Clemson Football: Freshmen who will see the field in 2023

Tyler Brown

• Number: 6
• Position: Wide Receiver
• Height: 5’-11”
• Weight: 180 pounds
• High School: Greenville High School
• Hometown: Greenville, South Carolina
• 247Sports Rating: 3-star

Last we have the member of the Class of 2023 that 247Sports considered the lowest rated prospect in the entire bunch. Definitely a redshirt, right?

Wrong. If any of the wide receivers are coming close to the kind of excitement created by Antonio Williams last fall, it is Brown, and there appears to be one major reason: speed.

This is what I wrote about Brown a few weeks ago:

"“This hype for Tyler Brown isn’t just Swinney. Other players and observers are bringing his name up a lot. Given that speed is something that has been lacking in the last couple of seasons, Brown appears poised to find playing time because he brings a dimension to the passing game that has been lacking in recent seasons.”"

We need to temper the excitement with a couple of inconvenient realities. First, Brown fits at the slot, which happens to be where Williams broke out last season. That might not be a problem if Williams were to move to one of the outside receiver roles, but I doubt they go in that direction.

It also wouldn’t keep Brown off the field in a 4-wide receiver formation, featuring two slot guys. The second inconvenient reality is you can have a 4th receiver, but it requires you to remove either the running back (Will Shipley or Phil Mafah) or the tight end (Jake Briningstool). Neither option is ideal.

This doesn’t mean Brown won’t play. I think he avoids the redshirt, and he is still a guy that will get snaps when the situation dictates his skill set is required. He just won’t be an every-down guy.