Clemson opened fall camp on Friday in high spirits in preparation for the 2021 season.
The media was allowed to observe the entirety of the opening practice at the practice fields behind the Allen Reeves Football Complex. Clemson practiced with helmets only and without contact for almost three hours.
Freshman Barrett Carter burst onto the scene with an impressive first practice that included a one-handed interception.
“Solid. He picks it up well. He is a savvy kid. As you saw he made a one-hand snag today. Just going out here and having fun,” Baylon Spector said after practice. “Great head on him, smart. If he messes up, he is okay. He is not going to cave down. He has a good head on him. He is really smart and is a talented player.”
Here are some more notes from the first practice as the Tigers’ defense drilled with their position groups, as a unit and in 7-on-7 and 11-on-11.
Defensive line
- Clemson’s defensive line is beyond deep and it showed. During team drills the unit ran out several different combinations and looks for a starting four.
- In good-on-good Xavier Thomas held the first spot at defensive end with Bryan Bresee and Tyler Davis on the inside and Justin Mascoll sharing time with K.J. Henry on the other end. Myles Murphy also got some first team reps at defensive end in various drills.
- Thomas got a little banged up during a drill at the beginning of practice but returned to practice after a few minutes and seemed perfectly fine.
- Payton Page was in a green jersey during practice and is a big dude. Looked capable in his first practice with the Tigers. Etinosa Reuben was also in a green jersey which means they cannot participate in contact drill.
- Tre Williams looked impressive in individual drills he stood out for his intensity. His work in the offseason on his body showed, his technique was sound, and he was explosive at the snap.
- Also, Bresee is still good at football.
Linebackers
- Sixth-year James Skalski is the clear leader of the linebacker room and took the first rep in every situation including individual drills. He served as defensive coordinator Brent Venables demonstration dummy and also helped out the younger linebackers.
- The first linebackers out in team drills were Skalski, Spector and Trenton Simpson. Skalski played middle linebacker and Spector held down the weak side.
- Then obviously Barrett Carter impressed with his physical makeup and athleticism. He intercepted Hunter Helms in team drills with a spectacular one handed catch and shows a lot of promise with his first practice under his belt.
Secondary
- Andrew Booth returns with the same athleticism and play making ability. He looked impressive in his first practice of the fall, particularly in defending the deep ball. It also seemed he is owning more of a leadership role among the other cornerbacks.
- Nate Wiggins showed potential particularly in staying coachable and attentive in his first college football practice. The freshman corner took some time to empty his system during individual drills. He also took a chewing from defensive coordinator Brent Venables at one point during practice.
- Clemson is six deep at corner with Booth and Malcom Greene taking the first team reps at the moment and both looked good at times. Mario Goodrich, Sheridan Jones, Wiggins and Fred Davis.
- At safety Nolan Turner and Lannden Zanders took most of the first team reps. Tyler Venables and Andrew Mukuba played a lot in second team oppportunities. Joseph Charleston also played a lot in team drills at the position.
- Greene had a great pass breakup of Joseph Ngata seven on seven.
- Sheridan Jones jumped and made a one handed deflection to stop a completion in team drills.
- Mukuba also got some reps at corner despite being listed at safety on the roster.
Team observations
- Obviously without pads on there was a big emphasis on tracking rather than hitting in team drills. Head coach Dabo Swinney made sure to reemphasize that several times with the threat of being kicked off the field for making contact in non-contact drills.
- The defense recorded a pair of coverage sacks against the first team offense in seven-on-seven work and matched up relatively well without contact.
- Jimmy Greenbeans a.k.a. Venables got to show off his arm in defensive drills.
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