Tag: Bryant Wesco

Dabo Swinney explains why Bryant Wesco, T.J. Moore lacked playing time against Georgia

Swinney explains why Clemson’s two stud freshman wide receivers didn’t play much.

Bryant Wesco and T.J. Moore arrived at Clemson with plenty of hype, earning high praise from coaches and teammates ahead of the 2024 season. However, their limited action in Clemson’s 34-3 season-opening loss to Georgia left some wondering why the talented freshmen weren’t more involved.

Addressing this during a Sunday conference call, Dabo Swinney explained that the Tigers’ offensive struggles and limited plays were factors. “We wanted more, and we only had 52 plays,” Swinney said. “There wasn’t a lot of plays in the game… just never really got in the rhythm of things.” Wesco and Moore did see the field, with Wesco playing around “12-14 snaps,” according to Swinney, and both made their first career receptions in the fourth quarter.

Looking ahead, Swinney assured that the young receivers will get more opportunities as the season progresses. “You’ll continue to see those guys stepping up and getting more opportunity,” he said, emphasizing that Clemson’s depth at receiver means competition will dictate playing time week to week.

Wesco, ranked as ESPN’s No. 7 wideout in the 2024 class, and Moore, ESPN’s No. 12 receiver, both have impressive high school resumes and are expected to become key contributors for the Tigers as they gain more experience.

Swinney may lean on freshman wide receivers Wesco and Moore, who will ‘play all year’

Wesco and Moore to have big roles in Clemson’s offense?

Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney highlighted true freshmen Bryant Wesco and T.J. Moore as key contributors for the upcoming game against Georgia. Swinney is confident that both wide receivers will play a significant role throughout the season.

“Wesco and Moore, those guys are ready to go,” Swinney said. “We’re going to need them on the field all year.”

On the defensive side, linebacker Sammy Brown has secured a spot on the two-deep depth chart and will be heavily involved in special teams. Swinney mentioned that a few other freshmen might see action, although their roles could evolve as the season progresses.

“We’ve got some players who might get in the game, but we’ll decide on their long-term roles later,” Swinney said.

Swinney also noted the development of offensive linemen Elyjah Thurmon and Mason Wade, who are expected to contribute this season. According to Swinney, the Tigers have around ten or eleven offensive linemen they can rely on, including Thurmon and Wade, who are progressing well.

In addition to the wide receivers and linemen, Swinney announced earlier in the week that true freshman Nolan Hauser has been named the starting kicker for the season opener against Georgia.

Swinney praises Wesco, among others, when asked which freshman he’s most excited to see on Saturday

Swinney has been impressed by Wesco.

Clemson’s head coach, Dabo Swinney, shared his thoughts on which freshmen could make an impact in the upcoming season opener during his “Tiger Sports Hour” radio show on Monday. When asked by a fan through text, Swinney highlighted several new faces he’s eager to see in action on Saturday.

Leading the list was wide receiver Bryant Wesco, who Swinney described as being more than prepared for the challenge ahead. “Wesco is definitely one to watch. He’s ready,” Swinney commented, emphasizing the freshman’s readiness to contribute right out of the gate.

Swinney also mentioned another freshman wideout, T.J. Moore, who he believes is on the verge of breaking through. “T.J. is almost there. We’re hoping to see him step up soon,” Swinney added.

The coach didn’t stop with the receivers, pointing out redshirt freshman running back Jay Haynes, who is eager to make up for lost time after missing last season. Swinney also noted true freshman linebacker Sammy Brown and cornerback Ashton Hampton as players who could make significant contributions this year.

Though not all of these freshmen will start, Swinney is optimistic about their roles, particularly Brown’s involvement on special teams. “Sammy’s going to be all over the field,” Swinney said, indicating the linebacker’s versatility and importance.

As Clemson gears up for their season opener against top-ranked Georgia on Saturday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Swinney is confident that these young players will have a chance to show what they can do. “We’ve got a solid group of young guys who can make a difference for us this season,” Swinney concluded.

Clemson’s freshman class will look to impress just as the 2023 class did.

Bryant Wesco on ESPN Top 100 college football newcomers list

The four-star wide receiver was the only Clemson player to make ESPN’s list.

ESPN’s Max Olson and Eli Lederman released a list of the top 100 newcomers in college football ($) Monday.

