By Will Vandervort.

When Clemson started recruiting running back Wayne Gallman out of Grayson High School in Loganville, Ga., a lot of people thought he was being recruited because the Tigers were looking at his teammate, defensive end Robert Nkemdiche.

At the time Nkemdiche was the No. 1 prospect in the country regardless of position and was a Clemson commitment. A lot of people thought Gallman, who had committed to Clemson earlier, was a package deal and a way to lure the five-star defensive end to Clemson. But that was not the case at all.

Gallman was a separate deal from Nkemdiche and when the defensive end pulled his commitment, Gallman stayed on board with the Tigers and enrolled in school at Clemson that following year.

“Unfortunately for Wayne, he was caught up in the controversy with the other guys at Grayson,” Elliott said. “Everyone was thinking that Wayne was the guy that was part of the package, but Wayne was a standalone guy from the beginning. He was a guy that I had in camp. Then I went and watched him play.”

Gallman was not a heavily recruited running back at Grayson. Because he also played linebacker, most schools viewed him as such. But despite his moderate rushing statistics, Elliott saw his potential at running back and felt he could help the Tigers.

“I knew he would take some time to develop just because of the style of offense he played in and because he played so much defense in high school. He just did not get as much reps at running back,” Elliott said.

The Loganville native finished his high school career with 1,216 yards and 15 rushing touchdowns at Grayson.

When he got to Clemson, Gallman came in to camp and exceeded expectations last year. He caught on to the offense faster than Elliott and offensive coordinator Chad Morris thought he would. There was a time when the Clemson coaches seriously considered burning his redshirt.

“With Wayne, we know he can be special, but I did not know what we truly had in Wayne Gallman – and he is still a work in progress,” Elliott said. “He has a ways to go. He is a guy that kind of jumped out there.”

What Elliott likes about Gallman is that he has all the right stuff. He has the right attitude. He has the right work ethic. And more importantly, he has the ability.

“The question is he going to be able to grasp everything. That’s what is real tough about our offense. That’s why you see some of the older guys leading the way because it is hard to substitute by situation as fast as we go so you have to have a guy that can function in every situation.

“Some guys are quicker on things that may have been similar to what they did in high school, but picking up the entire package is what is tough. But he is a guy, if not this year but in the future, that is going to be a player for us.”

Gallman, who Elliott said had a good spring, is listed at 6-foot-1, 200 pounds in the Clemson media guide, but he says the redshirt freshman’s goal is to report to camp bigger than that.

“I don’t think he will have as much of a challenge to keep the weight like Zac (Brooks). He is not cut quite as tight as Zac is, it is just a matter of time and letting his body adjust to the weight lifting and get him on the proper nutrition plan,” Elliott said. “He is around 200 and 205 and he says he wants to be about 210 when he reports.”

If he reports at 210 pounds, then Gallman will fit right into the proper style Morris wants for his running back and his running game. But he will first have to earn Elliott’s trust.

“If he proves throughout the course of camp that he is the guy and he is deserving of being the starter than he is going to have my complete trust,” the Clemson coach said. “Whoever walks out there against Georgia on August 30 is going to be a guy that I trust in that situation.”