CLEMSON — Tyler Brown is just a freshman, but the Greenville, S.C., native reminds Dabo Swinney of a seasoned veteran.

Though Brown has battled through several injuries over the last month, first with a shoulder, then a foot and then an eye, he continues to make his way on the the playing field on game days.

This past week, Clemson’s young wide receiver was limited in practice, but he still played in the Tigers’ win over No. 12 Notre Dame. Missing that much practice time and still playing is usually not a common occurrence for a young player.

But Swinney says Brown is different.

“Football is a hard game. It takes its toll on you mentally and physically, emotionally. It really does,” Clemson’s head coach said. “It is a hard game, and not everybody is built the same. Some guys can push through things and some guys, that’s just not how they are wired.”

Brown, who caught a 9-yard touchdown pass against Notre Dame, is wired differently.

“That dude, he is going to do everything he can to play. That is how he is wired,” Swinney said. “He has battled all year. He has gotten himself ready.

“But to be a freshman and to not be able to take all the reps during practice, just shows you how hard he prepares and how smart he is. He is a tough kid. I am glad we got him for three more years, he is going to be a really good player.”

Brown has played in all nine games thus far for the Tigers. His 33 receptions are tied for the team lead, as are his three touchdown catches. His 406 yards rank second on the team.

His rapid development and maturity is even more surprising considering he did not arrive at Clemson until the summer.

“He was not here in the spring, so I am excited for him to have a true off-season,” Swinney said. “You forget, we don’t have Cole [Turner], we don’t have Antonio [Williams], so this kid has been able to blossom.”

And he was ready to blossom.

The Tigers hope to get a second straight win this coming Saturday when they face Georgia Tech at Memorial Stadium. Kickoff is set for noon on ABC.

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