Clemson continued its spring football season Friday with a late-afternoon practice. Here are some observations of the defense from the Tigers’ second practice, the first 40 minutes of which were open to the media:
- We didn’t see either Bryan Bresee or Myles Murphy at practice during the live viewing period.
- Tré Willimas was among his teammates while they began stretching. As the Tigers switched over to do individual drills, Williams was doing some running on the side. He could be seen talking with one of Clemson’s trainers as he appeared to be in some discomfort.
- Clemson defensive tackles coach Nick Eason is very hands-on. From what we could see, he was heavily involved in the drills and doing a lot of interactive teaching.
- Xavier Thomas looks like he’s in the best shape of his life. His get-off speed is already next level. He was clearly the best player on the field Friday.
- Justin Mascoll appears to be in great shape and was dominating the individual drills, just as much as Thomas was.
- Redshirt freshman defensive end Cade Denhoff is listed at 6-foot-5 and 250 pounds on Clemson’s spring roster and looks every part of it. From what we’ve seen so far, he looks ready to contribute already.
- The athleticism that Clemson and Wes Goodwin have in the linebackers’ room is off-the-charts. Trenton Simpson looks like a natural at the weakside linebacker position, while Barrett Carter and Jeremiah Trotter have both made a noticeable jump.
- Both Lannden Zanders and Fred Davis II were in green jerseys, which means a player can participate in most drills, but they cannot participate in any live (tackling) drills. They both looked to be in good shape, as they figure to be significant contributors this season.
- Thus far, we’ve been impressed with Clemson’s three early enrollees on defense — Jeadyn Lukus, Toriano Pride, Jr. and Sherrod Covil, Jr.
- There, of course, will be a learning curve for the trio of defensive backs, who are all getting a head start by going through the spring. However, they’ve looked like they belong early on.
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