Clemson Football Newcomers: Tee Higgins
With fall camp on the horizon, I wanted to take one last look at Clemson’s 2017 signees. A few of these true freshman may push for playing time this season. Today’s edition features wide out, Tee Higgins.
Tee Higgins was the crown jewel of the Tigers 2017 recruiting class in my opinion. At 6-foot-4, 190 pounds, Higgins has all of the physical tools to be special in Death Valley. Clemson has a strong tradition of wide receiver play and Higgins is the perfect candidate to carry the torch
Recruitment:
Hailing from the state of Tennessee, Higgins was once a Volunteers commit. After de-committing from Tennessee in February of 2016, Higgins was on the market for about four months before he committed to Clemson in an epic Fourth of July video.
Though Higgins took visits to other programs after committing to the Tigers, he ultimately stood firm on his choice.
Chances at playing time:
Though Clemson dons the monicker “WRU”, Higgins will likely play a significant amount of snaps for the Tigers in 2017. There is no better candidate to fill the shoes of former Tiger, Mike Williams than Higgins. Williams was a big bodied wide receiver capable of consistently winning the 50/50 balls for Deshaun Watson. With Clemson breaking in a new starter at quarterback, Higgins will be the perfect safety blanket on contested throws.
More from RTR: Ranking the 2017 recruiting class by instant impact potential
Similar to Williams’, Higgins was a talented high school basketball player, which means he is adept at boxing out smaller defensive backs in jump-ball situations. On the other hand, the incoming freshman is much more explosive than Williams with the ball in his hands. Higgins is downright scary after the catch. I can’t see how co-offensive coordinators, Jeff Scott and Tony Elliott can keep him off of the field.
Expectations in year one:
It is difficult to curb expectations for highly touted freshman, especially at a program like Clemson. Under Dabo Swinney, the Tigers have done an excellent job of preparing true freshman to play, i.e., Sammy Watkins and Dexter Lawrence.
Fair expectations for Higgins are that he earns solid rotational reps for Clemson in 2017. With his size and ability to go up and get the ball in traffic, Clemson would be silly not to use him in the redzone at the least. Best-case-scenario expectations are that Higgins flourishes for Clemson in 2017, putting on a Watkins-esque performance as a true freshman.
Next: 5 best offenses the Tigers will face in 2017