Clemson football coaches went into the spring mindful of their lack of depth at cornerback, and they expect to build that depth this fall.
With all the talk before and after the Clemson football spring game about the lack of depth at the cornerback position, every able body will be counted on this fall to build depth.
The post-spring depth chart has Trayvon Mullen and A.J. Terrell listed as starters and Mark Fields and LeAnthony Williams Jr. are the backups.
Mullen, Terrell and Fields all have experience and are the headliners of this group, and for Clemson to get back to the College Football Playoffs, Williams, Brian Dawkins Jr. and a pair of four-star freshmen Mario Goodrich and Kyler McMichael will have to be ready to step in when needed.
When serious conversations arise about the corners, Mullen, Terrell, Fields and the talented freshmen are always in the conversation, but Williams, a redshirt freshman, is sometimes forgotten.
The former four-star Roswell High(GA) star doesn’t have any game experience but after sitting out 2017, he is familiar with defensive coordinator Brent Venables’s system and in a secondary with little experience, he can’t be overlooked.
At Roswell, he was an aggressive corner who stuck to his man like glue in coverage and tackled well in one-on-one and running situations. When I watched his footage, he reminded me of Minnesota Viking and former Clemson Tiger cornerback Mackensie Alexander.
Williams took advantage of his redshirt year and added strength and muscle to his 6-foot, 172 pound frame. His slight stature kept him from being higher on most college recruiting boards and made him a redshirt candidate. Now at 187 pounds, he can be even more physical and aggressive with receivers and blockers. I still expect him to continue to add weight and reach 195 or 200.
Coach Ford with LeAnthony Williams at Clemson! pic.twitter.com/UTlRfwGQv8
— i-DareU Academy Inc. (@dareu_i) May 30, 2018
Next: 10 Expectations for the 2018 Season
Williams got his first game atmosphere experience in April’s Spring game. He received a lot of reps and finished the game with four total tackles(3 solo, 1 assisted) and one pass breakup.
Look for Williams, a diligent student of his craft, to be a bigger part of the conversations before the 2018 season is over.