Tag: Ajou Ajou

Mother of transfer thanks Clemson

The mother of a Clemson transfer took to Twitter to thank Clemson for what they have done for her son. Katelyn McColl, Ajou Ajou’s mom, is excited about his new journey as he transfers to South Florida to play for Jeff Scott. But she also recognized …

The mother of a Clemson transfer took to Twitter to thank Clemson for what they have done for her son.

Katelyn McColl, Ajou Ajou’s mom, is excited about his new journey as he transfers to South Florida to play for Jeff Scott.  But she also recognized what the Clemson experience has done for here son.

Best of luck to Ajou and Katelynn in the future.

Jeff Scott’s favorite recruiting moment involves a Clemson transfer

Former Clemson offensive coordinator Jeff Scott tweeted about his favorite recruiting moment and it involves one of the Tigers recent transfers. Coach Scott and Ajou built a strong relationship when Scott recruited Ajou to Clemson and apparently the …

Former Clemson offensive coordinator Jeff Scott tweeted about his favorite recruiting moment and it involves one of the Tigers recent transfers.

Coach Scott and Ajou built a strong relationship when Scott recruited Ajou to Clemson and apparently the relationship remains strong.

Ajou announced his commitment to South Florida earlier on Wednesday.

Another Clemson transfer going to South Florida

Another Clemson transfer will be headed to play for Jeff Scott at South Florida. Earlier this month Ajou Ajou entered the transfer portal. Ajou who played high school football for Clearwater Academy will return to Tampa and the coach that recruited …

Another Clemson transfer will be headed to play for Jeff Scott at South Florida.

Earlier this month Ajou Ajou entered the transfer portal.  Ajou who played high school football for Clearwater Academy will return to Tampa and the coach that recruited him to Clemson.

Clemson loses another talented player to the transfer portal

Clemson has lost another talented player to the NCAA transfer portal. The Clemson Insider has confirmed that sophomore wide receiver Ajou Ajou has entered the portal. A Canada native with plenty of potential, Ajou entered 2021 with two career …

Clemson has lost another talented player to the NCAA transfer portal.

The Clemson Insider has confirmed that sophomore wide receiver Ajou Ajou has entered the portal.

A Canada native with plenty of potential, Ajou entered 2021 with two career catches for 41 yards and a touchdown in 113 snaps over 10 games.

The Clearwater (Fla.) Academy product played in 12 games for the Tigers this season, recording six receptions for 73 yards. He logged 236 snaps and made two starts but played only 49 snaps across the Tigers’ last five games.

Ajou is the second Clemson receiver to enter the transfer portal this season, joining Frank Ladson.

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WRU Members Drop a 7 at Williams-Brice Stadium

Clemson continued the win streak over South Carolina Saturday night dominating the Gamecocks 30-0. How many games in a row was it for the Tigers? Well Ajou Ajou, Beaux Collins and Dacari Collins have your answer. Not 1..2..3..4..5..6..but 7 …

Clemson continued the win streak over South Carolina Saturday night dominating the Gamecocks 30-0.

How many games in a row was it for the Tigers?  Well Ajou Ajou, Beaux Collins and Dacari Collins have your answer.

Clemson had ‘high expectations’ for one of its healthy receivers. Now he’s hardly playing.

Before the season started, Dabo Swinney talked glowingly about a receiving corps that he believed was as talented as any Clemson has had in his 13 years as the Tigers’ head coach. Included in that group was a player he singled out as one of the most …

Before the season started, Dabo Swinney talked glowingly about a receiving corps that he believed was as talented as any Clemson has had in his 13 years as the Tigers’ head coach. Included in that group was a player he singled out as one of the most improved on the Tigers’ offense.

He wasn’t talking about the headliner, Justyn Ross. Nor was it former five-star signees Joseph Ngata or E.J. Williams. It wasn’t another former blue-chip recruit, Frank Ladson Jr., either.

Swinney was talking about sophomore Ajou Ajou.

“Ajou? It’s incredible where he is,” Swinney said during fall camp. “He is going to help us in a big way.”

That hasn’t been the case.

