By Will Vandervort.
By Will Vandervort
ATLANTA — Clemson running back Andre Ellington and tight end Brandon Ford will waste little time in transition to their professional careers after the 13th-ranked Tigers are done playing No. 7 LSU in the Chick-fil-A Bowl on New Year’s Eve.
On Friday, the two seniors said they are headed to Boca Raton, Fla., to begin preparations for the 2013 NFL Draft. They will both leave Clemson on Jan. 3 to begin training with Tony Baloney. The two also announced they are going to play in upcoming all-star games in the coming weeks. Ellington will participate in the Senior Bowl (Jan. 26), while Ford will play in the Raycom All-Star Classic (Jan. 19.)
Neither player has an idea of where they might fall in the NFL draft.
“I’m not really trying to focus on that,” Ellington said after practice from the Georgia Dome on Friday. “I still have one more game to play in college and that is my main focus. I just want to get through this game and then I will worry about the next level.”
Ellington, who rushed for 1,031 yards this year, says he does not have any personal goals set for himself in the Chick-fil-A Bowl, he just wants to leave Atlanta with a victory and end his Clemson career on a positive note.
“Having a great game on the ground would be a good goal for our offense, but the main goal, I’m always a team guy, so winning the game is a big goal for me,” the running back said.
Though he knows he has a great chance to be drafted in the NFL Draft, Ford says his career is up in the air when it comes to his professional opportunities.
“You play this game and some people play it to make it to the next level, and some people play it because they love it,” the senior tight end said. “At the same time, if they are like me, I’m one of the guys that play it because I love it and I want to pursue the NFL. I did a great job the past three years when I switched to this position and I have put myself in position to play at the next level.”
In his first season as a starter, Ford caught 31 passes for 411 yards, while tying a school record for touchdown receptions by a tight end with eight.
Right now Ford is projected anywhere from a third- to sixth-round pick in the draft, while Ellington is speculated to go somewhere in the second or third round.
A touchdown pass for Ellington? In his four-year career, Ellington has rushed for 3,386 yards, has scored 33 touchdowns and has caught 58 passes for 470 more yards and two more touchdowns. Those are quite impressive numbers for the Moncks Corner, SC native, but there is one thing he would like to do before he finishes his career.
“I have had a long career and I have pretty much done it all,” he said. “I have not thrown a touchdown pass, yet. C.J. (Spiller) threw one in his career so hopefully, Coach (Dabo Swinney) will give me the opportunity. We have practiced some plays like that, but I don’t think he will call it, but we will see.”
Great respect. LSU safety Eric Reid says their secondary has great respect for Clemson’s wide receiving corps which features All-Americans DeAndre Hopkins and Sammy Watkins.
Hopkins set several Clemson single-season receiving records, including 1,214 yards and 16 touchdowns. Watkins, despite missing three games and half of another, hauled in 57 passes for 708 yards and scored three touchdowns.
“They have an explosive group of core receivers,” Reid said. “I can venture to say they are up there with one of the best we’ve faced all year. And they have a great quarterback (Tajh Boyd) who does a great job of putting the ball where they can catch it.
“It’s a challenge to our secondary and defense as a whole to stay in tight coverage and make sure we can limit them.”
Undefeated. LSU is 5-0 all-time in the Chick-fil-A Bowl.
Tough schedule. Clemson will be the sixth ranked opponent LSU has played this year. The SEC’s Tigers are 3-2 in the previous five, with wins over then No. 3 South Carolina (23-21), then No. 20 Texas A&M (24-19) and then No. 21 Mississippi State (37-17).
Clemson has played three top 25 teams –Auburn, Florida State and South Carolina—and has posted a 1-2 record in those matchups.