Dabo Swinney will tell anyone who will listen. Mackensie Alexander was one of the toughest defensive backs he has had at corner.
“He was just a dog. He was a very competitive guy,” Clemson’s head coach said. “That is how he survived with just good technique.”
Alexander was one of the best shut down corners the Tigers’ have had, and it is a reason why these days he plays for the Minnesota Vikings in the NFL.
Clemson’s A.J. Terrell has all of the same qualities as Alexander, but he has a little more, too. Terrell is also very tall, and he has the length to go with it. Unlike Alexander, Terrell uses his 6-foot-2 frame to go up and get the football.
“He can make some plays on the ball that Mackensie can’t make, which is why is a rare dude with that length playing corner,” Swinney said.
That length allowed Terrell to earn third-team All-ACC honors last year, as he intercepted three passes and broke up seven more. His best interception came in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game last January when he stepped in front of a Tua Tagovailoa pass on Alabama’s first drive and returned it 44 yards for a touchdown.
Swinney said Terrell is that guy who can just take away one side of the field.
“He has played two seasons of football. He has played high level ball. He has gone day in and day out against elite players,” Swinney said. “He has played in big games and made big plays. He is confident. He has put in a lot of work.
“He is in a great place physically. He really understands the game. He is a guy that can take a guy away for sure.”
He can also out jump a receiver for the football, and because he is 200 pounds, he can’t just be pushed to the side and run by either.
“He can get up there and lineup on 6-5 guys and matchup with them,” Swinney said.
Terrell lines up against 6-foot-5 receivers every day in practice as he goes up against Tee Higgins, Justyn Ross, Diondre Overton and Joseph Ngata. When he goes up against those types of receivers on Saturdays, then there is nothing an opponent can throw at him that he already has not seen.
“You really can’t take plays off, especially with our receivers,” Terrell said. “That is the beauty of it out here. Being able to go against our receivers every day. They always bring the best out in you and you can’t sleep on any plays. You just have to keep competing every day and give it everything you have.”
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