Clemson football: Amari Rodgers has few equals in college football

Clemson football senior Amari Rodgers is having his best year as a Tiger.

There were a lot of expectations placed on Amari Rodgers this offseason when Clemson football wide receiver Justyn Ross was announced to have a degenerative spine issue that would keep him out all season.

Rodgers has responded with his best season in a Tiger uniform.

Through his first three seasons with Clemson football, Amari Rodgers amassed 1,124 yards and eight touchdowns. That works out to 10.8 yards per catch, which isn’t bad for a guy that was ultimately the fourth or fifth option in a loaded Clemson offense.

However, that has all changed for the Clemson football senior.

Through just five games in 2020, Rodgers has caught 25 passes for 429 yards and five touchdowns. That breaks down to a staggering 17.2 yards per catch and one touchdown for every five receptions.

He is one of just three players in college football this season that has at least 25 catches and averages at least 17 yards per catch.

If Amari Rodgers is able to keep up with his current trajectory and the Tigers make it to their third straight national championship game, he will end the season with 1,201 yards and 14 touchdowns. The 1,201 yards receiving would be the fifth-best season ever recorded by a Tigers receiver and the 14 touchdowns would be the second-best single-season in touchdowns behind the 18 that DeAndre Hopkins had in 2012.

We all knew last season when he came back from a torn ACL is just under six months, that he was a workhorse and a leader for this football program.

For him to have this type of senior season, not only tells you everything you need to know about his talent but also his focus. With a new first-time position coach and a group full of highly talented yet highly inexperienced receivers, Rodgers has clearly taken it upon himself to shoulder the load that was left by the early departure of Tee Higgins and the injury to Justyn Ross.