With the departure of Jusytn Ross to the NFL, Clemson lost its true No. 1 wide receiver, leaving a void in the Tigers’ passing offense.
Entering his fourth season with the Tigers, Joseph Ngata may be the player who fills that void.
As Clemson began fall camp on Friday, Ngata lined up on the outside with the first team offense alongside Beaux Collins.
While Ngata has struggled to stay on the field since he first arrived at Clemson, the 6-foot-3, 215-pound receiver is back at full strength and has the trust of head coach Dabo Swinney.
“He’s been amazing,” Swinney said on Friday. “He’s become one of the best leaders on the team and one of the most respected guys.”
“If he can stay the course where he’s at, he’ll have a great year.”
Not only did Ngata play with the starters on Friday, but he also made an impressive contested catch over freshman cornerback Jeadyn Lukus.
We’re rating this play a 10/10 🤯 pic.twitter.com/J9ExVgbUaV
— Clemson Football (@ClemsonFB) August 5, 2022
Coming out of high school, Ngata was a four-star prospect and the No. 9 wide receiver in the class of 2019, according to 247Sports Composite rankings.
Battling a foot injury in 2021, Ngata finished the year with 23 receptions for 438 yards and one touchdown in nine appearances.
For Ngata, he has approached his injury bug in a positive manner, hoping to breakout in 2022 with a strong senior year campaign.
“I just had to keep fighting,” Ngata said in March. “It’s all about fighting. That’s a message I can give to anybody. Obviously, not everything is going to go your way. When you fall, when something bad happens, it’s not about crying and pouting about it. It’s about how you can get up and just overcome it.”
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