Tag: Clemson wide receivers

All eyes on Bryant Wesco at Clemson spring game

Freshman wide receiver Bryant Wesco, a five-star recruit from Texas, is generating some of the most buzz this spring.

Saturday will mark the 16th spring game of the Dabo Swinney era at Clemson, and as with every game before it, fans will have a lot to keep their eyes on.

Generating some of the most buzz this spring is highly touted freshman receiver Bryant Wesco, a five-star recruit from Midlothian, Texas. Wesco was ranked the No. 6 receiver in the nation in 247 Sports’ composite rankings for the class of 2024.

He has drawn no shortage of praise from teammates and coaches alike. Swinney has praised the 6’2, 170-pound athlete for his poise and maturity.

“Poise and maturity are rare for a young kid. He’s obviously very talented,” Swinney said of Wesco earlier this spring. “You see a lot of kids that are talented, but they don’t have the mindset or the maturity to go with it. He does. That’s encouraging because all the rest of this stuff, he’ll get better at.”

After Wesco fumbled a ball during one practice, Swinney quipped that he’d had to relish a rare opportunity to yell at the potential star. “Then he comes right back, makes a couple of great plays,” Swinney noted.

Clemson offensive coordinator Garrett Riley praised Wesco for his ability to quickly adapt to his environment after enrolling at the school in January.

“Bryant’s done a nice job,” Riley told The Clemson Insider last week. “Anytime as a freshman, the whole thing is just: can you handle mentally? And then just the grind, the speed of the game, the transitioning at his position at receiver.

“He’s been able to mentally handle things, and I think he’s a guy that’s transitioned really well with the speed of the game. The moment’s not too big for him. He just feels like that type of player to me. I’m very pleased with his start.”

Wesco will be paired with starting quarterback Cade Klubnik and fellow receivers Adam Randall and Antonio Williams (among others), as well as tight end Jake Briningstool on the Orange team at Saturday’s spring game.

Wesco’s development is especially important for a Clemson program that has struggled to develop receivers since the team’s run of six straight College Football Playoff appearances. The Tigers haven’t had a player finish with 1,000 receiving yards in a season since Amari Rodgers in 2020.

That’s a long drought for a school that prided itself on being “Wide Receiver U” after such stars as DeAndre Hopkins, Sammy Watkins, Tee Higgins, Mike Williams, Justyn Ross, and Hunter Renfrow — all Swinney players.

The Tigers are hoping that Wesco will join that set of decorated players.

“He’ll get bigger, he’ll get stronger, he’ll work at it. He’ll learn some other positions. All that stuff will come in the bigger picture of things, but he’s just a poised kid that’s tough and likes to play, likes to be coached. He’s just got the maturity to match the talent,” Swinney said.

Saturday’s Orange vs. White game is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. EDT from Memorial Stadium. The game will be broadcast/streamed on ACC Network Extra and ESPN+.

Justyn Ross receives first-team reps with Chiefs at training camp

Former Clemson WR Justyn Ross is making noise at Chiefs training camp.

Former Clemson wide receiver Justyn Ross is making noise at training camp.

The Athletic’s Nate Taylor reported that Ross received first-team repetitions in the Chiefs’ first full-team practice on Sunday. Other reporters also noted that Ross was very involved and made several catches in drills.

It’s worth noting that Kansas City wide receiver Kadarius Toney, who was a starter last season, tweaked his knee and missed part of Sunday’s practice, head coach Andy Reid told reporters.

Signed by Kansas City as an undrafted free agent, Ross missed his rookie season last year due to a foot injury.

But after an offseason of recovery, Ross is back at full strength and received praise from his quarterback, Patrick Mahomes, back in April.

“The talent is through the roof. I think anyone can see that,” Mahomes said of Ross. “He’s getting better and better. Even though he wasn’t active all year long, he was in the building, and he was able to see the guys and how we do things. Listening and being in the meetings and some of the stuff like that. I’m excited for him. To be able to get out there and get the reps in practice and get the little fine details that we like to do in this offense.”

At Clemson, Ross had 158 receptions for 2,379 yards and 20 touchdowns over three years. The 6-foot-4, 210-pound receiver was forced to miss his junior season due to a congenital fusion in his spine, but he returned to the field in 2021 for his senior season.

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Swinney dishes on Will Taylor’s decision to commit to baseball

Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney said that Will Taylor’s decision to commit to baseball full-time was “definitely the right choice.”

If his former coach’s comments are any indication, there is no ill will toward Will Taylor leaving the Clemson football program.

After two years of being a dual-sport athlete, Taylor announced on July 12 that he was leaving the football team to pursue his passion for baseball full-time.

Speaking to the media on Tuesday, Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney said the decision to focus on baseball “was definitely the right choice” for Taylor.