Ajou has fallen further down the depth chart even as it continues to thin out. Receiver has been a position hit as hard as any by the string of bad luck Clemson has had with injuries. Ross, Ngata, Ladson and Williams began the season as the Tigers’ top four wideouts, but Williams is the only one that could be available when Clemson squares off against South Carolina on Saturday at Williams-Brice Stadium in its regular-season finale. Even that’s in question after Williams sustained a freak leg injury last week that forced him to miss the Wake Forest game.

Still, playing time has been hard to come by for Ajou, who began the season as a backup to Ngata and Ladson on the outside but has caught just five passes for 71 yards in 11 games. His last reception is more than a month old (against Pittsburgh on Oct. 23).

That level of production doesn’t exactly match the praise heaped on Ajou four months ago as a fall-camp standout.

“We certainly had high expectations for him as basically a freshman again, but as we got going and getting into some of the details and stuff, he just hit a wall at some point during the season,” Swinney said Wednesday.

At 6-foot-3 and 225 pounds, Ajou fits in with the rest of the Tigers’ tall, big-bodied receivers from a physical standpoint. He got his feet wet last fall after signing with Clemson as part of the Tigers’ 2020 recruiting class, catching two passes in 10 games. Ajou then capped a promising spring with a six-catch, 102-yard showing in Clemson’s spring game, momentum that seemed to carry over to the fall.

But it’s the mental part of the game where Ajou is still working on those details the most.

When Ladson was lost early to a season-ending groin injury, Ajou got his first career start against Syracuse on Oct. 15 but had some missed blocks on the perimeter. He started again the next week at Pitt and caught a 36-yard pass in the first half but again struggled to adjust some of his blocking assignments based on what the Panthers’ defense was showing, offensive coordinator Tony Elliott said.

“That’s things that a guy with experience is able to work through,” Elliott said then. “He’s got to see that. Even though you show it to him in practice, it happens faster in real time.”

Fast forward to Clemson’s game at Louisville on Nov. 6. When Ngata went out in the second half with a foot injury that’s kept him sidelined since, true freshman Dacari Collins got most of the reps in his place on the outside. The same thing happened when Ross aggravated a stress fracture in his foot early against Connecticut the following week, an injury that might have ended his collegiate career.

Collins finished that game with six catches for 97 yards and got his first career start in Clemson’s win over Wake Forest last week. Should Williams not be able to give it a go again this weekend, the Tigers’ top three receivers for Saturday’s game would be Collins, Beaux Collins and Will Swinney, who started in the slot last week.

Ajou has logged just 34 snaps over the last four games.

“He’s had a couple of opportunities and a couple of starts, and Dacari has just moved ahead right now,” Swinney said following the UConn game. “We love him, but it’s where where we are. Those guys have taken advantage of their opportunities.”

Given how frequent the attrition has been at receiver, Swinney said Ajou is going to need to stay ready should the Tigers need him to play more significant snaps down the stretch. Swinney said Ajou has “picked it up a little bit” with his performance in practice the last few weeks, but that major step the Tigers were hoping would come in Ajou’s development this season will likely have to wait.

“We’ve still got a lot of work to do with him,” Swinney said.

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‘Everything is under evaluation’ for offense that can’t get out its own way

PITTSBURGH – Not everything about Clemson’s offense was the same Saturday. Early in the third quarter, the Tigers made a change at quarterback, replacing D.J. Uiagalelei with Taisun Phommachanh. The third-year sophomore led a scoring drive (ending …

PITTSBURGH — Not everything about Clemson’s offense was the same Saturday.

Early in the third quarter, the Tigers made a change at quarterback, replacing D.J. Uiagalelei with Taisun Phommachanh. The third-year sophomore led a scoring drive (ending in a field goal) on his first possession, but the switch to a signal caller known more for his running than his throwing lasted just two series.

That’s because No. 23 Pittsburgh kept extending its lead, going up by as many as 17 points early in the fourth quarter. And Clemson coach Dabo Swinney felt the Tigers (4-3, 3-2 ACC) needed their best passing option in the game since they needed to play catchup in a hurry.

It’s a position the 24th-ranked Tigers found themselves in, at least in part, because of an offense that largely looked the same, which is never a good thing given the way it’s operating.

“We are what we are right now,” Swinney said. “Very immature. Very young. An unconfident offense. That’s for sure.”

