When the term “most important” is given when describing a ranking of one player over another, it does not necessarily describe who the best players are on a team. Instead, it tells us the main or most important part of the team, without which it cannot really exist.
In other words, could Clemson have reached the College Football Playoff Championship Game last year without Deshaun Watson? And would they have had him there had those other “important” players had not been in place either.
Who are Clemson’s “Most Important Players” for 2016? We at The Clemson Insider have our own idea, and today we reveal who is No. 14.
Ryan Carter
Carter’s importance shot up the latter because cornerback Adrian Baker tore his ACL in spring drills, nickel back/safety Korrin Wiggins never did truly practice in the spring and cornerback Kaleb Chalmers was kicked off the team. When you add in that Mackensie Alexander, Jayron Kearse and T.J. Green all turned pro, plus safety Jefferie Gibson transferred to another school, Clemson’s secondary took a major hit in terms of personnel losses.
The reason Carter is No. 14 on the list of most important players is because he can play the corner and the safety positions. He is listed as Cordrea Tankersley backup at cornerback and as Jadar Johnson’s backup at strong safety. In the spring, he started out primarily working at safety, but when Chalmers was dismissed he moved back to corner, where he spent much of the second half of spring practices at.
Carter, 5-foot-9, 175 pounds, played the nickel at times for the Tigers as well in 2015. Though he is small, the coaches love his versatility and the fact he is not afraid to stick it to someone.
“He can cover anybody. The neat thing about him is he has good versatility,” defensive coordinator Venables said. “He has played safety. He looks very natural and he looks like he has done it forever. A lot of it is technique and it is patience. It’s positioning, it is speed and it is transitional movement … the thing that we have always liked about Ryan is that he is physical. He plays big. He likes to mix it up. That will not be unnatural for him.
“It is very pleasing to see that. He does not look like a fish out of water.”
During Clemson’s run to the College Football Playoff Championship Game last season, Carter played mostly the nickel position for the Tigers, playing in 14 games, while logging 233 snaps. He had 20 tackles with one sack and two passes broken up.
—Photo Credit Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
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