Saturday Clemson Scrimmage Notes

Freshman receiver Bryant Wesco continues to impress (Photo by Merrell Mann).

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Sat Mar 09 16:02:27 GMT-04:00 2024

The Tigers held a half scrimmage in Death Valley on Saturday in front of football alumni and a bevy of recruits on hand. We didn’t get to speak to head coach Dabo Swinney or any of the coaches following the scrimmage, but there are a few nuggets we’ve gleaned along the way.

Tight end Jake Briningstool came out for interviews and I asked him if he had grown, and he smiled and said he thinks he’s grown another inch to 6-7. When I asked him about the offense and how it fared Saturday, I phrased it to say that over the last several years, it’s been the defense winning the day more often than not. He said the offense has not only held its own this spring, but it also won most of the battles on Saturday.

When he was asked who was standing out—not freshmen but across the board—the first name that came to his mind was receiver Bryant Wesco. He said Wesco is drowning in information but keeps going out and making plays. I was told that he made three highlight-worthy catches in one of the earlier practices this week.

Who does he remind me of? That’s hard to say. But his slim build and the way he moves would remind many of Derrick Hamilton. “Noodle” Hamilton had a unique way of moving, and Wesco has that way about him, too. His hands? Sammy Watkins. I know, that is high praise for a freshman, and I am not saying he will be as good as either of those two. But those two are who he reminds me of.

Let’s go to the offensive line – we were told that the OL is picking up blitzes, and kicking out and making tunnel screens successful. Keith Adams told me that the linemen have a renewed energy and are running around the field and picking up their backs after plays. It’s amazing the change that new offensive line coach Matt Luke has made in a short amount of time.

Going back to Briningstool, he said that he thinks they have the best tight end room in the country, and all the guys are making plays. And making plays is what it’s about for the offense.

As one observer told me, it’s amazing how different this team looks when everyone is healthy.

The defense is…elite. The young defensive backs aren’t backing down and are, in the words of one observer, heat-seeking missiles.

Finally, two quarterbacks who won National Championships at Clemson were on hand in Homer Jordan and Trevor Lawrence.