By Will Vandervort.
When the 2014 season started, no one really knew what to expect from Clemson’s wide receiving crops.
In the last three seasons, the Tigers have lost at least one of their top receivers every year to the NFL in Jaron Brown, DeAndre Hopkins, Martavis Bryant and Sammy Watkins. Three of those guys left after their junior years—Hopkins, Bryant and Watkins—while Hopkins and Watkins were first round picks to boot.
So with only one receiver coming back with any real experience in Adam Humphries—played in 40 games and had 15 starts—the question was if Clemson had anyone to fill the holes left opened with Watkins’ and Bryant’s departures.
“Obviously it was an area that we knew we were going to have to grow up pretty quick,” Swinney said.
Thanks to the emergence of guys like Mike Williams, Artavis Scott and Germone Hopper they have.
Williams has come along as Deshaun Watson’s big-play threat and has taken on the appearance of a Nuk Hopkins thanks to his 520 yards and four touchdowns through five games this year. The sophomore is ranked second in the ACC in yards per game (104) and is first in yards per catch (24.8).
Scott is not too far behind. The true freshman may not be totally like a Sammy Watkins—who is?—but he is third in the ACC in yards per game (76.2) and is averaging 16.2 yards per reception. He has caught three touchdowns.
Sophomore Germone Hopper has not caught as many passes as Williams (21) and Scott (18), but he has made the most of his eight receptions. He leads the Tigers with a 29.1 yards per-catch average and has scored two touchdowns. Five of his eight catches have been for 20 yards or more.
In the last three games, Hopper has brought in six of his eight catches for 219 yards and two scores.
“It’s really just him. He’s finally bought into the way we do things here at Clemson,” Swinney said. “It’s good to see him reap those rewards from buying in and working hard.”
Kitt has been close to breaking out for the 25th-ranked Tigers, who will host Louisville on Saturday in Death Valley. The true freshman has four catches for 51 yards, including a 27-yard pass from Watson against North Carolina that nearly went for a score.
“As I said before the season, we really like our guys and our personnel,” Swinney said. “We think we recruited well. My message was by the end of the year I think a lot of people will be asking me about these new guys.
“They’ve stepped up, and I’m not surprised, because again, we had a couple of them here this spring, Demarre Kitt and Artavis came in January. I think that really helped those guys, and I’m proud of them.”
With Clemson’s young receivers taking off, the Tigers lead the ACC in total offense (490.8 yards) and scoring (40.4).
“They’re doing a nice job for us, and some of our young tight ends continue to develop, too,” Swinney said. “I really like the fact that we’ve been able to involve our running backs in the passing game, as well, then a young guy like Germone Hopper, who’s not a freshman, he’s a sophomore, he’s been around here a couple years, but I think he’s been a huge addition, as well.”