Clemson began fall camp knowing Nolan Turner and Lannden Zanders would anchor the back end of its defense at safety this fall. The real question in the secondary was who was going to join them in the starting lineup on the outside?
The answer is starting to solidify.
Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said Andrew Booth Jr. and Mario Goodrich would likely be the starting corners if the Tigers had to play a game today. Malcolm Greene, meanwhile, has the inside track at nickel.
But Swinney said he’s been impressed by all of the Tigers’ top six corners — a group that also includes Fred Davis, Sheridan Jones and freshman Nate Wiggins — to the point that he and defensive coordinator Brent Venables won’t hesitate to put any of them in the game.
“They’ve had a good camp,” Swinney said. “I’m confident in all six of those corners. Those guys have worked their tails off, and you’ll see them all play.”
Of course, it’s no surprise to see Booth at the top of the pecking order. The former five-star signee has teased coaches, teammates and fans with flashes of what he’s capable of on an island, pulling down one highlight-reel interception after another when healthy. But Booth, who’s only been able to make four starts during his first two years in the program, has been slowed by nagging injuries.
But Booth has gone through his third fall camp at Clemson with a clean bill of health and recently said being the Tigers’ lockdown corner is the expectation he has for himself entering his junior season.
“I believe, at corner, you have to think like that,” Booth said. “But you can’t just think it. You have to truly believe it.”
Booth likely would’ve started alongside Derion Kendrick this fall had the first-team all-ACC talent still been with the team. But Kendrick’s dismissal from the team in February opened up a starting spot that Goodrich is closing in on. A 6-foot, 190-pound senior, Goodrich isn’t short on experience having played in 35 games at Clemson, though his first four career starts didn’t come until last season.
Meanwhile, Green, who got three starts last season, is versatile enough to play inside or out and has cross-training at both spots during camp. Tyler Venables has also been working some at nickel, but the Tigers like Green there the best for now.
One lingering question in the secondary? Whether or not Davis will miss any game time once the season starts.
Swinney said Davis’ punishment stemming from the reckless driving charge he picked up last month has already started and will continue for a while, though Swinney has declined to get into specifics regarding exactly what that will entail. But Davis hasn’t been held out of a practice during camp.
For now, that’s where things stand with the cornerbacks with a little more than two weeks before Clemson opens the season Sept. 4 against Georgia.
“We’ve got a long way to go between now and the games,” Swinney said. “A lot of practices and a lot of stuff, but those guys have had good camps for us.”
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