Joseph Ngata feels like people have seen a healthy Joseph Ngata before.
He had a good start to his season last year and there’s only more room for improvement. The senior receiver feels like a healthy version of himself looks like a good player, but there’s still a lot more that he has to prove going forward, including that he can stay healthy.
In order to stay healthy, Ngata felt like his first order of business this offseason was to drop weight.
“I’ve always had a good amount of fat,” Ngata said during Monday’s media availability. “I’m losing weight and I’m taking the weight room a lot more seriously. My diet’s changed a lot. I’ve cut out red meat, I’ve cut out pork, I’ve cut out all that stuff. Being healthy is very important to me.”
What does Ngata see for himself this season?
“I always envision myself having a great year,” he said. “Just physically imposing my will, being fast, running down the field, finishing plays. I feel like I showed that in the past, but I want to do more. It’s always about doing more. It’s always about being more productive. I gotta have more yards. I gotta be more dependable. I gotta have better chemistry with D.J. (Uiagalelei), better chemistry with all the quarterbacks. I gotta finish more plays. I just have to be more reliable.”
A lot of that reliability is being able to stay on the field consistently. Since he arrived at Clemson, injuries have been his biggest and only downfall. He feels like some of those injuries have been inevitable, though.
When Ngata suffered a foot injury against Louisville on Nov. 6, 2021, there wasn’t a ‘woe is me’ feeling. He was upset, but there wasn’t any frustration. He wasn’t overcome with rage that yet another injury had cut his season short again. Instead, he knew that he had to just keep fighting.
“I honestly wasn’t down on myself,” Ngata said. “I was obviously upset that I couldn’t finish out the season the way I wanted to, but it’s all about just getting up and keep going, keep moving, keep being encouraged and having a positive mindset. These injuries, obviously, it’s not what I want, but it’s molded me into a tougher person and I have a better outlook on life and everything…I’ve always had a good outlook on those things, but I feel like I’ve just grown through the injuries. I’m grateful for the injuries, to be honest.”
He returned for Clemson’s bowl win over Iowa State over a month later but wasn’t the same dominant force he had been previously. Ngata indicated Monday that he was rusty, but he also wasn’t completely healthy. He just wanted to finish out the season for himself. He needed that reassurance to keep going.
Some of that reassurance has come from Dabo Swinney
“He has to have that confidence in me because he recruited me,” Ngata said of his head coach. “I feel like if he has that amount of confidence in me, then I gotta produce. It’s a two-way street.
Now all healed up, Ngata is starting to look like his old self again. He’s received rave reviews from his coaches and teammates this spring, now, it’s all about staying healthy.
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