By Will Vandervort.
Deshaun Watson, Artavis Scott, Demarre Kitt, Adam Choice, Jay Guilermo, Kurt Fleming, Tyrone Crowder, Jay Jay McCullough, Germone Hopper, Wayne Gallman, Mike Willians, Kevin Dodd, Shaq Lawson, Ben Boulware, Dorian O’Daniel, T.J. Burrell, Mackensie Alexander, Korrin Wiggins, Cordrea Tankersley, Jayron Kearse, Jadar Johnson and T.J. Green.
Those freshmen and sophomores are not only the present, but the future of the Clemson football program as well. And from what has been seen in the first couple of weeks of the 2014 season, the future looks bright.
“We have recruited well and it is fun to see guys get their opportunity and take advantage of their opportunity,” Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney said.
Their opportunities stood out a lot in the Tigers’ Sept 6th victory over S.C. State.
Wide receiver Artavis Scott caught six passes for a freshman record 164 yards and scored two touchdowns. Running backs Wayne Gallman and Adam Choice combined for 151 yards and a touchdown. Wide receiver Mike Williams hauled in four passes for 83 yards, while tight end Jay Jay McCullough caught three passes for 61 yards and score.
On defense, safety Jayron Kearse broke up two passes, while linebacker Dorian O’Daniel had four tackles. Defensive end Shaq Lawson also had four tackles, safety Jadar Johnson with two and a pass broken up and linebacker T.J. Burrell with the hit of the game when he decleated a S.C. State running back to break up a pass.
Then there is quarterback Deshaun Watson. All the freshman has done in the first two weeks is complete 10 of 13 passes for 213 yards and four touchdowns as the offense has scored five touchdowns on the eight possessions in which he quarterbacked.
“It is good to know we have some great young talent on our team that we can look forward to maybe some good years ahead,” Swinney said.
The Clemson coaches are looking at what these rising stars can do for them, too. Watson is already pushing veteran Cole Stoudt for the No. 1 job at quarterback, while Scott, Gallman, Choice and McCullough have also earned themselves a little more playing time as well.
“Seeing all those young guys and seeing our future, those guys are going to all have to play well for us to have a great year this year,” Swinney said.
So far, they are.
Gallman leads the Tigers (1-1) in rushing and is averaging 7.5 yards per carry, while Choice is second with 74 yards and a 6.2 yards per game average. Scott ranks second in the ACC in yards per game with 102.5, while McCullough has been the more physical tight end of the group and has earned some more playing time himself.
“We don’t really talk about it,” Scott said. “People ask us about it to be honest. I mean, it looks bright for us. We try not to think about it too much. We just let it go. Everything will fall into place if it is meant to be.”
At several points in its game with S.C. State, Clemson had freshmen Watson, Scott, Gallman, Choice and Kitt on the field at the same time. Watson, Scott, Gallman and Kitt also played at Georgia in the season opener.
“You see a guy like Artavis, he is like a redshirt freshman to me because he has been here since January,” Swinney said. “He is a totally different guy. That’s what that time can do for a young guy as opposed to Trevion Thompson, who came in in July, the transition was not as easy for him, but Artavis and Demarre, for those guys to be able go through the off-season and go through the spring at a different pace and then pick it up and go through it in the summer. It’s almost like they have had that year under their belt already.
“They don’t look like young guys.”
Watson threw a 30-yard touchdown pass to Charone Peak in the game, while Scott made a 38-yard reception from Stoudt when he climbed over the back of a Bulldogs’ defender.
“Artavis looks like a veteran guy out there,” Swinney said. “He is playing fast and he is playing confident. The same thing with Deshaun, he came here in January and he has got better and better and more and more comfortable.”
Scott says it’s hard not to think what the future might look like at Clemson in a few years, but right now, he says they try not to think like that because their only concern at this point is top-ranked Florida State, who they play Saturday in Tallahassee.
“I thought about it after the (S.C. State) game,” the freshman said. “I thought that if we do what we are supposed to do, then this could be us. I don’t think about it a whole lot because things can happen. You don’t know what to expect and you never want to jinx anything either.
“I try not to think about it too much, but it has come across mind before, though.”