The Clemson cornerback room had to grow up quickly during the 2022 season in Wes Goodwin’s first season as defensive coordinator. One of those players quickly becoming a contributor eas Nate Wiggins.

After playing sparingly in his freshman season, Wiggins started in 11 games as a sophomore. Playing the most snaps in the secondary, he had 12 pass deflections and a 98-yard pick six.

Cornerbacks coach Mike Reed talked about Wiggins growth at the 2023 Clemson Media Outing, and he emphasized how quickly he had to adjust and build the confidence as a starter.

”You saw [Wiggins] continually getting better game after game, getting more confident, getting more situated in his position and role to the point where he didn’t want to come off the field so it was good and hopefully he’s going to take that from the spring and carry it over into the fall,” Reed said.

While it’s going to be just his second year as a starter for the Tigers defense, he’s already making strides as a leader in that unit. Reed saw this evolution and he believes that it’s also a compliment to the Clemson program and how the staff he helped him throughout his young career.

”You’re in a program such as this, basically squeezes you. You’re not going to be able to be stagnant, stay the same in this type of program. There’s a lot of people that are pushing you and pulling you and pressing you to be better,” Reed said.

This is Wiggins’ first year eligible for the NFL draft and Reed said he wants to see him grow in every aspect. He noted that the junior cornerback told him he wants to go to the NFL and he wants to help him achieve that goal.

Good news for Wiggins is he fits the mold standing at 6-foot-2 and 185 pounds. As a former NFL player, Reed has the knowledge of the business and wants to help Wiggins get the money he deserves.

Durinf the summer, he sent Wiggins some pre-scouting info and put together keys for him to work on so he can achieve that life-changing goal. Now, it’s just time for Wiggins to put it all together on Clemson’s defense in 2023.

”When a young man tells me he wants to go to the NFL, then my mindset is hey, what are they going to do to not give you the money that you deserve,” Reed said. “We’re going to work on that…if you want to be that guy then hey, this is what you need to do. He can work on footwork, tackling, everything.”

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