AUGUST CAMP: Thursday A.M. Update
By: Larry Williams & Paul Strelow
Last week we told you Malcolm Greene was one of the freshmen who made a sensation well before camp even began.
Turns out he's carried that into the five camp practices that have unfolded thus far.
On the surface the odds would appear stacked against Greene to make a significant impact as a first-year freshman after arriving over the summer; there's a large cluster of players ahead of him with more experience and time in the system.
It will nonetheless be intriguing to see how things unfold with Greene in 2020. Flexibility is the operative word for the corners this season, as Mike Reed is hoping to find a third corner to line up over the slot when they go away from base personnel.
Intriguing subplots abound at corner even before getting to Greene. The competition for the spot opposite Derion Kendrick should be fierce and entertaining. Andrew Booth appears fully healthy, as does Mario Goodrich. How far has Fred Davis come since the abbreviated spring practice? Is Sheridan Jones ready to make a move?
And, hey, the head man has been known to be excessively bubbly about freshmen before.
Still, this does get your attention:
"He's just a baller," Swinney said of Greene. "I mean he's like Bresee: You notice him every play. His energy, his attention to detail, his competitiveness. Never in a million years do you think he's a freshman by how he carries himself. And he's really not; he's got an associate's degree already. So he's a junior in college right now and he's going to be a freshman in college.
"So he's just a really unique kid. He's powerful, can run. He's compact. It's amazing how he's learned already. There's no question he'll help this football team. So really just everything about him. It's just easy to see." -- LARRY WILLIAMS
Standard disclaimers apply here that preseason praise doesn’t translate to projected fall production, and a head coach can have justified reason for glowing about his newcomers as part of the process for building their confidence.
But the degree of raves about Greene are a compelling development indeed, on several layers.
Clemson finds itself in search for at least one if not two corners in this year’s recruiting class now, and there figures to be considerable message board hand-wringing if the Tigers don’t rally for Covington (Ga.) Newton four-star Nyland Green after Jordan Hancock flipped to Ohio State.
Yet it’s just August, and it’s premature to render a class verdict until the names are formally in.
Greene appears to be the latest evidence in support.
Recall the Tigers had to turn him away in April 2019 because it didn’t have room, then conducted a late fullcourt press for him in an effort to pull him from LSU. Clemson was almost too late, but it got him – and now Greene could easily join Isaiah Simmons, K’Von Wallace and Travyon Mullen among the substantive 11th-hour defensive back acquisitions.
It's not when you get them, but whom you get.
Moreover, the other schools courting him – including LSU – viewed Greene as a safety.
Time will tell where Greene finishes, but that he has made such a profound impression beginning his career as a corner speaks considerably to position coach Mike Reed’s evaluation skills.
Wallace could come down over the slot and trained some as a corner early in his career. But we’re not sure Clemson has had one potentially like Greene since Ryan Carter, and having a nickel who can cover like a corner is an asset the Tigers haven’t had at their disposal since Carter’s departure.
Just the fact Greene arrives with two years of college credit illustrates that he’s different.
Those disciplined, ambitious and hard-working types have tended to fare quite well in the Clemson environment. – PAUL STRELOW
FROM THE TIGER FAN SHOP: Click HERE to check out all of our inventory, plus early summer DEALS on officially-licensed CLEMSON apparel!
By: Larry Williams & Paul Strelow
Last week we told you Malcolm Greene was one of the freshmen who made a sensation well before camp even began.
Turns out he's carried that into the five camp practices that have unfolded thus far.
On the surface the odds would appear stacked against Greene to make a significant impact as a first-year freshman after arriving over the summer; there's a large cluster of players ahead of him with more experience and time in the system.
It will nonetheless be intriguing to see how things unfold with Greene in 2020. Flexibility is the operative word for the corners this season, as Mike Reed is hoping to find a third corner to line up over the slot when they go away from base personnel.
Intriguing subplots abound at corner even before getting to Greene. The competition for the spot opposite Derion Kendrick should be fierce and entertaining. Andrew Booth appears fully healthy, as does Mario Goodrich. How far has Fred Davis come since the abbreviated spring practice? Is Sheridan Jones ready to make a move?
And, hey, the head man has been known to be excessively bubbly about freshmen before.
Still, this does get your attention:
"He's just a baller," Swinney said of Greene. "I mean he's like Bresee: You notice him every play. His energy, his attention to detail, his competitiveness. Never in a million years do you think he's a freshman by how he carries himself. And he's really not; he's got an associate's degree already. So he's a junior in college right now and he's going to be a freshman in college.
"So he's just a really unique kid. He's powerful, can run. He's compact. It's amazing how he's learned already. There's no question he'll help this football team. So really just everything about him. It's just easy to see." -- LARRY WILLIAMS
Standard disclaimers apply here that preseason praise doesn’t translate to projected fall production, and a head coach can have justified reason for glowing about his newcomers as part of the process for building their confidence.
But the degree of raves about Greene are a compelling development indeed, on several layers.
Clemson finds itself in search for at least one if not two corners in this year’s recruiting class now, and there figures to be considerable message board hand-wringing if the Tigers don’t rally for Covington (Ga.) Newton four-star Nyland Green after Jordan Hancock flipped to Ohio State.
Yet it’s just August, and it’s premature to render a class verdict until the names are formally in.
Greene appears to be the latest evidence in support.
Recall the Tigers had to turn him away in April 2019 because it didn’t have room, then conducted a late fullcourt press for him in an effort to pull him from LSU. Clemson was almost too late, but it got him – and now Greene could easily join Isaiah Simmons, K’Von Wallace and Travyon Mullen among the substantive 11th-hour defensive back acquisitions.
It's not when you get them, but whom you get.
Moreover, the other schools courting him – including LSU – viewed Greene as a safety.
Time will tell where Greene finishes, but that he has made such a profound impression beginning his career as a corner speaks considerably to position coach Mike Reed’s evaluation skills.
Wallace could come down over the slot and trained some as a corner early in his career. But we’re not sure Clemson has had one potentially like Greene since Ryan Carter, and having a nickel who can cover like a corner is an asset the Tigers haven’t had at their disposal since Carter’s departure.
Just the fact Greene arrives with two years of college credit illustrates that he’s different.
Those disciplined, ambitious and hard-working types have tended to fare quite well in the Clemson environment. – PAUL STRELOW
FROM THE TIGER FAN SHOP: Click HERE to check out all of our inventory, plus early summer DEALS on officially-licensed CLEMSON apparel!
