Clemson, SC
Day one of Clemson’s 2022 football spring practice is now in the books. CSN was present to take in the 2022 Tigers as they began their work on a sunny mid week afternoon in almost summer like conditions. Dabo Swinney previewed the day prior to practice and a good forty five minutes of a press conference that addressed several topics of concern including injuries.
Currently the Tigers are gonna be without the following players (Robert Gunn K, Bryan Bresee DT, Will Taylor WR , Tre Williams DT , Tyler Venables S , Sage Ennis TE, Will Shipley RB, Davis Allen TE, Sergio Allen LB, Malcom Greene DB, Kobe Pace RB, EJ Williams WR) as they start 2022 and spring practice, culminating in the Spring Game on Saturday 4/9/22..
The first thing we did upon access to the practice fields was take a gander at the quarterback’s as they were already in footwork drills with coach Streeter and wanted to confirm two things… DJ’s weight loss and if I saw any change in his delivery after recent trip out to QB camp to work on his fundamentals. I can confirm he does look at least 10-15lbs lighter, and his release has become more compact and he’s a lot quicker getting the ball out.
Next was the Freshman Cade Klubnik, we wanted to see if he has put on any weight and watch him go thru day one’s drills and notice his comfort level. And I can confirm he looks a little thicker and has put on at least 10lbs since arriving to campus in early January. And was fluid in his drills, saw one bad handoff. Walked right back to the spot and corrected it. With in the day we saw a earnest want to learn as he communicated with Streeter and teammates. Very athletic and throws a very nice ball. He was running with the 2nd and 3rd team’s but you could see the difference when he was in versus the rest of the QB group outside of DJ.
After that we moved on to watch the Wide Receiver’s as they went about their business. A group that saw some turnover during the off season with graduation of Justyn Ross and the transfer of Frank Ladson. This group looked impressive , and this was without EJ Williams who is rehabbing after a knee injury and is not expected to participate this spring. But the return of Brannon Spector and redshirt freshman Troy Stellato was a good sight to see. Bring size and speed to their respective spots. Also the newest addition to “WRU” Adam Randall who walked on to the turf looking physically like a senior and had to do a double take, thought Ross decided to return for another year without alerting anyone. That physically advanced a player is Randall. Very Smooth and quick in and out of his stance and runs very clean routes. Saw him the target of a 35 yard TD pass in the skeleton offensive drills. Add to that a healthy and very robust looking Joseph Ngata along with Sophomore Beaux Collins and Decari Collins… The Tigers Wideouts are again one of those groups that looks as good as any in the country coming off the bus. This group needs to work on consistency and staying healthy, as the past two years have seen the Tigers losing key pieces in the wideout group to injuries many times over.
We will be at practice again on Friday and plan on reporting on all the other groups we have time to sit and observe. Until then take a gander at some of the practice images and the video presser with Coach Swinney below.