“I think we all knew that long term, that was going to be his future,” Swinney said. “Will wants to be a first-round draft pick, and he really felt like this is what he needed to concentrate on this fall. I love that kid, and hopefully, he’ll just come over here and sit around and hang out with us some because he’s just one of those guys you love being around.

“He wouldn’t give anything for the experience he’s gotten; this is what he wanted. He wanted the college experience, and not many guys have the ability to play one sport, much less two. And (he got) to be a champion in both sports.”

Taylor came to Clemson in 2021 and immediately earned playing time as a punt returner before a torn ACL derailed his freshman season. He finished his career as a wide receiver with seven receptions for 22 yards and one touchdown. He also returned 16 punts in his career for an average of 5.63 yards per return.

“Obviously, it didn’t go quite according to script — it rarely does —but he got off to a really good start and was really kind of on his way,” Swinney said.

As Swinney mentioned, Taylor won an ACC championship in two different sports this past academic year, the first Clemson athlete to do so since 1991-92.

While Taylor didn’t find his footing on the football field, he shined on the diamond this past spring, hitting .362 with 67 runs, 16 doubles, two triples and five homers in 62 games (60 starts). He was also fourth in the ACC in on-base percentage at .489.

With Taylor’s commitment to baseball, Clemson’s wide receiver room consists of Beaux Collins, Adam Randall, Antonio Williams and Cole Turner, among others.

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Williams shines with career day in victory

What a day it was for wide receiver Antonio Williams. In Clemson’s latest 31-16 win over Louisville, the freshman put together the best performance of his Clemson career, leading the way for Tyler Grisham’s wide receiver room on Saturday. Williams …

What a day it was for wide receiver Antonio Williams.

In Clemson’s latest 31-16 win over Louisville, the freshman put together the best performance of his Clemson career, leading the way for Tyler Grisham’s wide receiver room on Saturday.

Williams came in clutch on the first drive of the matchup with a big deep ball grab and never looked back, finishing the day with an impressive 10 receptions for 83 yards and one touchdown, besting his previous career highs of five receptions and 76 yards receiving in a single game.

Williams’ career day came at a time when the Tigers needed it most. Following the loss to Notre Dame in South Bend where Clemson’s offense struggled to gain momentum and move the sticks, the Tigers were in need of an offensive difference maker versus Louisville — a role Williams was more than ready to fill.

Highlighted by his third career touchdown — a 4-yard reception in the second quarter — Williams proved that he could provide the explosiveness that both Clemson’s offense and the Tigers’ wide receiver core were missing en route to the win.

Despite Williams having a small hiccup in the third quarter with an unlucky fumble, the South Carolina native left today’s matchup as Clemson’s leading receiver on the season with 43 receptions for 473 yards and three receiving touchdowns.

‘There’s no doubt’: Swinney believes current WR room has a chance to be one of Clemson’s best

It’s no secret that staying healthy will be the key for Clemson’s wide receivers in 2022. Just ask Dabo Swinney. So, that’s what we did. At the Prowl and Growl event in Aiken on Thursday night, The Clemson Insider asked Clemson’s head coach if this …

It’s no secret that staying healthy will be the key for Clemson’s wide receivers in 2022.

Just ask Dabo Swinney.

So, that’s what we did.

At the Prowl and Growl event in Aiken on Thursday night, The Clemson Insider asked Clemson’s head coach if this wide receiver room — with a clean bill of health — has a chance to be one of his better ones during his time in Tiger Town.

“There’s no doubt about that,” Swinney replied. “Just write it down. Just take all these names that are on our roster right now and look up in about for years and you’ll be like, ‘Well, OK.’ There’s so many guys that if they stay healthy — I mean we all saw with Justyn (Ross) anything can happen. Now, he’s still there, but he’s gonna make it if he stays healthy…but the type of talent we got, there’s no question. 

Once Dutch Fork High signee Antonio Williams and Vestavia Hills signee Cole Turner arrive this summer, Clemson will have 10 players on scholarship at the wide receiver position.

“These are very, very talented, very skilled players all at different stages of development and skillsets and all that stuff,” Swinney continued, “but as they go through these next three-to-five years, that’s gonna happen because they’re just super, super talented guys.”

Swinney went down the list of wide receivers that he thinks are gonna have the opportunity to play for a while.

“The reason I can say that is because for 19 years I’ve coached receivers and I know what it looks like,” he said. “I love our group. Certainly, last year was just insanity. You look at a guy like E.J. Williams, who had an excellent freshman year and then last year, he breaks his thumb, he hurts his knee, it was just a tough year. He’s just as talented as the guys we’ve signed, but staying healthy is going to be a big part of it.

“You look at a guy like Adam Randall showing up here. He’s a physically ready guy. You look at Antonio coming in here. I can’t wait to get my hands on him, same thing with Cole. Cole’s one of those guys that will probably be a five-year guy and at the end of the day, everybody’s gonna be going ‘Holy cow, what a player this kid’s turned out to be.’

