Inside the walls of Littlejohn Coliseum, a different story is being written, led by two new faces who are already proving they are not built like typical freshmen.
Enter Zac Foster and Chase Thompson.
This isn't your average incoming class. Foster, a 6'5" athletic guard, is the third-highest-rated signee in Clemson basketball history. Thompson, a 6'8" forward, may have been an under-the-radar three-star, but he left high school as Minnesota's Mr. Basketball after dropping 28 in the state title game.
Their high school resumes are elite, but it's their immediate, physical impact in practice that has veterans and coaches believing they are the "X-factor" to shatter those low preseason expectations.
'Not Your Typical Freshmen'
Senior guard Dillon Hunter, a key veteran leader, has been trying to get the duo up to speed on the "mental" side of the college game. But on the physical side? They're already there.
"They definitely have a lot of size coming in with Zac being about 6'5 and Chase being almost 6'8, so they're not your typical freshmen," Hunter said.
Hunter described the "wow" moments the two newcomers are already providing.
"I'd say for Chase, he'll wow you with a random dunk in practice," Hunter said. "He'll just walk into a dunk, it's random, I've never seen it in my life."
Foster, meanwhile, is bringing a different kind of electricity.
"Then Zac, he's fast," Hunter said. "He'll catch it on the fast break... he'll blow by everyone and get to the rim in five seconds."
The Coach's Stamp of Approval
Head coach Brad Brownell, a man who demands execution and defense, is uncharacteristically bullish on the freshmen's chances to play real minutes, right now.
"They have to earn it," Brownell cautioned, before praising their advanced development. "Zac and Chase have done very well... they've come in physically more ready than a lot of the freshmen in the past."
Brownell didn't mince words about their potential role.
"I don't see any reason why they won't play a lot," he stated. "They're making plenty of mistakes, but it's all mistakes that we can correct... I think they're ahead of schedule compared to most guys."
That's bad news for an ACC that has already written the Tigers off. Foster backed up that confidence by being one of the team's leading scorers in a recent exhibition.
While the rest of the conference sleeps on a seventh-place team, Clemson is quietly integrating two physically dominant freshmen who are already earning the respect of their toughest critics. That chip on the shoulder, combined with this new X-factor, could be the perfect recipe for a surprise contender.