Clemson’s production at the tight end position took a major hit when Jordan Leggett graduated in 2017.

Milan Richard, Cannon Smith and D.J. Greenlee all made plays at some point or another, but none of them did it consistently over the course of the 2017 season.

It is a tough position to play in Clemson’s offense, but with the return of Garrett Williams and the emergence of some young talent, the Tigers should see some growth at the position this year.

True freshman, and early enrollee, Braden Galloway has the potential to be like Leggett, but right now it is just potential.

Recovering from a broken foot, the former Seneca High School (S.C.) standout is slowly being eased into the system. Co-offensive coordinator Tony Elliott said he has progressed nicely over the last couple of practices.

Galloway, who injured his foot last season at Seneca, practiced in a green jersey on Wednesday.

“You know, he’s progressing and he looks really good,” said Elliott after Wednesdays practice. “He’s running around and they’re starting to get him back into practice doing some individual work.”

Elliott also said Galloway’s size and athleticism reminds him of Leggett.

“He’s a guy that looks the part,” the Clemson coach said. “He’s big, athletic – reminds you a lot of Leggett with his physical builds and ability to run.”

Although he has looked good over the last couple of practices, Galloway still has a long way to go in terms of earning a lot of playing time this year. According to Elliott, the tight end position is the hardest to learn outside of quarterback at Clemson.

“He’s still got a lot of maturing because the tight end position requires the most amount of knowledge to be able to function,” Elliot said. “Those guys do so many things for us. They do formation adjustments, they are the boundary receivers, they’re the two-back running back in the backfield in terms of blocking. So, there is a lot of stuff that he has to learn in order to function.”

Galloway could make things interesting at the position next season, especially if he studies up and gets the basics down pat, and could be a real contributor downfield.