Losing Kourtney Kelly to a torn ACL stings, no doubt about it, and Tom Allen called it a 'tough, tough blow.' But if you think the Tigers are licking their wounds, think again. There are new beasts rising up in the trenches, and none bigger right now than freshman Polo Anderson. Just months ago, Anderson was sitting in a high school classroom. Now, he’s setting the standard for effort in Clemson’s film room, showing exactly what it means to wear the Paw.
“Well, the first one is Polo Anderson,” Allen said when asked about standout freshmen. “He was just in high school a few months ago. Even again today, he just makes plays. And he makes mistakes, which is expected. But he's just – his athleticism. As a matter of fact, I used him in a team unit meeting today as an example of what it looks like to burst the football and play with effort and how we chase the ball. And he's a true freshman that just got here a few months ago. And he's the guy we're using as an example. Hey, that's exactly what it's supposed to look like. So, that's a buy-in.”
And Polo Anderson isn’t the only new face turning heads. Kam Cody is already making a name for himself, and you can bet opposing offensive linemen are starting to circle his number in red.
“He is a big, strong guy that I've been really excited about,” Allen said of Cody. “I think that he has some physical traits. He has a lot of just – we call him heavy hands. He's strong. He can knock back. Obviously, he just got here. To me, that really is exciting to be able to see, just because I just think that that's a quality.”