With DJ Uiagalelei having departed from Clemson, Will Shipley is taking on an even bigger leadership role for the Tigers.

The sophomore running back spoke to The Clemson Insider during Orange Bowl interviews Tuesday morning and talked about his changing role from a leadership perspective, now that true freshman Cade Klubnik has taken over the Tigers’ starting quarterback job and the veteran Uiagalelei is transferring to Oregon State.

“It does 100 percent,” Shipley said when asked if his leadership role changes now. “That’s been one of the big adjustments for me over the past couple weeks is just kind of feeling around, trying to see where my place is. Because when you get a quarterback switch, it’s probably the biggest switch that you can get from a leadership standpoint, from just the leader of the team – he’s the guy that carries the offense.

“To have Cade come in, we’ve all been so blessed. But my role definitely changes. It’s something I’ve got to adapt to, and that’s what makes football players great is how they’re able to adapt in the position that they’re in.”

We asked Shipley how he’s seen Clemson’s offense change over the last couple of weeks in Orange Bowl practices with Klubnik at the helm of offensive coordinator Brandon Streeter’s unit.

“Just throwing different things in there, running around,” Shipley said. “Coach Streeter’s gotten really creative with some of the stuff he’s put in, so I’m excited to see how it comes to fruition. But yeah, Cade just has a huge wide variety of skills, and we’re definitely tapping into them and we’re able to really expand the offense because of it.”

Shipley feels Friday’s Orange Bowl against No. 6 Tennessee (10-2) is a chance for the seventh-ranked Tigers (11-2) to make a statement going into 2023.

“100 percent,” he said. “That’s the mindset, is you always want to finish strong, you always want to carry momentum into the next season. So, that’s our goal, that’s what we’re shooting for, and hopefully we’re able to do that.”

Shipley — who this season became the first player in ACC history to earn first-team all-conference honors at three different positions, collecting first-team honors in the running back, all-purpose and specialist categories — is doing his best to balance having fun in Miami this week with the business side of this being a “business trip” for the Tigers.

“It’s different for every person. But at the end of the day, you’ve got to lock in when it’s time,” he said. “You’ve got to kind of be a professional, and that’s what it takes. We practiced at the Miami Dolphins facility the other day, and it was just eye opening. You truly feel like a professional in there, and just kind of shifting that mindset. Being in Miami and all the great stuff around, restaurants, just different places to go to – you’ve just got to lock in when it’s time to.”

Kickoff of the Orange Bowl at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla., is set for 8 p.m. Friday on ESPN.

Dear Old Clemson has a limited number of replica road signs to our store.  These have reflective properties just like real road signs.  Will Shipley, Tyler Davis and Antonio Williams have signed road signs with their numbers.

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