The 2016 season is underway as third-ranked Clemson looks to make it back to the National Championship Game in Tampa.
In this edition of our Up Downs feature we take a look at which players made a move in the last week, which players are elevating their game and their position on the depth chart.
Up
Jalen Williams – Williams played well in the opener at Nickel and now will be needed at linebacker this week as Ben Boulware fights through an ankle injury. Jalen’s versatility will allow him to make a bigger contribution this season.
Ray Ray McCloud – McCloud has one huge mistake Saturday, but played his best game for the Tigers. It couldn’t have come at a better time with Renfrow going down with an injury. McCloud will takeover Renfrow’s starting position and get even more opportunities over the next month. For the first time in years the Tigers have a real weapon on punt returns.
Marcus Edmond – After missing most of camp with an injury Edmond won back the starting job at corner and got the start Saturday against Troy. Edmond and Fields will battle for playing time opposite of Tankersley.
Cornell Powell – The freshman got his first taste of playing time for the Tigers Saturday and had his first catch. With Renfrow sidelines Powell will likely see his snap count go up over the next month. Howe he seizes the opportunity will dictate how much of an impact he will make this season. Powell is an outstanding athlete and it will be fun to watch is progress this season.
Kendall Joseph – No playing has been more consistent the first two weeks than Kendall. In week one he was named ACC Player of the Week and this week was the defensive player of the week for the Tigers. Dabo has plenty of praise for Joseph during his radio show Monday night. The redshirt sophomore has been one of the best stories so far this season for Clemson. The scary thing is he will only get better with more experience.
Downs
Hunter Renfrow – We found out Monday that Renfrow will miss at least four games. That will be a big loss for the Tigers as Renfrow was Watson’s go to guy when they needed a clutch catch. Renfrow should be back by the Florida State game if not sooner.
Trevion Thompson – There were plenty of drops Saturday but Thompson is one player that can’t afford to have too many drops. Some of the other players with the drops are receivers that have proven their worth already for Clemson. Thompson had a good offseason and is trying to show he deserves more playing time. Too many drops will impact how many opportunities he will get. Powell and Overton are both playing now and it will be critical for Thompson to show some consistency or the freshmen may get more opportunities over Thompson.