Shrine Bowl observations: Clemson commit shows off his speed

Jarvis Green (left) and Tyler Brown (right) were two of the stars of Monday's practice.

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Tue Dec 13 07:00:05 GMT-04:00 2022

SPARTANBURG – The Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas is back and Monday’s first two practice sessions were held at Spartanburg High School, with two of the headliners a Clemson wide receiver commit and another a Clemson running back target who makes his decision today.

I could tell it has been a few years since I’d been to a Shrine Bowl practice – I left Clemson and headed toward the old high school before realizing I needed to head to the new school, which opened in 2019. The South Carolina squad worked out in their white and red combo jerseys, and it didn’t take long to realize that this roster isn’t as talented overall as some of the rosters in the past.

But that doesn’t mean there isn’t talent, and it wasn’t just the Clemson targets I watched. South Carolina offensive line commit Markee Anderson, out of Dorman, was easily the best offensive lineman of the bunch. Perhaps the best offensive lineman in the state, Monroe Freeling, decided to forego the Shrine Bowl. He is committed to Georgia. Mr. Football in South Carolina, Xzavier McLeod of Camden and a South Carolina commit, also isn’t on the team. Clemson commit Misun Kelley was another invitee who decided to not play.

DJ Geth is another Dorman offensive lineman who stood out, and he’s committed to North Carolina.

I watched the quarterbacks first – a bad habit I can’t break – and once again came away impressed with Spartanburg’s Raheim Jeter. It was the first day and I expected everyone to be rusty, but he dialed it in for the afternoon practice and was on point for most of his throws. The East Carolina commit has a ton of upside, and he reminds me a little of Kelly Bryant.

The other quarterback on hand is LaNorris Sellers, a Syracuse commit who is being pushed to break that commitment and choose a school a little closer to home. As in Columbia and South Carolina.

Now, let’s get to Clemson target Jarvis Green. Green, who grew up a Clemson fan, was a catalyst in Dutch Fork's run to a state title. The talented running back rushed for 2,272 yards, averaging close to 10 yards per carry and scored 33 rushing touchdowns. He had more than 3,000 all-purpose yards and 41 total touchdowns.

He doesn’t look big in person, at least from a distance, but when you get up on him, you realize he’s bigger than you think. He’s a solid 195 pounds, and his dad told me that one of the reasons he looks small is because he wears size small shoulder pads. He is supposed to wear a bigger size, but likes the smaller size because it gives him room to move his arms and catch passes.

He has good hands, and of course, spent time on the “good hands team” for the South Carolina squad. One person out there told me it was “about time that one of the bigger schools offered” Green, and he then said, “He has an incredible football IQ. He hits the right hole every time, and his vision and the way he finds the cutback lanes is like you see in older backs. He has it all.”

Maybe some question his inline speed, but he looks football fast to me, and another coach laughed at that notion and said, “We played against him. He ran away from plenty of really fast people this fall.” In other words, he has game speed.

He went around the end on one play and hit his stride with ease, made a quick cut up field, and was at full speed within a few steps. We will have more on Green later today – if he chooses the Tigers.

Greenville wide receiver Tyler Brown looks like Antonio Williams to me. I asked Brown if he hears that comparison a lot, and he smiled and said yes. I will have an in-depth feature on Brown later this week, but one play stood out to me.

He was lined up in the slot (where I see him at the next level, but he says Clemson wide receivers coach Tyler Grisham told him he will move around) and ran a simple skinny post. He accelerated off the line, but the throw from Sellers was thrown too far and it looked like it would fall incomplete. Instead, Brown hit another gear and caught the ball (with his hands) at eye level and never broke stride. One of the coaches warned him to not pull a hamstring, but he just smiled.

He told me it’s been a few weeks since he’s worked out but it didn’t take him long to get back in the groove. He told me his first love was basketball, but he got bored during COVID and told his mother he would try football just to pass the time. He then realized his future was on the gridiron and devoted himself to it.

Also, he told me math is his best subject and he can’t wait to get into Clemson’s business school and get to work.