There is no doubt Clemson’s Ajou Ajou has all the talent in the world.
At 6-foot-3, 215 pounds, he has the speed, quickness and physical attributes that can make him a great wide receiver one day. Just go back and watch the fourth quarter of last year’s Georgia Tech game when he caught a short pass from backup quarterback Hunter Helms and turned it into a 35-yard touchdown pass, while throwing off multiple Yellow Jackets on his way to the end zone.
He also went up and made a great catch on the near sideline which was originally ruled a touchdown but was overturned by replay.
However, Clemson offensive coordinator Tony Elliott believes when Ajou becomes more consistent in his non-football life, then his football career will take off even more.
“You saw him start to make some plays. But we all know, having done this for a while in dealing with college aged guys and having this experience, when he is more consistent with the little things off the field then it is going to transition to the field,” Elliott said. “For him, it is not the big things. The guy can run, jump, he can make every catch. He is physical. He has got even bigger. It is just the consistency to be able to do that play in and play out and that is where he has to grow up.”
Last Monday, Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney was asked about his elite group of wide receivers, especially with Justyn Ross back in the mix. Swinney mentioned Joseph Ngata, Frank Ladson, E.J. Williams and Brannon Spector as his top guys.
There was no mention of Ajou.
“If he is not mentioned it is not because he is not making a play, it is that he is not consistently making the plays he should make,” Elliott said. “Once he figures it out and says and I am going to make every aspect of my life as important as football is, then guess what? Football is going to elevate.
“But if you don’t and you are a different person somewhere else and you don’t want to be on time and you don’t want to do the little things and you don’t want to take care of your body, then guess what? Football is going to suffer. I don’t care how much you love it, or how hard you work at it. You are who you are. So, whatever you are struggling with over there, if you don’t attack it and you do not turn it into a strength, then guess what? It is going to show up as a weakness in football.”
