
True freshman wideout and Greenville native Tyler Brown. (Tigerillustrated.com)
Antonio Williams is a proven commodity as the starter. Brannon Spector worked more on the perimeter Friday, allowing Brown to slide in as the second-stringer.
If part of the offensive rejuvenation plan is to generate more production with the passing game between the hashes, then inside receivers are going to be instrumental in tandem with pass-catching tight ends.
It's too early to cast Brown (5-11, 179) as Williams Lite, as I think many folks want to do. Williams was a superior prospect and proven player coming out of high school, came in thicker (by 13 pounds) and what he contributed as a freshman isn't easy to match.
But the hope is that Brown can perhaps deliver some of the same assets Williams brings to the table, and he might be the only other candidate in the receiver room who can do so at such a degree.
He has the body type to be an effective slot, has short-area quickness to go with ample speed, and isn't that far off from being a clean route runner from what we've seen in the early going.
Brown is smooth, and he has shown better hands than Tink Kelley in the drills we watched.
Whether it's actually having someone who can spell Williams as a potent threat inside, or an option as a second inside receiver lined up on the other side of the field in four-receiver sets, Brown theoretically could give Clemson another dimension.
As Dabo Swinney expressed in the camp build-up, Clemson is going to lean primarily on the relatively established names: Williams, Adam Randall, Beaux Collins and Cole Turner.
Long way to go this month. But the belief is that Brown can be brought along to help them this season. -- PAUL STRELOW
No doubt there's confidence from within that the receivers are going to take a big jump this year.
No doubt they need to after the almost astounding regression in 2021 and 2022.
Yet something Swinney said Friday in response to a question about the receivers really stood out.
The question, posed from here: Tyler Grisham recently voiced optimism that you're going to use far more 10-personnel (4 receiver sets) than you have in years. What's your take on that?
Swinney went on to say that, sure, they're going to be equipped to use a bunch of different groupings. He said the DNA of this offense will always be 11-personnel (1 back, 3 receivers, 1 tight end) but he said when they've been really good in the past they've been able to bounce among an assortment of groupings.
But the fact that he closed his answer to a question about the receivers with a statement about the tight ends kind of said something.
"It certainly starts with the tight ends for us," he said. "Being able to have that presence in the run game and the pass game."
You might recall Garrett Riley recently, when asked specifically about Jake Briningstool, outlining exactly what is needed from the tight ends in general in this offense.
"He's going to be asked to do things in the running game where he's got to give us a spark there and give us some value in our running attack," Riley said. "Those guys are asked to do a lot in our offense. The quarterback and the tight ends, those are the two positions that probably have to learn the most with what we do." -- LARRY WILLIAMS
LINK: New Clemson Nike Zoom Pegasus 40 Running Shoes!
By: Larry Williams & Paul Strelow
We repeat it quite a bit year over year: Freshmen play for two reasons.
Either they're too good to keep off the field, or there's opportunity that forces them into early action. The latter can come because of roster management or the door being opened by older players in front of them.
While the balls were thrown Ronan Hanafin's way during our viewing window Friday, the freshman receiver for whom opportunity beckons is Tyler Brown.
Will Taylor has gone to baseball full-time. Troy Stellato's third preseason camp has begun inauspiciously with hamstring issues again keeping him out of practice.
That's two slot receivers removed from the equation.
True freshman wideout and Greenville native Tyler Brown. (Tigerillustrated.com)
Antonio Williams is a proven commodity as the starter. Brannon Spector worked more on the perimeter Friday, allowing Brown to slide in as the second-stringer.
If part of the offensive rejuvenation plan is to generate more production with the passing game between the hashes, then inside receivers are going to be instrumental in tandem with pass-catching tight ends.
It's too early to cast Brown (5-11, 179) as Williams Lite, as I think many folks want to do. Williams was a superior prospect and proven player coming out of high school, came in thicker (by 13 pounds) and what he contributed as a freshman isn't easy to match.
But the hope is that Brown can perhaps deliver some of the same assets Williams brings to the table, and he might be the only other candidate in the receiver room who can do so at such a degree.
He has the body type to be an effective slot, has short-area quickness to go with ample speed, and isn't that far off from being a clean route runner from what we've seen in the early going.
Brown is smooth, and he has shown better hands than Tink Kelley in the drills we watched.
Whether it's actually having someone who can spell Williams as a potent threat inside, or an option as a second inside receiver lined up on the other side of the field in four-receiver sets, Brown theoretically could give Clemson another dimension.
As Dabo Swinney expressed in the camp build-up, Clemson is going to lean primarily on the relatively established names: Williams, Adam Randall, Beaux Collins and Cole Turner.
Long way to go this month. But the belief is that Brown can be brought along to help them this season. -- PAUL STRELOW
No doubt there's confidence from within that the receivers are going to take a big jump this year.
No doubt they need to after the almost astounding regression in 2021 and 2022.
Yet something Swinney said Friday in response to a question about the receivers really stood out.
The question, posed from here: Tyler Grisham recently voiced optimism that you're going to use far more 10-personnel (4 receiver sets) than you have in years. What's your take on that?
Swinney went on to say that, sure, they're going to be equipped to use a bunch of different groupings. He said the DNA of this offense will always be 11-personnel (1 back, 3 receivers, 1 tight end) but he said when they've been really good in the past they've been able to bounce among an assortment of groupings.
But the fact that he closed his answer to a question about the receivers with a statement about the tight ends kind of said something.
"It certainly starts with the tight ends for us," he said. "Being able to have that presence in the run game and the pass game."
You might recall Garrett Riley recently, when asked specifically about Jake Briningstool, outlining exactly what is needed from the tight ends in general in this offense.
"He's going to be asked to do things in the running game where he's got to give us a spark there and give us some value in our running attack," Riley said. "Those guys are asked to do a lot in our offense. The quarterback and the tight ends, those are the two positions that probably have to learn the most with what we do." -- LARRY WILLIAMS
LINK: New Clemson Nike Zoom Pegasus 40 Running Shoes!
