Clemson football: Tigers have plenty of things to prove

Will the hype about the cornerbacks be real? Or will they be the defense’s Achilles heel?

While a lot of people were wondering about quarterback, offensive line or wide receivers back in the spring, the biggest replacements to the starting line-up were at cornerback, where both starters had departed.

Sheridan Jones had started several games in 2020 when Mario Goodrich was recovering from injury, so I think many people saw him as an automatic plug-in. He started before, so it made sense he could do it again.

Then we started hearing about Nate Wiggins, who had a decent 2021, but only saw limited action. It turns out that behind the scenes Wiggins didn’t have the best work ethic or attitude last year, and he owned up to that this fall. While it seemed he had a satisfactory freshman campaign, it was far below his real potential.

As soon as he turned his things around, we started hearing about “Nate the Great”. Coaches were raving. Teammates were raving. If we are to believe what we are hearing, Wiggins is the next guy in a line of Clemson corners that boasts names like Trayvon Mullen, AJ Terrell and Andrew Booth.

And then there are the freshmen, Toriano Pride & Jaedyn Lukus. No one is claiming they will be the next big thing yet, but most observers apparently feel both of them will be part of the rotation at corner this season, probably sooner than later.

Again, this all sounds fantastic, but aren’t we expecting a lot to break the right way? Shouldn’t we question if Jones is an answer when all it took was a healthy offseason for a fifth-year senior like Goodrich to take his job, despite Goodrich never really asserting himself before? Shouldn’t we reserve judgement whether Wiggins, who played an average around twelve snaps a game in 2021, is likely to explode upon the scene? Shouldn’t we be a tad concerned that it appears the Tigers are turning to true freshmen, however talented they are, to be part of the rotation when they also have players like Fred Davis and Malcolm Greene? Did the rookies beat those guys out because they are that good, or are they merely the next best option?

I haven’t even mentioned that some have noted that Andrew Mukuba is taking snaps at corner during fall camp. Is that because Mukuba is just that good and the coaches consider him to be a Swiss Army Knife, or do they perceive the cornerback room might need a hand?

My suspicion is that the corners turn out to be somewhere in the middle: not bad, but nothing we should get too excited about, at least for the first half of the season. I’m not a big believer in overnight success. On the other hand, after Wiggins, Pride & Lukus get some playing time under their belt? Second half of the season might bring some highlights.