By Ed McGranahan.

By Ed McGranahan

Wearing a cap to cover his distinctive locks Sammy Watkins snuck into the Georgia spring game with Tajh Boyd and Quandon Christian for a look at Clemson’s first opponent this season.

Boyd said they remained incognito until some little kids recognized them.

On Saturday, Cole Stoudt had no trouble picking Watkins out in a crowd during Clemson’s spring game, teaming up with Watkins on seven passes for 156 yards and two long touchdowns.

Off that severe injury in the Chick-fil-A Bowl, it was encouraging to see Sammy run, though it was evident he was far from a finished product. He dropped two passes and misjudged a long pass and cut the route short.

Even so, he was clearly the best player on the field, and virtually no one could cover him.

“I feel like we did okay,” Watkins said. “We still got a lot of timing and things to work on.

“It was just coming out here having fun and playing for the fans and competing,” he said. “We actually had some fun playing.”

Watkins understands he’s under the microscope this season. Two years ago he became only the fourth freshman player to be voted first-team AP All-American, then last season he was limited by illness, injury and his own transgressions.

Replacing DeAndre Hopkins as Boyd’s first option comes with rich responsibility, and there will be no place to hide from the Georgians come Aug. 31. Watkins talks as if he understands the task ahead and that he’s prepared to tackle it.

On the field, “just doing things better, working hard on my releases, going up for the ball,” he said.

“You could see a couple of times I could have made a play on a ball and I didn’t. Those are things I’ve got to work on during the offseason, attacking the ball, being physical in there and improving my game.”

While it might be satisfactory for a spring game, it fell short of offensive coordinator Chad Morris’ expectations for a player as richly talented as Watkins. While Boyd did not play because he did not need the work, in Morris’ eyes it was clear Watkins did.

“Well, he dropped a couple of balls. He should have challenged a couple of balls. He’s got a lot of work to do,” Morris said. “During my seven-minute meeting next week, it’s going to be straight and to the point.

“If he wants to pick up where he was his freshman year, pick up where Nuk (Hopkins) left off, he’s got to improve.”