SUNSET, S.C. — When Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney suspended then freshman wide receiver Deon Cain for the Orange Bowl, many wondered how the South Florida native might respond.

Swinney also suspended the talented receiver for the National Championship Game and for spring practice. It was a tough five months for Cain, but he has come out the other side just fine. Swinney reinstated him on the team prior to the start of summer workouts and now he is being worked into the game plan as one of the Tigers’ many weapons on an offense that is loaded with talent.

“Obviously, the situation he has gone through has allowed him to grow up and mature a little bit,” Clemson co-offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach Jeff Scott said on Tuesday from The Reserve on Lake Keowee. “Being very close to having his opportunity taken away from him is something he realizes. He wants to be able to get back and contribute with the rest of the group. I know he is very excited to be able to be back.

Cain hauled on 34 passes for 582 yards and five touchdowns before his suspension. He averaged 17.1 yards per catch last season.

“He had to go through a lot of things on his part so he could be back with us so I think he is really just ready to get that behind him and get out there with his teammates and be able to contribute on the field just like everybody else,” Scott said.

Auburn has Clemson’s attention. Auburn may not know who its starting quarterback is going to be just yet, but Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables knows the SEC’s Tigers will be ready for his young defense when Clemson hits the plains on Sept. 3.

Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn will have to decide between John Franklin III, Jeremy Johnson or Sean White on who will be his starting quarterback. That’s the part that makes preparing for the Tigers so hard because all three quarterbacks are different.

“It’s going to be a great challenge. I have a lot of respect for the game of football and how it is played and the preparation that is involved regardless of the opponent and how quickly you can get exposed,” Venables said. “You can look terrible if you are not doing the appropriate things and have the right mind set, the right type of preparation, and playing with the right technique and fundamentals, but Auburn heightens the sense of urgency and the requirements that it takes to play good football because I think they are good across the board.

“In exposing you, I think they have equal type of talent across the board. In a heartbeat, they can make you like pretty average. So, yea, Auburn presents a lot of challenges.”

Feaster is ready to go. Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney said freshman running back Tavien Feaster has been cleared to practice when the Tigers open camp on Aug. 2 in Clemson.

Swinney also said tight end Cannon Smith had shoulders surgery, but he expects the sophomore to be cleared to practice before camp gets underway.

Safety / nickel back Korrin Wiggins is also ready to go. Defensive backs coach Mike Reed said he is anxious to see how the junior responds when the Tigers first start hitting in full pads. Wiggins was injured on the first day of full pads last year in fall camp when he tore his ACL.

As for cornerback Adrian Baker, he will not practice in camp. As expected he has not been cleared to practice after tearing his knee up in spring practice.

It takes two. Clemson quarterbacks coach Brandon Streeter says the backup quarterback position is still very fluid as sophomore Kelly Bryant and senior Nick Schuessler head into fall camp in a neck-and-neck battle to be Deshaun Watson’s backup.

“Nick and Kelly are going to be equal as far as reps go,” Streeter said. “They both are doing a great job and are getting that next amount of reps.”