The last wasn’t made up entirely of freshmen players that are expected to make an early impact for their teams in 2024 and included mostly players who transferred.

For instance, Ohio State safety Caleb Downs, who transferred to the Buckeyes from Alabama, was at the top of ESPN’s list of newcomers despite playing in all 13 games a season ago for the Tide.

Since Clemson didn’t add anyone from the transfer portal, Wesco was the Tigers’ only player to appear on ESPN’s list.

Per Olson:

“The second-highest-rated prospect in the Tigers’ 2024 class, Wesco turned in a strong spring camp, then increased his listed weight by 10 pounds over the summer. Clemson returns experienced pass catchers in Tyler Brown, Troy Stellato and Antonio Williams, with Cade Klubnik back under center this fall. The Tigers have been led in receptions by a freshman six times since Dabo Swinney took over in 2009. Could Wesco be next?”

Wesco committed to Clemson in the summer of 2023. 247Sports ranked him the No. 57 overall player nationally in his recruiting class and the No. 8 wide receiver.

Clemson opens the 2024 season Saturday in Atlanta against the Georgia Bulldogs at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Kickoff is set for noon ET. The game will be televised on ABC.

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Freshman wide receiver continues receiving high praise from Dabo Swinney

Wesco continues to get praise from his head coach.

Clemson’s wide receiver room is once again starting to pick up steam and hype as the freshman receivers bring a whole different energy and skillset to he unit. 

Recently, Clemson freshman wide receiver T.J. Moore, a former 5-star recruit, got some praise from Clemson’s head coach, Dabo Swinney, for what he’s seen from the young receiver since he joined campus. The Tigers’ other highly touted freshman wide receiver, Bryant Wesco, on the other hand, has been on campus and receiving praise all summer. 

Things didn’t change on Saturday during the Tigers’ first fall scrimmage, with Wesco once again impressing his head coach. Wesco is competing for serious playing time.

“He does not carry himself like a freshman,” Swinney said. “He is a very mature young player. He is right there in the mix.”

Working towards being a starter already is huge news for Tigers fans as the need for Wesco’s big play ability is massive. Clemson needs a star who can make the big plays on the outside.

During his high school career at Midlothian high school(Texas), Wesco recorded 109 receptions for 1,903 yards and scored 29 touchdowns. As a 5-star recruit, his highest rating came from ESPN, who ranked him as the No. 28 overall player in the class. They also ranked him as the No. 7 wide receiver in a stacked wide receiver class.

We can’t wait to see what he can do.

Klubnik names a freshman wide receiver Clemson’s biggest difference-maker this offseason

Cade Klubnik on Clemson’s biggest difference maker: “Bryant Wesco. That’s my guy.”

Clemson football fans have been waiting for a dominant receiver to join the program and make a difference.

Over the past two seasons, true freshmen have led the Tigers at wide receiver, with Antonio Williams and later Tyler Brown becoming two high-potential, productive wide receivers. They’re great players, but they aren’t alphas like a Mike Williams or a Tee Higgins. That is why people are so excited about 5-star freshman wide receiver Bryant Wesco, who looks like an alpha.

During starting quarterback Cade Klubnik’s press conference at the 024 ACC Football Kickoff in Charlotte on Thursday, Klubnik had nothing but phenomenal things to say about the young wide receiver. When asked who Clemson’s biggest difference maker has been this offseason, Klubnik did not hesitate.

“Bryant Wesco. That’s my guy,” Klubnik said. “You’ll see.”

During his high school career at Midlothian high school(Texas), Wesco recorded 109 receptions for 1,903 yards and scored 29 touchdowns. As a 5-star recruit, his highest rating came from ESPN, who ranked him as the No. 28 overall player in the class. They also ranked him as the No. 7 wide receiver in a stacked wide receiver class.

Wesco should be an exciting player for Clemson fans to watch.

Two Tigers named among college football’s 24 must-watch true freshmen for 2024

Clemson has two must watch freshmen heading into the 2024 season.

Dabo Swinney and the Clemson football program did a phenomenal job recruiting in the 2024 class, headlined by two five-star recruits who look to make an immediate impact for the Tigers. 

Recently, 247Sports ranked the Top 24 freshmen who “must-watch” for the 2024 college football season, with these two Tigers making the cut. The first to appear is linebacker Sammy Brown, Clemson’s top recruit, landing at No. 24.