“So, they’re all just at different stages. (Joseph) Ngata is a pro, if he can just stay available, that’s unquestionable for me. (Brannon) Spector, Will Taylor, Beaux Collins, Dacari (Collins) — it’s just a really deep group, a talented group and they’re gonna do great.”

Swinney indicated that Clemson will have a lot more receivers at its disposal this season if the Tigers can just get them to game day.

The injuries that Clemson suffered at the receiver position last season are well-documented. While the Tigers are deep in Tyler Grisham’s room, they’d likely rather use their receiver depth this season because they can, not because they have to.

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Collins stepping up when receivers need it most

Clemson has had to lean on a few more younger faces than usual this fall, including freshman wide receiver Dacari Collins. With their fair share of injuries, the Tigers have had more than 30 players on the injured list this year, the most recent …

Clemson has had to lean on a few more younger faces than usual this fall, including freshman wide receiver Dacari Collins. With their fair share of injuries, the Tigers have had more than 30 players on the injured list this year, the most recent being wide receiver Justyn Ross, who sustained a foot injury in Clemson’s 44-7 win over UConn.

Despite the number of injuries that seem to continue piling up, freshman Dacari Collins has chosen to take advantage of his opportunity in the wide receiver group and rise to the occasion.

“What it means for me, I just have to step up and be ready,” Collins told the media on Tuesday. “I feel like I’ve been preparing and working my butt off every day. I’m grateful for the opportunity, so I’m just going to go out there and compete.”

For Collins, the opportunity to be a difference maker in his first season has been surreal, something that has allowed the Atlanta-native to grow up quick and step up in a big way.

“It’s surreal. You grow up quick and the thing is that when you get here, they prepare you to be ready, so there’s really no bad thing if somebody goes down or somebody has to step up,” Collins said. “That person should be able to execute and do the same things as the last person.”

And execute is just what Collins did in his breakout performance against UConn last weekend. Collins, who saw limited action prior to Saturday’s matchup, led the Tigers in receptions with six catches for 97 yards. A feat Collin’s credits to having a next man up mentality.

“Just being ready, just a next man up mentality,” Collins said. “You never know when something can happen, so just always being prepared and trying to be ready. Like over the years just getting in the game a few plays, just taking that in, practicing hard, all that’s just translating to helping me be better when it’s my time.”

With Saturday’s big performance under his belt, Collins is ready now more than ever to continue showing out on the field and become “that guy” for the Tigers at receiver.

“It showed that I am myself and I am who I am,” Collins said. “I know that I can compete and that’s what I plan to do.”

Clemson hosts No. 12 Wake Forest for its last home game of the 2021 season in celebration of Senior Day and Hall of Fame Day. Kickoff is slated for noon on ESPN.

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Collins: Tigers frustrated but not splintering

Through Clemson’s first seven games struggles amongst the wide receivers have been pronounced. According to StatBroadcast, in Saturday’s loss at Pittsburgh the Tigers dropped 17 passes which certainly did not help matters. Beaux Collins caught five …

Through Clemson’s first seven games struggles amongst the wide receivers have been pronounced.

According to StatBroadcast, in Saturday’s loss at Pittsburgh the Tigers dropped 17 passes which certainly did not help matters.

Beaux Collins caught five passes for 23 yards against the Panthers. He self-diagnosed the problems in the room and reiterated that the drops do not indicate a lack of hard work or poor instruction by wide receivers coach Tyler Grisham.

“He’s really telling us to have intense focus,” Collins said on Monday. “A lot of the reasons why we have had drops and things like that are because we don’t start the play with the right intensity. So just finishing the play has been the main focus in the receiving group.”

“We stay after practice and do extra work on the jugs machine, we just have to put more effort into the little things like that and finishing plays,” he continued.

Collins said the lack of focus manifests in trying to make plays before the ball arrives which takes their eyes off the play and leads to drops.

But the freshman’s main goal this week is to focus on his own deficiencies to make every catch and improve his blocking.

“For me I would just say finishing plays and helping my teammates trust me as far as coming down with the ball every time the ball is thrown to me,” Collins said. “I could do a better job of blocking on the perimeter, so I just need to work on finishing plays.”

Clemson’s current position in the middle of the ACC and outside of contention for the College Football Playoff or a major bowl frustrates Collins. But he knows the team still shows up committed to the task at hand, beating Florida State on Saturday.

“I would say it’s frustration as far as we all need to get our job done and execute,” Collins said. “But we are not splintering at all, we are staying together, every day at practice we have great practices, great energy, and things like that so there’s no splintering.”

Clemson hosts the Seminoles on Saturday at Memorial Stadium with kickoff set for 3:30 p.m.

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