What life looks like after Derion Kendrick for Clemson football
The Clemson football programs lost its second cornerback in just a matter of weeks following the program’s dismissal of starting CB Derion Kendrick this past weekend.
Graduate LeAnthony Williams Jr. transferred out of the Clemson football program before the Tigers began spring practice and that loss was expected in some ways, but most Tiger fans were a bit surprised when Derion Kendrick announced that he would be returning to Clemson for another season.
Both parties (Kendrick and Clemson) wanted another chance, but Dabo Swinney made it very clear that he would be walking a fine line and the latest issue turned out to be the straw that broke the camel’s back as Swinney dismissed him from the program.
Derion Kendrick was set to be a starter for the 2021 Clemson football team and the Tigers will now look elsewhere for depth and playing time
We always believed that Kendrick had the potential to develop into a first-round cornerback at the next level. He had great athleticism, but never was able to get out of his own way.
With both him and Williams Jr. now gone, though, Clemson has a little bit of a depth issue at cornerback.
Here are the scholarship corners remaining on the roster:
- Andrew Booth Jr.
- Mario Goodrich
- Sheridan Jones
- Fred Davis II
- Malcolm Greene
- Nathaniel Wiggins (incoming 4-star)
We’d expect Booth Jr. and Goodrich to hold down the starter roles with Jones and Davis II getting plenty of chances as second-stringers. Both Jones and Davis have shown the ability to be solid at the position, but haven’t garnered the experience yet that most would’ve hoped.
Malcolm Greene is a talented player who is going to have a major role on the defense, but he’ll likely spend most of his time at that nickel/dime position rather than on the outside at cornerback just because of his skill set.
Nathaniel Wiggins is a talented incomer who will undoubtedly see time and it will be interesting to see what the Tigers do in terms of developing depth at the position.
There are still plenty of bodies and there is talent there, but one injury could make that group extremely thin and that’s something we absolutely have to keep an eye on as we progress through the spring and summer into the fall.