Through 11 practices in fall camp thus far, Clemson freshman Ray Ray McCloud looks as if he is still in high school, and that’s not a bad thing for the 12th-ranked Tigers.
In high school, the versatile McCloud was unstoppable. The game came to him easily as he rushed for 1,933 yards and 17 touchdowns his senior year at Sickles High School in Tampa, Fla., which followed a junior campaign in which he tallied 2,316 yards and 26 touchdowns. The All-State selection and Hillsborough County Player of the Year set career records in his county with 5,765 rushing yards and 58 total touchdowns.
Though he has changed positions at Clemson, and he is seeing some of the best defenders in college football in practice, the game still isn’t too fast for the 5-foot-10, 175-pound athlete.
“Ray Ray is one of those rare freshmen that comes in and the game is slow for him,” Clemson co-offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach Jeff Scott said. “Usually for the freshmen the game is really fast and it takes them a little while. But he is one of those guys where the game is really slow.
“He feels like he is still out there in high school playing and he looks very natural out there. I like his attention to detail and being able to pick up on the offense. If he keeps progressing, he is a guy that will have a chance to play early.”
McCloud has worked primarily with the second-team unit in camp, but he has had his moments against some of Clemson’s most established defensive players. Last week, he was throwing All-ACC safety Jayron Kearse to the ground like a rag doll in one-on-one drills, while also blowing past the athletic junior to catch deep passes.
On Friday, he went 4-for-4 in Clemson’s win drills, which has wide receivers blocking down field on defensive backs.
“Ray Ray put on a clinic in our W-Drill today. He got after some guys and I think he won all four of his reps,” Scott said. “He has probably done the best job. I think Deon (Cain) is trying to figure out who is hitting him and where is it coming from, but Ray Ray has a little bit lower center of gravity so he can get underneath guys and drive so I have been real pleased with him.”
Scott went onto say McCloud has looked “smooth” in practice. The new co-offensive coordinator says the true freshman has picked up the offense well.
“He has shown some things that you don’t typically see out of a freshman, even a talented guy,” Scott said. “In his mental mindset, the stage is not too big. That has probably been a pleasant surprise.
“He is a little bit further ahead than really I expected him with him being a running back and a wildcat quarterback in high school. I thought he would have to develop his hands a little bit more. But he is further along than maybe I expected so that is a good thing.”