Freshman receivers showing ability to play multiple positions

Dacari Collins looks the part already.

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Mon Aug 02 13:00:08 GMT-04:00 2021

CLEMSON – Tyler Grisham knows what it takes for a wide receiver to make the jump from college to the NFL, and he wants his players to learn to play multiple positions.

Grisham is entering his second year as the wide receivers coach of the Tigers, and during a recent interview session with the media, he mentioned that Justyn Ross, once cleared, will like play multiple positions, including the slot.

However, Ross isn’t the only player that will play different spots.

“I think the reason you want to put him in those situations to help your team win. But we also have so many wide receivers that can play the game and do it at that level,” Grisham said. “And those guys have earned the right to play. And so, if you take Ross and you move him to the boundary, well then, now, someone else will move into the slot. You've got Spec (Brannon Spector). (Troy) Stellato just got here. You have EJ (Williams). Honestly, Beaux Collins can run routes from the slot. I can tell you that. So those guys can move.”

Grisham was a four-year letterman for the Tigers from 2005-08. He finished his career with 132 receptions for 1,390 yards and eight touchdowns. He signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers as a free agent in 2009, appearing in four games that season. He served on the Steelers’ practice squad in 2010 and 2011 and with the Denver Broncos’ practice squad in 2012.

He knows what it takes at the next level.

“You move one receiver, that means other people are going to move around as well, which is exciting,” Grisham said. “And I think, for me as a coach, I want to equip these guys with tools to be successful here, but also at the next level. Because at wide receiver, if you just know one position, you're hurting yourself and you're hurting your team. And so, you have to see the big picture conceptually. And to say, okay, you hear the play call. Well, then you can see, you can draw every position and you can understand the quarterbacks reads. Well, if you know that, then you can play anywhere.”

Grisham then went on to say that the two freshmen – Beaux Collins and Dacari Collins – have shown flashes of being special.

“They came here in the spring and they played two positions. Normally as a freshman, you put them in and you say, ‘Hey, learn this position and then it will all kind of makes sense for you.’ Right? That's what we always do,” Grisham said. “But as they started to perform, we said, ‘Man, those guys are versatile. Let's go ahead and switch them.’ So, Beaux and Dacari, they switched sides playing the nine(-man or boundary position) and the two(-man or field position). And then Beaux was kind of moved into the slot some this summer too, to learn it. But they've been able to play two positions already.

“And so to do that, it takes understanding the concept, right? And so that's the NFL. If you can understand the concept, you can get on the field to play, right? And so that's what I want the guys to understand now to help us, to help them to out. But also to be thinking about their futures in the NFL. But you're right. You have so many guys that can play multiple positions to help you win. And to get them on the field and get their catches that they want and have fun and helping the team win is what I want to do.”