Fall Camp Opens: Observations on Clemson football's freshmen

Keith Adams has already made an impression on Will Shipley.

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Sat Aug 06 14:00:07 GMT-04:00 2022

CLEMSON – Clemson opens the 2022 football season in just 30 days in Atlanta against Georgia Tech, and there is no doubt that a few of the freshmen will see playing time. That’s why we wanted to take a long look at the newcomers during yesterday’s first practice.

Just a reminder – we are only allowed to watch the early part of practice. That means a lot of stretching, a few drills, and then some of the tempo period. That means no offense vs. defense, no installation period, no 1-on-1. We are kicked out long before then, so we have to make the best observations possible when watching guys just run around.

With that said, it’s still easy to get a feel for how guys move and how the freshmen act in their first look at a true college practice.

*Wide receiver Antonio Williams drew some early coaching Dabo Swinney, as Swinney promised earlier in the day.

“He’s a dynamic player in that he can do a lot of things,” Swinney said of Williams. “You saw that in high school, from yards after the catch, screens, sweeps, winning in space. He’s a very good route runner. Antonio is a very polished kid. Antonio is very polished and very skilled and has a high aptitude for the position from a technical standpoint. I am excited to get my hands on him and then really watch him.”

Williams is the kind of player the Tigers missed in the slot last season (after Will Taylor’s injury). He has that quick-twitch ability and moves fast in small spaces, perfect for a receiver who has to navigate the crowd around the line of scrimmage to get open. I like to watch how the young players react to the hard coaching – and he seemed eager to learn.

Swinney calls Williams polished – that doesn’t mean he’s ready to start in the slot, because there is a lot to learn there, but he is further along than a lot of the receivers that came through in the past few years.

*Quick note on Will Taylor – he had a heavy knee brace on his surgically repaired knee, and it looked cumbersome. It’s my understanding that, even though he played baseball at the end of the season and seems fully healed, the brace has to be worn until he passes the first anniversary of his surgery.

*Speaking of knee injuries, I didn’t see kicker Robert Gunn (ACL) participate in any of the drills.

*It’s natural to think of the running backs and only think of Will Shipley, Phil Mafah, and Kobe Pace. But Keith Adams, Jr., makes a nice addition to the group. He weighed 212 at the weigh-in earlier this week and didn’t look overwhelmed in any of the drills. He even looks like a natural catching the ball (even though it was just drills). Add in Domonique Thomas and a few others and Spiller has some dudes who look the part.

Will Shipley, who was a freshman a year ago, said he loves “the kid” and says Adams might be the most polite player in the program. He said everything is 'yes sir' and 'no sir' and 'please' and 'thank you.' But I wouldn’t expect anything less from the son of the Termite (former Clemson standout linebacker Keith Adams), who is one of the nicest people you’ll ever meet. At least until he straps on the helmet and pads.

*Spent a very few minutes with the defensive tackles, and that meant Caden Story, the 275-pounder out of Alabama. He’s more flexible than I would have thought. It was interesting watching him watch the other players – he has a lot of role models out there in Ruke Orhorhoro (whose personality shines through), Bryan Bresee, Tyler Davis, Etinosa Reuben, Payton Page, Tré Williams, and DeMonte Capehart.

*And when it comes to depth at a position, the linebackers have it. Freshman TJ Dudley was taking it all in, but he didn’t hesitate in the drills (again, all we were allowed to watch). He checked in at 230 pounds and moves extremely well. We’ve been told his future is as an inside backer, but my belief is he can play on the outside, too. He played running back in high school and told me he has the versatility to play anywhere. And he doesn’t lack for confidence.

"(My biggest asset is) probably leadership," he said. "I'm not scared to speak up when things are wrong. Also, my versatility - being able to play in space, in the box, everywhere. I can cover; go hit. You can put me in the box or outside in space. I think I'm a versatile linebacker. I'm not one-dimensional."

*More to come from more of the freshmen as camp rolls on.