Pitt (6-1, 3-0) entered Saturday’s game ranked in the top 35 nationally in yards and points allowed, but Clemson’s offense once again did itself no favors in a 27-17 loss married by more self-inflicted miscues that kept the Tigers from ever finding a rhythm, a broken record for a unit that continues to rank toward the bottom of the FBS in most statistical categories.

Clemson was penalized just five times, an improvement for a team averaging more than seven coming in, but turnovers were an issue for Uiagalelei, which ultimately got him pulled early in the third quarter. SirVocea Dennis’ pick-six on an ill-advised shovel pass near midfield gave Pitt its largest lead at the time at 21-7, but it wasn’t Uiagalelei’s first mishap. Clemson had a prime opportunity for points on its second possession of the game when the Tigers drove inside Pitt’s 25-yard line, but Uiagalelei’s decision to throw it up to a blanketed Justyn Ross at the end of it was a costly one that resulted in his first pick.

As poorly as Uiagalelei played at times, though, the miscues weren’t limited to the sophomore quarterback.

Blocking continued to be hit or miss, even on the outside. At one point, Ajou Ajou drew the wrath of Swinney when he whiffed on a perimeter block on one of Clemson’s first possessions resulting in a negative play.

Injuries at receiver continued to force players like Ajou who haven’t played significant snaps into more prominent roles. With Joseph Ngata (COVID-19 protocols), Frank Ladson (groin) and E.J. Williams (knee) out, Ajou got his second straight start and caught a 36-yard pass to extend the Tigers’ first scoring drive, but he was also part of the drop issue that continues to plague the offense.

“That’s kind of been our story right now, the inability to have that continuity which is going to generate the confidence to build the consistently that we’re used to having on offense around here,” offensive coordinator Tony Elliott said. 

None of them came at a worse time than when the Tigers had a chance to extend their 7-0 lead early in the second quarter. Uiagalelei completed just nine of his first 20 passes as part of a 12-of-25 day through the air, but he put one on the money to running back Will Shipley, who had used his speed his beat his defender in man coverage over the middle. But Shipley, playing for the first time after sustaining a leg injury against North Carolina State on Sept. 25, couldn’t hold on.

Clemson eventually punted on that possession, and Pitt scored its first touchdown right after. The Panthers followed it up with another touchdown. Dennis’ 50-yard pick-six on Clemson’s opening possession of the second half made it a 21-0 run that put the Panthers well in control.

“We had some critical missed opportunities and drops that could’ve put that game away,” Swinney said. “That’s the frustrating thing about where we are. I thought Tony had a great plan. … We’ve just got to find some rhythm.”

It’s seemingly one step forward and two steps back on a weekly basis for an offense that’s still yet to crack the 20-point mark in regulation against an FBS opponent. Swinney dismissed the idea of staff changes as part of the solution, answering “absolutely not” when asked if he felt any were needed.

“We have a great staff that I believe in wholeheartedly,” Swinney said. “We’ve all got to do a better job starting with me.”

Swinney has never questioned the effort of his players, reiterating Saturday that they’re “trying hard.” But every position, he said, will be evaluated for an offense that’s having a hard time staying out of its own way.

“I think everything is under evaluation at this point at 4-3 with where we are,” Swinney said. “Everybody’s got to show up and earn it every single day, and we’ve just got to take it one day at a time.”

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Ajou: ‘You gotta play for the dude beside you’

Through its first six games, Clemson has struggled to build momentum on the field, but sophomore Ajou Ajou is confident this year’s team is about to turn the corner. The wide receiver, who got his first career start this past weekend in the Tiger’s …

Through its first six games, Clemson has struggled to build momentum on the field, but sophomore Ajou Ajou is confident this year’s team is about to turn the corner. The wide receiver, who got his first career start this past weekend in the Tiger’s 17-14 win over Syracuse, has seen how special this team can be off the field and knows it’s just a matter of time before the pieces finally all come together.

“I’m telling y’all… this weekend might be it,” Ajou told the media on Tuesday. “It’s going to be it, I believe it. We’re very close.”

The real difference this season though has been in the details. With many of Clemson’s games coming down to the wire, the Tigers cannot afford the penalties and errors that have continued to pile up on the offensive side of the ball.

“Just like, you’ve seen it, how many games have been like one score now… you know, and it’s all been like one play, two plays… that’s the whole difference,” the Canada-native said. “We all gotta buy in and do our jobs.”