When multi-year starter Barrett Carter says you’re special, focus shifts to the freshman, who turned heads this spring with his knowledge of the game at the Mike position on Clemson’s defense.

The young linebacker received tremendous hype as he joined the program, and after Clemson’s Orange and White spring game, you can see why. Brown recorded a sack on his first snap in front of the Tigers fan base, later putting together a complete performance that’ll surely have Clemson fans even more excited about what he can do for the team in 2024.

Next was Clemson wide receiver Bryant Wesco, a player who has been tabbed as the next great Tigers wide receiver. Wesco ranked higher, landing at No. 11.

In need of big-play threats on the outside, the Tigers secured multiple pass-catchers in their 2024 class of the elite variety, including Bryant Wesco. He scored the first touchdown of the spring game last month and is already a crisp route runner. The only knock on Wesco throughout spring practice was his frame and being a bit undersized, but adding weight and muscle is the mindset this summer ahead of fall camp. He’s expected to anchor a starring role in the passing game. Clemson247 has more on Wesco’s expected impact along with another first-year wideout primed for success.

Wesco was an early enrollee with high expectations as a five-star recruit, and so far, he’s lived up to those expectations. Wesco recorded three catches for 26 yards and a ridiculous touchdown in the Tigers’ Orange and White spring game, looking like a threat on the outside.
Clemson has a bright future with these two.

247Sports names 3 Clemson football players as top-100 ‘Impact True Freshmen’

3 true freshmen are primed for big roles this season, according to 247 Sports.

Whether anyone likes it or not, Clemson and the transfer portal are like oil and water, or at least, the incoming transfer portal.

The Tigers still have a significant portion of the team leaving, with around ten players a year for the last four years venturing out to “greener pastures.” With over double that amount coming in as true freshmen, Clemson should hardly dip below the 85-player scholarship limit, but it does mean the team will be increasingly younger as time goes on.

Fortunately, the newcomers are some of the best in the country. As for this year, a few should significantly impact the team in their first season.

Chris Hummer of 247 Sports thinks the Tigers have three incoming freshmen with the potential to influence college football in 2024. With the recent struggles from the wide receiver room, Hummer picked Bryant Wesco and TJ Moore to have crucial roles this season.

Wesco’s spring game performance really stood out to Hummer.

The knock on Wesco upon his enrollment at Clemson was his frame. At 6-foot-2, 170 pounds, Wesco definitely still needs to add weight this summer. But the dude can play. Wesco flashed on a number of springtime occasions for the Tigers, including scoring the first touchdown of their spring game. We know Clemson desperately needs exterior playmakers and Wesco is capable of providing some of that vertical pop.

Although Wesco played better this spring, Hummer thinks Moore will have the larger role in 2024.

Wesco showed up big this spring, but it might be Moore — a summer enrollee — who ends up with the larger role. The 6-foot-3, 190-pound Florida native showed ready-to-play ability in January at the All-American Bowl, and there’s a belief around the Tiger program that Moore was one of the steals of the cycle (he was a moderately late-rising recruit who finished as a five-star). At least one of Wesco or Moore will end up emerging as a difference-maker.

Moore and Wesco have relatively easy paths to playing time. Hummer’s third and final player does not. Linebacker Sammy Brown has excellent size for a true freshman, and while he may not start, he could see the field a lot this fall.

Brown’s path to the field is a bit more congested than his two 2024 class counterparts. While the Tigers need help at receiver, they’re in good shape at linebacker with Barrett Carter and Wade Woodaz in the middle of the defense. Still, Brown is as physically ready as perhaps any freshman to step in Day 1. He’s a true testing freak and had an impressive public debut in Clemson’s spring game with eight tackles and a sack. He won’t start this year. But expect him to be heavily in the rotation for the Tigers and flash on occasion, much in the way Woodaz did a year ago.

CBS Sports identifies WR Bryant Wesco being a ‘spark plug for Clemson’s passing attack’ as a spring football overreaction

Is the Bryant Wesco hype an overreaction? We don’t believe so, but CBS Sports does.

The Clemson football program landed a huge name in their 2024 class at a position of need; five-star freshman wide receiver Bryant Wesco. 

