By Will Vandervort
At last year’s Dabo Swinney Media Golf outing, Clemson offensive coordinator Chad Morris said in regards to replacing Dwayne Allen at tight end, “This time next year you will be asking me how we will replace Brandon Ford at tight end.”
Morris was right. How will, and more importantly, with whom will the Tigers replace Brandon Ford with? Ford’s numbers in 2012 were just as productive as Allen’s in 2011.
Allen, who was on the NFL’s All-Rookie team as a member of the Indianapolis Colts last year, caught 50 passes for 598 yards and eight touchdowns in his last season at Clemson. Ford’s numbers last year weren’t too far off. The Wando, SC native had 40 catches for 480 yards and eight touchdowns. Both averaged exactly 12 yards per reception.
“That’s going to be a fun position to watch,” Swinney said. “We have some exciting players there and it has been a very consistent position since I have been the head coach here. We started out with Michael Palmer and look what he was able to do. Then we transitioned to Dwayne Allen and obviously he was able to have success, and then you lose Dwayne and Brandon Ford got his opportunity, and wow! What a great year he had.”
So who is the next big thing at tight end for Clemson? Sam Cooper (6-5, 250) is the frontrunner going into spring practice, which starts tomorrow afternoon in the new indoor practice facility. The junior caught 10 passes for 93 yards last year, including two for touchdowns while playing in all 13 games and starting three. His longest reception covered 25 yards.
“Sam Cooper was a guy that really got in the mix for us last year and made some plays,” Swinney said. “He has grown a ton for us both physically and mentally and confidence wise.”
Here is a look at the rest of the tight ends heading into the spring.
Tyler Seckinger, 6-4, 210, So.: He is a guy that the coaching staff has talked about many times. They are really excited about him and want to make sure he has the opportunity to be in the mix. Seckinger played in eight games in 2011, catching four passes for 35 yards and one touchdown.
“He can help us win games,” Swinney said. “This is a really good player.”
Darrell Smith, 6-2, 250, Sr.: He is the heart and soul of this group. Smith is a multi-dimensional guy that the Tigers use in a lot of ways. His role will more than likely continue to grow this year as a pass catcher, blocker and runner, especially in short yardage situations.
“Nobody really talks much about Darrell Smith, but he is really the heart and soul of that group,” Swinney said. “He does a lot of things for us. He is one of our seniors that I think has a great NFL future in front of him.”
Jay Jay McCullough, 6-3, 230, Fr.: Redshirted last year. He was rated as the No. 45 athlete in the nation by ESPN.com coming out of Nation Ford High School in Fort Mill, SC. He played in the Shrine Bowl and the Offense-Defense All-American game. He had 37 receptions for 493 yards and five touchdowns along with 112 rushing yards as a senior.
“This is a guy we redshirted and one of those guys we were able to hold,” Swinney said. “He probably would have played this year had he got in on time, but he got in here late and missed a lot of camp and was too far behind. He is a physical young man and we are excited to see where he is. He did a great job on the scout team for us.”
Jordan Leggett, 6-6, 220, Fr.: He just joined Clemson is January as an early enrollee. Leggett was rated as the No. 7 tight end in the nation and No. 76 overall player in Florida by ESPN.com. A PrepStar All-Southeast Region selection, he had 45 receptions for 608 yards and three touchdowns as a senior.
“I have been really impressed with him in our workouts and off-season program here,” Swinney said. “I think he has a chance to be a really talented player as we move forward.”