Deshaun Watson was without a doubt the greatest quarterback Clemson has ever had. Wayne Gallman was one of the best quarterbacks the program has had. Mike Williams is one of the best wide receivers of all-time.
How about Jordan Leggett? Where does he rank among the all-time great tight ends in Clemson history?
Before this season, the standard at Clemson for a tight end was Dwayne Allen, who won the John Mackey Award in 2011 as the nation’s best tight end. The Consensus All-American set the single-season reception, yards and touchdown record for a tight end that season, while also becoming the career leader in all three categories as well.
Some might still argue Bennie Cunningham is the best Clemson has ever had at the position. Cunningham was a two-time All-American at Clemson in the mid-1970s and then went onto an 11-year career in the NFL where he was a Pro Bowl tight end and helped the Pittsburgh Steelers win two Super Bowls.
So how does Jordan Leggett compare? When looking at the Clemson record books, Leggett does not look up to many.
The All-American finished his career with a record 112 receptions for a record 1,618 yards and a record 18 touchdowns. This past season, in helping Clemson win its first national championship in 35 years, he caught 46 passes for a record 736 yards and eight touchdowns.
Leggett averaged 16.0 yards per reception in 2016.
Those are not easy numbers to replace.
“It might be a position by committee next season,” Clemson tight ends coach Danny Pearman said. “It will be an interesting spring and season next year.”
Of the three candidates most likely to replace Leggett—Milan Richard, Cannon Smith and Garrett Williams—they have combined to catch just five passes for 53 yards in their Clemson careers.
“Time will tell,” Pearman said. “They will have the opportunity. It will be Milan. It will be Cannon. It will be one of them. It will be Garrett. All three of those kids have played vital roles for us this past year.
“I’m also interested to see what D.J. Greenlee, Shadell Bell and J.C. Chalk can do too. It should be a wide open race on who will get that job.”
Pearman says how each of those guys work in the off-season and learn from this year’s experiences will go a long way in who comes out as the No. 1 guy to replace Leggett.
“They all will be another year older, which will tell a lot as far as the work they will put in to play the following year,” he said. “They will all have an equal opportunity, and some of them will do things better.”
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