The TCI staff of Ed McGranahan, Hale McGranahan, Will Vandervort, William Qualkinbush and Robert MacRae go Around the Horn to answer some of the questions surrounding Clemson athletics and college football.
Who will emerge as the primary deep threat in Mike Williams absence?
Robert MacRae – Charone Peake will be the beneficiary of more targets with Williams on the sideline. Peake is the fastest player on the team so he will be a true threat going deep. He is back at 100 percent and is set to have possibly his best season.
Watson and Williams had great chemistry. Peake and Watson will need to build the same.
Deon Cain will also accelerate his development with Williams on the sideline. Look for his contribution to increase significantly as the season progresses.
Hale McGranahan – I think we got a glimpse of his potential as deep-ball threat last weekend against Wofford, even though it was an incomplete pass, just off his fingertips. But I’m going to go with Deon Cain. With a young, very inexperienced guy like Cain, I don’t think it’s too far-fetched to think he could emerge as a deep-ball specialist, sort of like Martavis Bryant was in his first couple of seasons. Cain might not be quite as fast running in a straight-line as Bryant, but he’s plenty got the size and explosiveness to be a threat in the vertical passing game.
Ed McGranahan – There’s an obvious ambiguity at play because any of several players could be significant downfield targets for Deshaun Watson.
If we’re asking which player best fills Mike Williams’ role as a long, athletic target capable of wrestling for jump balls, the answer obviously is 6-foot-3 Charone Peake, another former basketball player with nice hop. Trevion Thompson and Deon Cain also bring the size that at least matches most anybody covering them, but they’re still unproven.
If we’re asking which players have the speed to stretch defenses vertically you begin with Artavis Scott then Ray Ray McCloud and Germone Hopper. All three are capable of shaking coverage on deep crossing patterns and posts or, if they have time, lay down a double fake.
However, with Garrett Williams’ emergence as the principle blocking tight end, Jordan Leggett becomes the wild card. While he doesn’t having darting speed, he’s quick enough to shake and bake at the line and at 6-foot-5 become a matchup nightmare.
Will Vandervort – I think it is Charone Peake. He has the size, 6-3, 215, to play the boundary position and he is faster than Williams. Also, because Peake has played the slot and the field side in his career at Clemson, he runs exceptional routes. He has the experience Trevion Thompson and Deon Caine will not give you when it comes to recognizing coverages and how he needs to adjust his routes with the coverage. Peake’s speed and side will continue to give Watson a deep threat down the field. Remember, he reportedly ran a 4.192 in the 40 this past summer.
William Qualkinbush – I think the Mike Williams injury opens the door wide open for Charone Peake. The veteran wideout has yet to experience a fully healthy season, and if he does, he seems hell-bent on making up for lost time. Peake’s size and speed combination make him an obvious choice, but there’s another reason why Peake’s downfield talents might be tapped into more than his peers. I don’t believe Artavis Scott has progressed to the point that he can become a consistent deep threat in the eyes of the coaching staff. Ray-Ray McCloud is too valuable in space, as we saw during the Wofford game. Jordan Leggett will be needed as a safety valve. Peake is expendable in the screen game given the presence of smaller, quicker options, thus allowing him the opportunity to explore the farthest reaches of the defense.