PARADISE VALLEY, Ariz. — After spending the Holiday with his family and friends, Clemson running back Wayne Gallman said on Wednesday at the JW Marriott Camelback Resort & Spa in Paradise Valley, Arizona that once the College Football Playoff is complete, he is headed to the NFL.
Of course Gallman and the Tigers first have this Saturday’s game against No. 3 Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl to worry about and then possibly a rematch with top-ranked Alabama in the national championship game should they knock off the Buckeyes.
“The goal is to help my team win and do what I can do,” Gallman said. “All that draft stuff, it will come. I’m just focused on winning against Ohio State.”
Gallman’s announcement that he is officially turning pro is not a shock to anyone. Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney announced the week of the Pitt game back in November that Gallman, along with quarterback Deshaun Watson and wide receivers Artavis Scott and Mike Williams, planned on turning professional and had the four run down the hill with the seniors on Senior Day.
Williams, who is also a redshirt junior, confirmed a few weeks back he plans to enter his name into the NFL Draft. However, Watson and Scott have both left the door open for return. Watson said on Wednesday he will announce his plans officially once the season is complete.
“I’m just worried about playing Ohio State,” Watson said.
No need to rush. Clemson co-offensive coordinator Tony Elliott says he likes to tell players that are thinking about making the jump early to the NFL, such as Gallman, Watson, Scott and Williams, to make sure they understand everything that is involved, not just the football part.
“I think that it starts with how they see me interact with my wife, how they see me interact with my children. See me as not just as a football coach, but as a father and husband,” Elliott said. “When I have opportunities, I don’t just always talk about football. I talk about real life. I educate them on their finances, what the future is going to look like, so that they can kind of see, ‘Man, maybe I’m not quite ready for that. Maybe I want to take a bit of time and enjoy these couple of years.’ I just share my experiences with them. But at the same time, too, help them to understand what it takes to truly be successful.
“I think a lot of the guys with aspirations to go to the NFL, they don’t know what it’s about. They don’t realize it’s a job and it is 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day, and you’ve got to be a regular person. When you’re in college, you have no bills, just enjoy this and don’t be in a rush, don’t be in a rush to grow up.”
Speaking of growing up. Elliott also offered up his opinion on players such as Stanford’s Christian McCaffrey deciding not to participate in the Sun Bowl because he wanted to go ahead and start training for the NFL Combine, which is in late February.
LSU’s Leonard Fournette also decided not to play in the Citrus Bowl, due to injury reasons more than anything, while Baylor’s Shock Linwood also sat out the Cactus Bowl, but his reason was the same reason as McCaffrey’s.
Elliott hopes this is not the start of a trend in college football.
“I don’t know. I think that every year you get something new in college football,” the Clemson coach said. “And I think there’s a trend. And hopefully it will cycle back, because again college is — there’s purity of the game. It’s all about the team. I don’t want to see it transition into where it’s more of the pro mentality, where it’s an individual game, because I think that’s what makes football so special, is just the unity of the team, the bonds that you have, the relationships that you have. But, again, I don’t know their situation, so I can’t speak on it.”