Camp Insider: Texas QB impressive, WR targets continue to put on a show

Beaux Collins works out Wednesday afternoon

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Wed Jun 12 17:38:34 GMT-04:00 2019

CLEMSON – One more session and Dabo Swinney’s high school camp will be over for another year. However, Wednesday afternoon’s session brought the sizzle.

Let’s start with the wide receivers. Four-star wide receiver EJ Williams of Phenix City (AL) Central worked out in the A group with wide receivers coach Jeff Scott. Williams will make a decision on August 24th, and today gave the coaching staff a last chance to look Williams over and for Williams and his mother to look at Clemson. They visited LSU last weekend.

From a football standpoint, it’s easy to see why schools like Clemson, Alabama, and LSU covet his services. It’s hard to compare him to another Clemson receiver. He doesn’t really run as much as he glides through his routes, making it look almost effortless at times.

For the record, his mother was with him today and you can bet they will both hear plenty from the Clemson coaches.

Another wide receiver that stood out – and continues to stand out – is Beaux Collins. Collins is a teammate of current Clemson commit DJ Uiagalelei and he has offers from Alabama, Florida, Florida St., LSU, Michigan, Miami, Notre Dame, Ohio St., Michigan, Penn St., Southern Cal, and Washington, among others. I don’t see a reason why Clemson won’t add its name to that list before Collins leaves campus.

He’s rangy (6-4, 195), but with a kid like Collins you can look at the body type and project him as a receiver who will comfortably play at 215 or 220 on the next level. I have been told that he really wants that Clemson offer.

Another wide receiver who was back today is 2022 Greenville (SC) standout Aalijah Kelly. We raved about Kelly yesterday and he worked out with the A group today. At one point, Swinney moved over to quarterback Trevor Lawrence – who was watching Uiagaleleli throw – and pointed out Kelly. Again, he’s one to watch.

Also in the A group this afternoon was Naples (FL) Palmetto Ridge's Kamonte Grimes (6-1, 185). Grimes has offers from Ohio State, UNC, Georgia Tech, Arkansas and others.

*As for California – I was watching one mother take video of her son and asked her where they were from. She said they were from the wine country in California. So, the next question was why would you travel cross-country to bring him to Clemson?

She said that they watched the National Championship Game, met several Clemson fans the week of the game, and it, “just seemed the like kind of place you would want to visit. So here we are.”

She then smiled and said, “If Clemson was to offer my son, I would gladly move here.”

EJ Williams works out Wednesday

*Spoke briefly with Coach Terry Bullock – the coach from St. John Bosco in California – and asked him the reasoning behind bringing all of the prospects to the Clemson camp. We will have an in-depth feature with Bullock later, but his answer was perfect.

“It’s a chance for these kids to see something different, something they’re not used to,” Bullock said. “It’s a chance to take in the South and the southern culture and the southern cooking and to take in new things and observe. I also want them to see the school where their quarterback is going to play, and see what attracted him to Clemson and why this is now a destination school for guys all over the country.”

*Another Herbstreit is on campus. 2021 tight end Zak Herbstreit – the son of ESPN College Football Analyst Kirk Herbstreit and younger brother of Jake and Tye Herbstreit, preferred walk-ons for the Tigers – was the best of his group.

*Another highlight performer from the quarterbacks group was Denton (TX) Guyer 2021 quarterback Eli Stowers. Stowers boasts 17 offers, including Georgia, LSU, Baylor, South Carolina, and Texas A&M. Clemson hasn’t offered a 2021 quarterback, and Stowers spent a lot of time with quarterbacks coach Brandon Streeter and Swinney.

2021 quarterback Brock Vandagriff was scheduled to throw at Wednesday’s camp but his visit failed to materialize, and you can bet that Clemson’s coaches cast more than an interested eye Stowers’ way. He more than held his own out there, and if he receives a Clemson offer it wouldn’t surprise me.

*A notable newcomer on the defensive side of the ball was Chester (VA) Thomas Dale 2021 defensive lineman Bryce Carter.