Why Dabo Swinney said none of Clemson football's receivers are Tee Higgins -- yet
CLEMSON – The depth chart tells us that Clemson has plenty of veterans at wide receiver.
Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney tells us otherwise.
“We don’t really have older guys,” Swinney said Tuesday in advance of Saturday's game against Louisiana Tech (8 p.m., ACC Network). “Everybody thinks we’ve got all these older, experienced receivers: Who are they?
“We have one guy – (Joseph) Ngata, and how much football has he played?”
Not much. Injuries have kept the Tigers’ lone senior receiver on the sideline or in the training room on a regular basis.
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“He played as a freshman and in 2020 he didn’t play and last year how many games did he play in and he was out again?” Swinney said. “It’s not like he’s Tee Higgins on his third year and he’s had all this experience. He’s an older guy, but he doesn’t have a lot of experience.”
Neither does anyone else. Here’s the breakdown of Clemson’s two-deep:
Junior E.J. Williams: Williams has played in 22 games with six starts, with injuries preventing him from realizing his full potential. “He was out, had surgery and had a couple of setbacks in camp,” Swinney said. “He’s an unbelievably talented guy, but kind of battling himself right now.”
Junior Brannon Spector: Lingering respiratory issues from COVID prevented Spector from playing last season and he has logged only 281 snaps in 16 career games. “He redshirted, then last year he couldn’t even walk up the steps,” Swinney said. “He’s played two games since his first few games as a redshirt freshman. He’s just learning.”
Sophomore Beaux Collins: “He played last year and ended up having to start for us,” Swinney said. “He’s a great player in the making, but he doesn’t have a lot of experience.” He's been impressive so far, leading the team with 111 receiving yards and two touchdown receptions through two games. "It’s pretty crazy," Collins said. "A year ago I didn’t think I’d be in this position right now. I’m just blessed to be in this position – it’s a great opportunity."
Sophomore Dacari Collins: “Dacari really shouldn’t have had to play last year, but he had to,” Swinney said. “Not only did he have to play, he had to start some games for us and he wasn’t ready for that, but that’s where we were. He’s not some old, experienced guy.”
Freshman Antonio Williams: He's been impressive early and shares the team lead with Beaux Collins with seven receptions.
Freshman Adam Randall: Randall, who wowed coaches and teammates last spring before suffering a torn ACL, is expected to make his debut on Saturday.
“We don’t have these old, established receivers at this point,” Swinney said. “Hopefully next year we will have that. We’re really talented, we’re just really young and inexperienced.”
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Dabo Swinney: None of Clemson football receivers are Tee Higgins - yet
