Swinney has high praise for Shipley
By: Staff Report August 24, 2022

Kelly Gramlich and former Clemson and All-ACC offensive lineman Eric Mac Lain continued their 2022 season preview series by previewing the Tigers with Dabo Swinney.

Speaking with Gramlich and Mac Lain, Clemson’s head coach had high praise for sophomore running back Will Shipley and who he is as a leader — something Swinney says Shipley has been since the time he arrived on campus in January 2021, and even dating back to his days as a little leaguer.

“That’s who he is. He’s been doing that since little leagues,” Swinney said. “I mean, he’s been that guy, and he’s an incredible leader. He’s incredibly committed. He’s passionate about the game. He’s passionate about the process of what it takes to be great, from every aspect – from strength conditioning, nutrition, sleep, flexibility, you name it, explosiveness. And he just leads. From the time he got here as a freshman, he’s been a leader.”

“He’s one of those rare people that shows up, and right out of the gate he’s a leader,” Swinney continued. “He doesn’t sit around and wait on anybody to tell him what to do, and then when you tell him what to do, that’s a good suggestion for Will Shipley. He’s always going to be above and beyond what you ask him to do, and when that’s who you are, naturally, everybody notices that. So, he separated himself from that standpoint, his maturity, right out of the gate.”

Shipley made an instant impact for the Tigers right out of the gate as a true freshman last season. The former five-star prospect from Weddington, N.C., enters 2022 after a debut season in which he rushed 149 times for 739 yards (5.0 avg.) with 11 touchdowns, caught 16 passes for 116 yards, averaged 27.1 yards on 14 kickoff returns and threw a two-yard touchdown pass in 378 snaps over 10 games (five starts).

Come out to support Clemson softball at Dear Old Clemson’s second event which is set for August 27 at the Madren Conference Center.  Clemson returns one of the top teams in the nation and adds some new talent to the mix.   If you sign up for certain club levels you get free access to all Dear Old Clemson events or purchase your tickets today at Dear Old Clemson.