James Franklin had no trouble putting Clemson’s talent in big, bold terms ahead of Saturday’s ACC showdown with Virginia Tech.
Speaking Wednesday, the first-year Hokies coach singled out wide receiver and punt returner Bryant Wesco Jr. first, pointing to the explosiveness that has made him one of the nation’s most dangerous return men. Wesco currently ranks seventh in the country in punt return average at 16.4 yards per return, and Franklin didn’t hold back when describing the play that stood out most.
"Yeah, you're trying to make sure I don't sleep the rest of the week because I haven't slept based on Wesco up to this point," he began. "I mean, the punt return for a touchdown that he had against Cal, where he ran up in traffic, like, never hesitated; never broke down; caught it on the run.
That was an impressive, impressive play. He's fearless, and he's long, and he's fast, and he's athletic."
From there, Franklin widened the lens to Clemson’s roster as a whole. He called the Tigers “one of the most talented rosters in the country,” and the recruiting numbers support that view: Clemson’s starters on both sides of the ball include four five-star recruits, 18 four-stars and just five three-stars.
"I mean, if you go back and look at the recruiting stuff and you watch the guys that they have running around the field, it's one of the most talented rosters in the country. So they have our attention and our respect," he continued. "Obviously, you know, the environment-it's a big-time program and a big-time place, and we're looking forward to going and competing with them and the athletes that they have on their field."
Franklin also weighed in on Clemson quarterback Tait Reynolds, a true freshman whose youth has been a major part of the discussion around the Tigers’ offense. He said Dabo Swinney and Clemson’s staff have handled Reynolds well by keeping the load manageable and leaning into what he does best.
"Obviously, whenever you're in a situation where you're playing a young guy. I think they're doing a really good job of managing it for a young guy when you don't necessarily want to put everything on their plate," Franklin said.
"You know, getting the ball out of his hand to the playmakers as quickly as he possibly can. Using his athleticism, which he has very good athleticism, and that helps as well."
Franklin said Reynolds does not carry the look of a typical freshman, and he described what he has seen from the quarterback as “impressive.”
"And physically, he doesn't look like a young football player; he's put together. He's got all the talent and all the skills, kind of like we're talking about with these other guys as well," he finished.
"But it's challenging to play as a young guy at that position at a place with really high expectations and standards. But I've been impressed with him.
I obviously knew about him from recruiting out of high school. He's a talented guy, and you see pretty impressive stuff on tape."
Clemson and Virginia Tech will meet Saturday at 7 p.m. on ESPN in a game with major ACC title implications.
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Dabo Swinney and Chad Morris have both pointed to receiver drops and timing problems as part of the struggle, while also noting that Tait Reynolds has made better decisions at quarterback. Even with those positives, the larger picture has not changed much, and the pressure on the passing game continues to build. The question now is whether the Tigers can turn those signs of progress into something more reliable before the season slips any further away. [Read more 🡒]