By Ed McGranahan.

By Ed McGranahan

When Tajh Boyd first hit town that first spring after knee surgery he and DeAndre Hopkins, who finishing his senior year at nearby Daniel High School, would get together for a game of catch.

Thus was born the chemistry that led to Hopkins’ breakout season in 2012 and led directly to the fourth-down pass that broke the LSU secondary in last December’s Chick-fil-A Bowl.

“When you perform with a guy like Nuk, who you’ve been with for a while, you can almost go out there and throw with your eyes closed,” Boyd said.

In turn, Hopkins had learned to anticipate when Boyd would break containment and throw on the run –overhand, underhand or sidearm.

“It’s the type of chemistry you have,” Boyd said. “A lot of times you want to know what type of route he’s running before you do any gesture or signals.

“As talented as people can be on the field, if there’s not chemistry it doesn’t go well.”

Now, Boyd must try to find that same telekinetic connection with Sammy Watkins. No doubt Watkins has the physical tools, but replacing Hopkins as the receiver most frequently starting on the near side of the field isn’t as simple as it sounds.

“It’s not going to happen here in spring ball,” Morris said. “It’s going to take well into summer. It’s going to take some hard, hard, hard work with Sammy and Tajh and those receivers to be on the same page.”

Morris and Swinney don’t intend to limit Watkins’ role as a multipurpose weapon, to eliminate the speed sweeps and occasional wildcat formation. But when it’s time to spread the field and get points in a hurry, Watkins won’t be hard to find. Think final drive of the season in the Georgia Dome.

“It’s not about speed, it’s about what you know,” Watkins said. “When me and Tajh get to clicking, I don’t think we can be stopped.

“We always had a connection, but it is different timing and different speeds.”

Watkins said he anticipates long hours of running routes and catching Boyd’s passes from every conceivable angle.

“We’re not to the point where him and Nuk were, but I think by the end of fall camp I believe we’ll be there,” he said.

“I’m going to get more opportunity at this position to make plays and beat the record I did my freshman year.”

Watching Watkins as a freshman it seemed inconceivable that he would never be less than brilliant, yet last season he slipped in and out of the giant shadow cast by Hopkins.

And yet after his season for the ages – first-team All-American, an extraordinarily rare achievement for a freshman on any team, and Clemson records for receiving – Watkins played second fiddle to Hopkins in 2012.

Admittedly, it was humbling, and Watkins said he had not managed celebrity well. After the arrest in May for “simple possession” of marijuana and possession of a controlled substance during a traffic stop, Coach Dabo Swinney ran him through a gauntlet of penance ending with a two-game suspension to start the season that could have been three had Watkins not shown sufficient contrition and humility.

By the time he joined the team on the field, it was clear Hopkins had displaced Watkins as Boyd’s primary target. Two weeks later he missed the trip to Boston College with a stomach malady. Then when Watkins was knocked out of the Chick-fil-A Bowl with an ankle injury after the second play, offensive coordinator Chad Morris scrapped a game plan built around Watkins, and Hopkins extemporaneously teamed up with Boyd to help Clemson pull off the biggest upset of the postseason.

In effect, he missed nearly half the season, and looking back Watkins said he had a lot to learn about himself as a person and player. It wasn’t enough to understand Morris’ offense or to study opponents, two things in which he readily and routinely immersed himself. It was about maturity, about sound decisions, and about eating regularly, sleeping through the night and assuming a leadership role worthy of a first-team All-American.

Watkins never lacked confidence, but during a recent interview there was an obvious difference that was not evident even a few months ago, a maturity. He spoke honestly and directly about his journey and where he hoped this season would take him and this team.

“I had a lot of things going on, just doing so much, just frustrated, not really accepting greatness,” he said, “just trying to hide from everything.”

Certainly it helped that his mother moved recently from South Florida to the Upstate. Watkins said he instantly added eight pounds eating her cooking, but inspiration and seven-percent body fat hides all sorts of imperfections.

“I catch myself working too hard sometimes, about to kill myself,” Watkins said, smiling at the notion. “I’m not nonchalant or laid back. I’m just working, trying to get the mentality to work hard every day.”

However, last year was a rude awakening, on and off the field.

“I just thought it was easy. A lot of teams played me differently. I don’t think I was prepared for them to do that,” he said. “It wasn’t on the coaches. I just didn’t prepare myself the way I should have, and I did not have the season I did my freshman year.”

His coach and teammates are circumspect.

“Last season he was still a young guy. After last season, he’s officially a veteran,” said Boyd. “After all those experiences, it’s helped him find himself.”

Boyd knows that if Watkins produces at any level approaching his freshman season, Clemson’s offensive ceiling is limitless. Ironically, Watkins was moved to Hopkins’ spot on the field, the boundary or short side, where offensive coordinator Chad Morris thinks he might best benefit the entire offense. Watkins is sure to draw double teams to set up other receivers or create opportunities to run away from him.

“We have high expectations,” Boyd said. “We want to be the best combination in the game.”

Watkins was frustrated the first week of spring practice, and Boyd as well. It’s progressively improved, they said in the last few weeks.

“We’re not there right now,” Morris said. “We see spurts and flashes, but these guys got a lot of work to do this summer.”

Boyd says he notices a more focused Sammy Watkins, which should help accelerate strengthening their bond. Swinney said he has been impressed with how Watkins has taken his game and his role to another level.

“I feel good about what he’s done and the progress that he’s made,” Swinney said. “That’s what adversity will do for you. You either get stronger, you grow from it or you crumble. He has responded.

“He’s definitely focused on having a great year. Hopefully he stays healthy because if he does, he will have a great year.”