Tony Elliott was glad to see No. 7 back on the football field, and when Mike Williams sprawled out for a touchdown catch on the first day of preseason camp, Clemson’s co-offensive coordinator was really glad to see him back.

“All I could say was ‘Welcome back Mike.’ He has worked his tail off,” Elliott said after Wednesday’s practice. “He is about 220 pounds. He is big and strong and then you have the ability to role Deon (Cain) behind him so it just makes people stay balanced.

“They have to be balanced into the boundary. Then you have him and (Jordan) Leggett possibly on the same side. That’s two big guys that create matchup problems.”

Speaking of Cain. As Elliott mentioned, the Tigers have sophomore Deon Cain back as well. Fellow coordinator and wide receivers coach Jeff Scott says Cain has been outstanding through the first two days of practice.

Scott said Cain reported to camp 14 pounds heavier than last season, bringing his weight to 204 pounds, which showed how hard the sophomore worked when he was away from the team and how serious he took things after all the suspensions.

“I pulled him aside after the first practice yesterday and just complimented him,” Scott said. “I could tell by the way he practiced yesterday that it tells me how he has been doing all summer long. You cannot go out there and have a good first or second day by trying to turn it on when practice starts.

“He has worked extremely hard. He looks great. He is as locked in as he has ever been. He is a lot more focused. He still has some work to do and he knows that. He still has to earn his teammates and coaches trust and all of that, but he is doing that one day at a time. I’m very pleased and encouraged out of what I have seen from Deon so far.”

Feaster is a beast. It’s only the second day of camp, but freshman running back Tavien Feaster has gotten the attention of both Elliott and Scott.

During inside drills, Feaster lined up in the backfield alongside quarterback Deshaun Watson and Wayne Gallman.

“We have to get the pads on and see how much he can retain. It’s only been two days and he has not been hit yet. We have to see where his shoulder is, but so far you will say based on his skill set, he has something that those other guys don’t,” Elliott said. “Each one of them brings something to the table, but he is more of a complete package.”

Scott has been thrilled with the way Feaster has carried himself in meeting and around the building. He likes the fact he is taking everything serious, which he says a lot of freshmen struggle to do at times.

“I recruited him for three years. He was kind of an immature guy early in his career in high school. But he is very focused,” Scott said. “I never saw him like this in his three years since recruiting him in high school. I have never seen him as focused and as zeroed in as he is right now.”

Scott credits some of that to the fact he is hanging out with running back Wayne Gallman.

“I love seeing him hang out with Wayne Gallman. I think Wayne has kind of taken him under his wing all summer long and it shows,” Scott said. “Through two days, he does not look overwhelmed. I know he has a lot to learn, but the good thing is he is very focused.

“Sometimes the talented freshmen come in and they don’t know what they are doing. They just kind of go through the motions and they think they are doing alright. But he is a guy that is soaking everything up and we have been very pleased. He has shown a few sparks there in the team period. That’s a good thing. The biggest thing will be the consistency and the retention as we continue in the installation.”

Powell will make an impact. It seems Scott is counting on freshman Cornell Powell to help with punt returns this year. Clemson was one of the worst in the country in punt returns in 2015, averaging 2.3 yards per return.

Scott says Powell is the kind of guy who can help turn that around.

“If he you followed his career in high school, I think he set the record for return punts and kickoffs for touchdowns in North Carolina. We watched him in the Shrine Bowl take one back,” the Clemson coach said. “Some guys just have that ability. They have that knack for the return game.

“I remember Justin Miller was one of those guys that came in as a freshman and was a great returner, but through two days, I have been very pleased with how he catches the ball. Obviously, we are very early in installing the returns and those types of things. As far as being able to catch the ball and knowing where he is supposed to be, he has done a great job. I think we will give him a chance. That’s what this time in fall camp is all about. As we get to more of the scrimmage and live work we will know a little bit more.”