“No mental errors, you know, you gotta play for the dude beside you, for real, so just executing what you gotta do and hoping that all eleven guys will do it at the same time.”

With the close attention to detail also comes the struggle with perfection, something Ajou himself encountered on Saturday when he made a mental error early on in the first drive, that in addition to other minor miscues, led to the Tigers leaving the first quarter scoreless.

“Like ten guys will do their job and then one guy won’t… Like that play right there,” Ajou said. “If I had just blocked my guy, who knows, we could’ve taken it to the house. Just trying to get everyone on the same page; that’s kind of one of our biggest challenges right now.”

While missing that block in the first quarter stung, Ajou chose to use his mistake to remind himself why he plays the game in the first place.

“Really just take it back a few years when you were just playing for the love of the game. Like when you messed up, it was like short term memory. It was like second quarter and all, and I was like, let me just take it back a few. Let me just chill, relax, and do what I love. If I mess up, I mess up and just accept it.”

Into the second quarter, the wide receiver showed up big with two receptions on third down for the Tigers, totaling a season-high 19 yards.

Clemson hits the road this weekend once again to face a talented Pittsburgh team at the helm of quarterback Kenny Pickett on Saturday, October 23, at Heinz Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pa. Kickoff is set for 3:30pm on ESPN.

For Swinney, this particular offensive issue is ‘beyond frustrating’

Dabo Swinney was a receiver during his playing days at the University of Alabama. He began his coaching career instructing that position and still works often with Clemson’s receivers during practice. So it’s easy to understand why there’s a …

Dabo Swinney was a receiver during his playing days at the University of Alabama. He began his coaching career instructing that position and still works often with Clemson’s receivers during practice.

So it’s easy to understand why there’s a particular inconsistency within Clemson’s offense that’s eating at him.

Two days after the Tigers’ narrow win at Syracuse, Clemson’s coach lamented more dropped passes by the receivers. Swinney doubled down on his belief that it was D.J. Uiagalelei’s best game to this point after the sophomore quarterback completed 21 of 34 passes with a touchdown and no picks, his highest completion rate since completing 72% against Georgia Tech on Sept. 18.

It was also a season-high in completions for him, but there could’ve been more had Clemson’s receivers caught more passes that were as consistently accurate as they’ve been all season.

“It’s beyond frustrating,” Swinney said. “We’ve actually practiced well. It’s incredibly frustrating. Early on, we were missing plays and now the quarterback is putting the ball on the money.”

Swinney said he counted five drops after reviewing the tape of Friday’s game. They started on Clemson’s second possession when Justyn Ross broke wide open near midfield. Uiagalelei stepped up in the pocket to avoid some pressure before hitting Ross between the numbers with a pass, but Ross couldn’t snag the ball as he fell to the turf in pain. He limped off after the play but later returned to finish the game.

“That’s going to be a 50- or 60-yard play. There was nobody around Ross,” Swinney said. “I thought D.J. did a great job in the pocket sliding, and Ross just kind of stepped funny and kind of lost his focus on the ball.”

Joseph Ngata made an extending 19-yard catch for Clemson’s first touchdown while Ross also had a leaping, acrobatic catch near the goal line to set up the Tigers’ second score late in the first half. But Ross had another drop on the first possession of the third quarter that would’ve bailed the Tigers out on third-and-16 after a botched snap earlier in the drive. Ngata had a drop or two as well.

“It’s very frustrating because I know we’re better than that,” Swinney said. “We’ve got to finish.

“We’re making some. We’re just not being as consistent as we’re accustomed to around here. And so we’re just kind of in a little bit of a funk there. We’ve just got to keep working our way through it.”

And while the drops may be the most noticeable to the naked eye, they’re not the only area in which the receivers have struggled with consistency. Blocking on the perimeter has been an issue at times, which again showed up against Syracuse.

There were some blocks made that helped spring chunk plays on the edge, but there were also some breakdowns that assisted in killing drives. On their first possession, the Tigers got a screen out to tight end Davis Allen, but Ajou Ajou, getting his first career start, never got a hand on cornerback Garrett Williams, who shot into the backfield to drop Allen for a loss.

