Clemson will see a familiar face when Miami visits Memorial Stadium this weekend.
Receiver Frank Ladson will square off against his former program when the teams meet Saturday afternoon. Ladson, a Miami native, spent the previous three seasons at Clemson before transferring back home during the offseason.
It won’t be the first time the Tigers have gone up against some of their former players. Former Clemson quarterback Taisun Phommachanh and offensive lineman Paul Tchio were on the Georgia Tech sideline when Clemson beat the Yellow Jackets in the teams’ Labor Day opener in Atlanta, but Phommachanh and Tchio are backups for Tech and didn’t see the field in the Tigers’ 41-10 win.
Ladson has been a steady contributor in his first season with Miami, playing in all 10 of the Hurricanes’ games. With three years worth of intel on Clemson, could Ladson’s knowledge of his former team be an advantage for the Hurricanes in Saturday’s matchup?
Miami coach Mario Cristobal largely brushed that notion aside this week when asked for his thoughts on the matter.
“It’s mostly just giving a scouting report on personnel. What they do is what they do on film,” Cristobal told local reporters, according to InsideTheU. “I don’t think you gain an advantage in that respect, but he confirms everything that we see on tape. It’s a great football, so there’s not much deviation from what you see on tape and what he’s told us.
Clemson coach Dabo Swinney offered his thoughts on the situation Wednesday, saying the Tigers have switched up their offensive signals since last season.
“We change all that stuff every year anyway,” Swinney said.
Cristobal added the best way Ladson can help Miami this weekend is with his play on the field. Ladson hasn’t been a significant producer on the outside for an offense that’s had its share of struggles this season (25.7 points per game), but the 6-foot-3, 205-pounder is still tied for third on the team with 27 receptions, which is nearly as many catches as he had during his entire Clemson career (31). Ladson, who is averaging 11 yards per reception, has one touchdown catch this season.
Cristobal said he doesn’t think he needs to give Ladson any pep talks this week as he prepares to go against his former team, which just happens to be the ninth-ranked team in the country.
“Our players have the opportunity to play in a big game like this, and I think the motivation should always be really high,” Cristobal said. “And to calm him down, he’s a mature guy. We always make sure the focus is on what we’re doing and how we execute, and I think Frank has handled that for the most part pretty well. All in all, I’m just looking forward to Frank playing his best game.”
Photo credit: Rich Storry/USA TODAY Sports
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