The Clemson football program welcomed a number of true freshmen to the fold this summer, and several of those newcomers have made some noise early on in fall camp.
Dabo Swinney said after Thursday’s practice that he is happy with what he’s seen from guys like running backs Chez Mellusi and Michel Dukes, both of whom enrolled this summer, as they learn the system and get acclimated to being a big-time college football player.
“Chez made a grab out there today, I don’t know how he caught it … And then Mikey’s had a couple great catches as well,” Swinney said. “They’re very natural. That’s the first thing, it’s natural, very easy for them to catch the football. But both those guys, I’m very pleased with both of them. Feel good about where they are right now and how they’re picking it up, just how they’re competing. Good energy and they’re positioning themselves to help us.”
On the defensive side of the ball, one freshman that has caught Swinney’s eye is cornerback Andrew Booth.
The highly regarded, former five-star recruit has been like a deer in headlights at times in camp after just joining the team this summer, but Clemson’s head coach is high on Booth’s potential and knows the game will slow down for him sooner than later.
“He’s kind of all over the place, like a deer running around out there,” Swinney said. “But he’s got a great body, he’s tough and he’s physical. He likes to mix it up. Very confident and natural. You can tell this guy, he’s been doing this for a while and he’s very confident in what he does. It’s just a matter of time as far as him really just getting it down to where he’s got the little intricacies of our defense and the way we do things. But I’m very pleased with Andrew. He’s going to be a special player.”
Booth is only one of the frosh in the secondary that Swinney has been pleased with.
Safety Jalyn Phillips, who was teammates with Booth at Archer (Ga.) High School, also arrived this summer and has done well in camp thus far according to Swinney.
“He’s doing good,” Swinney said. “He was one of those guys that just got here, so he’s got a lot to learn, but he’s a smooth athlete. We’re trying to teach him the safety position, trying to teach him a little Nickel-SAM as well, and he’s coming along.”
Ray Thornton, an early enrollee who missed most of spring practice due to injury, is another freshman safety seeing his first real action in fall camp.
On the whole, Swinney has been pleased with the Tigers’ new faces in the secondary.
“That whole group, we’ve got a good group on that back end,” he said. “Excited about what I’m seeing with the versatility. Especially those guys that were here in the spring, the jump that they’ve made between spring and now has been very noticeable. But Jalyn and Andrew Booth, two guys that just got here — and Ray Thornton, because I wasn’t able to see him this spring — all three of those guys are as advertised, what we thought they’d be, they’ve just got a lot to learn.”