The hype around Wesco has been tremendous and for good reason. Wesco is talented and has a recruiting grade that makes you want to believe he’ll be a massive impact player for Clemson not only in the future, but this upcoming season as a freshman. It goes beyond just that, however, as he was a top performer in Clemson’s spring game. 

Over the last few seasons, the Clemson offense has had a lack of playmakers at wide receiver. There was a lot of talent in the wide receiver room, but for various reasons, the unit just hasn’t been able to put things together since the departure of Cincinnati Bengals star wide receiver Tee Higgins. With the Tigers’ struggles at the position, the hype around five-star wide receiver Bryant Wesco built dramatically as fans are desperate to see another star at wide receiver for the Tigers. In the spring game, Wesco lived up to the hype and looked like that star, scoring a beautiful 9-yard touchdown. 

Even with the impressive start to his Clemson career, CBS Sports Chip Patterson doesn’t see that impact being made during his freshman season. According to Patterson’s latest article on ACC overreactions from spring football, Clemson’s is that Wesco will be a spark plug for Clemson’s passing attack. 

Bryant Wesco will be a spark plug for Clemson’s passing attack: In 10 seasons of Clemson football from 2011-2020, the Tigers had a 1,000-yard receiver in all but two seasons (2015, 2017). It was a truly remarkable run that included future pros Sammy Watkins, DeAndre Hopkins, Mike Williams and Tee Higgins among others. But in the last three years (2021-23), no Clemson receiver has finished with more than 604 yards in a season and none from those teams have been selected in the NFL Draft. The tide seems to be turning, however, and one reason to believe that was the spring performance of early enrollee freshman Bryant Wesco. The blue-chip projections for Wesco are already playing out on the field as both coaches and teammates have been offering offering positive reviews all spring, and he even showed out with a diving over-the-shoulder touchdown grab in the spring game. Wesco specifically might not be the top candidate to be a 1,000-yard receiver for Clemson in 2024 — Antonio Williams, Tyler Brown, Troy Stellato have an experience edge for playing time — but his tools and talent are reminiscent of the days when Clemson had future NFL Draft picks at the position rolling in year-after-year.

I get what Patterson is saying here. There are other mouths to feed in this Clemson offense, and there’s a strong chance that Wesco won’t be that 1,000-yard guy right away… but does that mean Wesco can’t be a spark plug for the Tigers’ offense? Absolutely not. 

The more talent you have on your offense, the better. We’ve seen glimpses of what Wesco is capable of, and I was impressed. You don’t need to be a team’s number-one guy to make a difference. 

Antonio Williams? Excellent. Tyler Brown? Excellent. Are either a true alpha wide receive No. 1? No. That’s not a knock on them; they simply don’t fit that mold. Do you know who does fit that mold? Bryant Wesco. 

Wesco’s skill set will be game-changing for this Clemson offense, which leads me to disagree with Patterson’s take. 

Dabo Swinney continues praise for freshman wide receiver Bryant Wesco

Bryant Wesco has been impressing his head coach.

Dabo Swinney and the Tigers need a star at wide receiver and they may have gotten just that in freshman wide receiver Bryant Wesco.

Wesco was an early enrollee with high expectations as a five-star recruit, and so far, he’s lived up to those expectations. Wesco recorded three catches for 26 yards and a ridiculous touchdown in the Tigers’ Orange and White spring game, looking like a threat on the outside. He’s been so promising that Swinney has taken notice of what Wesco has been doing and what he has shown him as a player.

“You get these guys in here as freshmen, you never really know exactly where they are till you start coaching them and some guys, you come in and  you see the talent right away but maybe the maturity and even the commitment is not quite where it needs to be,” Swinney said. “He’s a kid, from day one, the commitment is above the talent and it just drives everything. He’s very conscientiousness, he can take things from the meeting rooms to the practice field.

“He’s already put on about eight or nine pounds and he’s still going to be a developing guy between now and August. He just took right to it and he had a lot of opportunity…man, he took advantage of it and really showed that he’s a guy that can play and he’s definitely going to be a guy that can help us.”

Clemson has talent at wide receiver with guys such as Antonio Williams and Tyler Brown, but neither fit the mold of a true alpha wide receiver. That’s where Wesco can fit right in.

If Wesco can have an immediate impact for this offense, the Tigers’ wide receiver room is going to be a lot stronger than many expect.