Spiller knows it will be hard to hold Will Shipley back in the fall

Shipley led Clemson in rushing last season.

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Wed Apr 06 08:00:06 GMT-04:00 2022

CLEMSON – Will Shipley has been a constant presence at Clemson practices this spring, despite not being able to don a jersey until last week, acting as both a coach and a leader while recovering from a foot injury. Running backs coach CJ Spiller knows that when fall camp rolls around, he will have to hold Shipley back for his own good.

During his freshman campaign, Shipley rushed for 739 yards and 11 touchdowns despite missing a few games due to injury. He also averaged five yards per carry and hauled in 11 catches for 63 yards.

He saved some of his best work for last, carrying 19 times for 128 yards and one touchdown in a win over arch-rival South Carolina in the regular season finale.

While he was sidelined earlier this spring, Shipley helped Spiller with drills, even acting the part of a defender trying to knock the ball out of his peers’ hands. He donned a non-contact jersey last week and won’t play in Saturday’s spring game, but Spiller said Shipley is ready to get back to normal.

“Oh man, you see it in his face,” Spiller said Monday. “He’s just a kid that just loves the game of football, loves to compete. So it’s been a challenge for him, but like I said to him, ‘At the end of the day you’ve just gotta get well, and when you’re ready to return we’ll be waiting for you.’ But he loves being on the grass, loves competition and as a coach that’s the stuff that you love. I see it every day in his eyes. He’d rather be practicing than doing (rehab). He was able to do some stuff earlier in the spring, kinda just get the juices back flowing. And he’s biting at the bit to get back out here, so I know come fall camp I’m gonna have to hold him back because he’s gonna be super anxious because he’s had a long layoff. But it’s gonna work out.”

Fellow running back Kobe Pace has also missed this spring, and Spiller didn’t have a timeline for the return of either player.

“I don’t know the timeline on it, honestly,” Spiller said. “I told them guys, whenever they’re ready to rock and roll, you just let me know and we’ll be sitting here waiting for you to return. The biggest thing for both of those, obviously, is just getting back fully healthy. But I don’t want to sit here and put a timeline on it and then something happens because you just never know what can happen in the rehab sessions.”

Spiller then broke out into a huge smile, joking he can’t wait to once again yell at both players.

“So, whenever they’re ready to come back, I’m going to be sitting right in my room waiting for them and ready to hug their neck and get them out on the practice field and yell at ’em a little bit,” Spiller said.

Spiller said that Shipley arrived on the Clemson campus more mature than most freshmen.

“When he came in you can just see how (much more) mature he was from a lot of incoming freshmen,” Spiller said. “He came in here with the right mindset. He knows what he wants to accomplish as a player and as a student. And whatever he puts his mind to, that’s what he’s gonna do.”

What is ahead for Shipley, once he gets the green light for a full-time return?

“Obviously he has to get better, he knows that … and he wants to be great,” Spiller said. “And when an individual wants to be great, and you don’t have to push him to be great then you have something special on your hands. So, my job is just to make sure he just stays on that path and don’t get in front him and just let him do this thing. Don’t hinder him. So, I’m glad to have him, he’s a special talent.”