5 biggest position battles for Clemson Football in fall camp
By John Chancey
Cornerback
Both Sheridan Jones and Nate Wiggins have departed. The Tigers will be promoting two new starters at cornerback in 2024.
The good news is that the options have a decent amount of experience. The presumed starter at the top spot, sophomore Avieon Terrell, started several games in 2023 when Jones was injured.
There are two primary competitors for the other corner position. Jeadyn Lukus will be a junior. He made four starts last season. Lukus was a 5-star prospect in the 247Sports Composite coming out of Mauldin High School.
Lukus has flashed the talent that grabbed that rating. He has an ideal height of 6’-2”. The problem has been injuries. The first came in the spring of 2022 when he was an early enrollee. That set him back through most of the summer and fall camp.
He bounced back to push his way past competition in 2023, eventually becoming the third guy behind Jones and Wiggins and the first to start when injuries impacted them. Then his second injury struck and he missed the back half of the schedule.
Even if Lukus grabs the 2nd starting spot, injury concerns mean the next guy will need to be ready at all times. That will probably be Shelton Lewis, who also stood out alongside Terrell as a freshman.
Lukus and Lewis will compete for the job this fall. My gut says Lukus wins the job if he is healthy, but as the third guy, Lewis will see a lot of action.
It would be paradise if Clemson could avoid injuries at the position, but considering the bad luck of the past two seasons, whoever doesn’t win the job this fall is still likely to have multiple starts down the road.
NEXT: Backup Quarterback