When Tony Elliott sees freshmen Deon Cain and Ray Ray McCloud walking around the WestZone facility, Clemson’s new co-offensive coordinator feels like he does at Christmas time.

“They are toys that you can’t play with,” he said laughing. “You have some Christmas presents, but you can’t touch them yet.”

Elliott and fellow offensive coordinator Jeff Scott will get their hands on their new offensive weapons soon enough. The Tigers will open camp on Aug. 4.

“I saw Ray Ray in passing and he looks like he has put on a few pounds already so he is looking good. Deon is pretty when he walks by you,” Elliott said smiling.

Cain will start camp backing up Mike Williams and Trevion Thompson at the boundary wide receiver position, while McCloud will play the field side behind Artavis Scott and Germone Hopper.

“I’m ready to get on the field and work those guys,” Scott said. “I think they have the right attitude and they are willing to go out and earn some respect and earn some playing time. Once they do that, they will get out there on the field.

“We don’t know exactly how quickly they will be ready to go, but the earlier they get out there and get comfortable with what they are doing then obviously the more playing time they are going to get.”

Cain, a five-star recruit from Tampa, Fla., was a consensus top 50 player. Though he played quarterback in high school, he showed his versatility as a playmaker in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl when he caught a 50-yard touchdown pass, and threw another one 54 yards. He had 42 career rushing touchdowns in high school, while earning All-State and All-American honors.

McCloud, also a five-star recruit, was rated as the No. 2 wide receiver in the nation. He scored 58 touchdowns in his career, though 26 of those came as a running back. He rushed for 5,765 yards in his high school career in Land O’Lakes, Fla. He rushed for at least 100 yards and scored at least one touchdown in 12 straight games as a junior.

“They are different but they will bring something explosive to our offense,” Elliott said. “Now they have to learn. They have to get in and learn the system. For them, everything has been kind of fast. They have been thrown in with the varsity guys that know the system, and none of the coaches are out there to slow it down so they are still learning.

“I’m excited to see what those guys can do once we get into fall camp and we can turn them loose.”

Though expectations are high for both young wide receivers, but Jeff Scott says the fans and media alike have to temper their expectations somewhat because the Tigers’ are in a different situation than they were when guys like Sammy Watkins, DeAndre Hopkins and Artavis Scott had sensational freshmen years.

One reason why Watkins, Hopkins and Scott did what they were able to do was because Clemson’s situation at wide receiver was not as good as it its right now. Scott and Williams are both considered All-ACC caliber players, while Charone Peake and Germone Hopper are expected to have big years as well.

“I think the thing you have to be careful with is that it is different for Deon and Ray Ray from when Sammy, Charone and those guys got here,” Jeff Scott said. “We have seen freshmen come in and have a lot of success like Sammy, and last year with Artavis. So you have to be careful and remember those guys have to go out and earn it.

“There is a lot of work for those guys to go out and do. Are they talented? Absolutely! But they still have a lot to prove and a lot of work to get done before they are really put in that position. I think now that we have had so many guys come in and have early success that is something we have to be able to talk about and make sure we don’t put the cart before the horse, if you will.”

They key is to let both players grow and develop at their own pace.

“I have got nothing but rave reviews on those guys. They are both competitive. They are the kind of guys that will put in the work on their own,” Elliott said.

“You don’t want to throw too much on their plates too fast that you paralyze them. Just allow them to grow and develop.”