“We literally don’t even touch him. We took the play off,” Swinney said. “That’s frustrating, and we’ve got to get that corrected. That’s on us as coaches. Period.”

Uiagalelei connected with Davis on another pass for 13 yards early in the fourth quarter, but a hold on Ross brought the play back to a 3-yard gain. Swinney said there were times when the blocking was good but also other instances where receivers failed to execute blocking assignments.

Swinney again pointed the finger inward when it comes to fixing those kinds of mishaps that are playing a part in keeping Clemson’s offense from establishing any sort of rhythm.

“The effort was great, but our technique has to be better,” Swinney said. “We had a missed assignment on a quick pitch to the left. Both receivers are supposed to be cracking, and we’ve got one that goes down and blocks the safety. Again, that’s on us as coaches to get us better.”

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Smart: Clemson’s receivers a ‘matchup problem’

Georgia’s physically imposing defensive line has been a talking point among Clemson’s coaches and players leading up Saturday’s marquee opener, but it’s not the only position group grabbing the opponent’s attention with its size. It’s been hard for …

Georgia’s physically imposing defensive line has been a talking point among Clemson’s coaches and players leading up Saturday’s marquee opener, but it’s not the only position group grabbing the opponent’s attention with its size.

It’s been hard for Georgia coach Kirby Smart and his team not to notice the  collective stature of Clemson’s receiving corps, which features a bevvy of tall, fast and physical players.

“They are a matchup problem,” Smart said.

The 2021 version of Clemson’s wideouts fits the mold of the prototypical receiver the Tigers have fed into the program during Dabo Swinney’s tenure — athletic, rangy and big-bodied. Justyn Ross is the headliner at 6-foot-4 and 205 pounds, but the list is long at one of the deeper positions on Clemson’s roster.

“It’s kind of like our running back room,” Swinney said. “I love the depth we have there.”

Sophomore Joseph Ngata, a former five-star recruit primed for his biggest role yet in Clemson’s offense, goes 6-3 and 220 pounds while Ajou Ajou has the same measurables. Frank Ladson Jr. is 6-3 and 205 pounds. E.J. Williams is easily the lightest among the Tigers’ top five receivers at 195 pounds, but the sophomore is just as tall as nearly everyone else at the position at 6-3.

Freshmen Dacari Collins and Beaux Collins blended in well when the four star-signees joined the program in January. Dacari goes 6-4 and 215 pounds while Beaux is listed at 6-3 and 205 pounds. Troy Stellato is the shortest of the freshmen receiver class at 6-1.

Swinney said there’s not one among the group that he doesn’t trust to win most one-on-one matchups whenever Clemson’s receivers are isolated on a defensive back.

“All of them have made plays. I’d chunk it up to any of them,” Swinney said. “They’ve all had their moments.”

How often Clemson’s receivers find themselves on an island Saturday remains to be seen. But Smart said he likes the way Georgia’s secondary matches up against the Tigers’ size in coverage.

Three of the Bulldogs’ top corners are 6-2 or taller. Senior Ameer Speed (6-3) and freshman Kelee Ringo (6-2) are duking it out for the starting corner job opposite former Clemson defensive back Derion Kendrick, Georgia’s smallest corner at 6-0 and 190 pounds. Georgia’s projected starting nickel back, Latavious Brini, goes 6-2 and 210 pounds.

Still, Smart said the ability of Clemson’s receivers to win 50-50 balls is a concern, and the kind of physical presence the Tigers’ wideouts present when blocking on the perimeter isn’t something Georgia’s defensive backs have seen much of when going good on good during practice. LSU transfer receiver Arik Gilbert (6-5, 248) has taken a personal leave of absence and didn’t go through fall camp. Neither did the Bulldogs’ top wideout, Georgia Pickens (6-3, 200), who’s working his way back from a torn ACL and is likely out for Saturday’s game.

Smart said he’s had his defensive backs go up against Georgia’s tight ends in an attempt to simulate what they’re going to see from Clemson’s receivers in all facets.

“Getting on and off blocks is critical in every football game, but it’s really critical to this game because we know the spread element, the perimeter screens, the ball out quick,” Smart said. “You’ve got to be able to tackle and be able to get off blocks, and those big guys make that hard to do.”

Football season has finally arrived. Time to represent your Tigers and show your stripes!