Swinney says Tigers will be more explosive next season, have plenty of speed

Bryant Wesco brings his 5-star talent to the Clemson receiver corps.

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Sun Dec 24 07:00:05 GMT-04:00 2023

CLEMSON – Explosive plays, or lack thereof, have been an issue for the Clemson offense over the last three seasons, and many people suggest a glaring lack of speed at wide receiver and running back is the root cause. Dabo Swinney, however, thinks the Tigers will take a step forward next season.

Clemson ranked an abysmal 110th nationally in plays of 40-plus yards with just eight. There were just two plays of 50-plus yards and one play of 60-plus yards, with no plays longer than the 69-yard touchdown pass from Cade Klubnik to Beaux Collins against Charleston Southern. Yes, other than that play, the Tigers had just two other plays that covered 50 or more yards.

The Tigers signed wide receivers Bryant Wesco and TJ Moore and running back David Eziomume during the early signing period, and I asked Swinney if he thinks his program has added the speed necessary to add explosiveness back into the offense.

“Yeah, I think we've addressed it with the guys here, too. Probably the top two fastest guys on this team were Nate (Wiggins) and Cole Turner,” Swinney responded. “We didn't have Cole Turner – he played a game and a half maybe. So, he's been out all year. That was obviously a hit for us. And then we've just had some guys that have... Antonio Williams has played three and a half games. I mean, that's it. That's probably the two best receivers we had coming into the season. Both those guys are out. Well, Adam (Randall) hit a little confidence wall there, but now he's hitting his stride. You line those guys up and put a clock on them, you'll see that they can run. Adam Randall can run. Troy Stellato can run.”

Swinney pointed to Stellato as an example of players who have been too injured to contribute.

“Stellato has just never been available. This is the most available he's been, and he's still a guy that's battled through,” Swinney said. “He hasn't had an off-season since he's been here. I mean, this kid had no camp. He literally got cleared, I think, Tuesday of the Duke game. He's just played on instincts. He's had no spring practice. Hopefully, we're over the hump with this kid. You see flashes of why he was a top receiver in the country. He has just not had much opportunity. Hopefully, he'll have an offseason. We're really excited about him. That guy can run. Adam can run. Cole can fly. Antonio can run. Tyler Brown can fly. He has big-time track speed. I think we already have that on the roster.

“Ronan Hanafin can fly. He is a fast, fast kid. So, it's got to show up on game day, and that's a combination of development and all that stuff that we got to get done and guys staying available. We have a good group.”

However, Wesco and Moore enter Clemson with the reputation of being playmakers.

“But these two coming in, Wesco and TJ, they bring big play ability. They're long. They got, again, ball-hawking skills. They make acrobatic catches. They both do great things after the catch,” Swinney said. “TJ is a really big-bodied kid that's just a great finisher on the ball with a lot of collision balance. Then Wesco, he's long and rangy. He's still physical. That's why I'm glad he's coming midyear, because we need to add a little bit of weight on him between now and August, and we will. But man, that kid plays strong. He's a finisher. He's an excellent runner with the ball for a big guy to be able to maneuver and change direction like he does with breakpoints.

“Again, these are two top 10 guys in the country, so we're excited about it. Again, you throw in what you saw last year from Tyler Brown, this kid's a freshman, All-American. He can absolutely fly. (Wide receivers coach) Tyler (Grisham) did an awesome job with him. This kid, he wasn't a very highly recruited guy, makes freshmen All-American, and he took advantage of his opportunity. I think our speed is in a good spot, and not just that, but at back, at tight end. Cade can really, really run, and you're starting to see him settle in. I think he'll be even better next year at accentuating that part of his game. So overall, that'll lead to some more explosives like we want.”