The expectations are at an all time high in South Carolina this year when it comes to college football. Down in Columbia, Steve Spurrier has made the Gamecocks not only relevant in the SEC, but on a national platform. Known for his past history of running the "fun and gun" offense dating back to his days in Gainesville, his squads at South Carolina have been more recently known for their defense. Up the road in Clemson however, the Tigers have made a name for themselves for their skills on offense. With arguably the hottest offensive coordinator in college football and potential Heisman candidate and last year's ACC player of the year Tajh Boyd under center, Clemson has caused defenses headaches and is in position to take it one step further this year. Though someone will have to step up to fill the voids left by running back Andre Ellington in the backfield, wide out Jaron Brown and tight end Brandon Ford, the Tigers have a secret weapon, a few secret weapons actually, that will help make them (potentially) the most explosive offense in college football this fall.
Not many people have talked about it, but when you look at the Tiger's receiving corp, you have to get nervous as an opposing team. Sure, Deandre "Nuk" Hopkins is off to the NFL and will likely be starting when the Houston Texans take the field for their season opener on the road against the Vikings. However, there shouldn't be any fall off from last year's production. Hopkins will be missed for sure but there is another man by the name of Sammy Watkins who took the country by storm his freshmen year. You may have heard of him. Last season he battled off the field issues, injuries, and some sickness but he's one year stronger, one year smarter and is in the best shape of his life. He has grown up and isn't the same Sammy that stepped on the field in Death Valley the past two seasons. He is poised for a breakout season, hopefully to the same caliber we saw from Hopkins last season. Further down the roster, the talent doesn't have a drastic drop in talent. Clemson also returns junior wide out Martavis Bryant whose size, speed and hands could have landed him just about anywhere in the country. He has great potential and will hopefully show the nation what he is capable of this year. Charone Peak has been noted to be just as talented-if not more-than Watkins and is again a case of a guy that just needs to keep working hard and staying focused and his time will come...and that time could very easily be this season.
I also expect to see some action on offense from military hero/veteran Daniel Rodriguez. And I can't forget about my boy Adam Humphries. He reminds me a lot of former Tiger wide out Tyler Grisham who could get you those crucial yards in crunch time. Both are scrappy and have great hands and might not have eye popping stats but play significant roles in the offense's success. We will also have some not so familiar faces take the field in the form of red-shirt freshmen Germone Hopper who we will also see get some touches in the return game. This guy has good hands and is fast. real fast. We will also have true freshmen Mike Williams joining the team this summer when he begins taking summer session classes. The four star in-state commit comes in at 6-5, 205 and is expected to have significant playing time this fall and should make an immediate impact. You'd be hard pressed to find another receiving corp as talented as Clemson's especially with a QB like Tajh Boyd throwing to them. The pieces are in place for Clemson to once again make this season a special one. If the Tigers stay healthy and can be physical up front giving time for Boyd to find his open man or find room to tuck it in run, it should be another exciting year for Tiger fans, And thanks to the improving defense, hopefully Clemson fans won't have to pray the offense scores 40 or more points every game in order for us to win!
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