Is this Clemson freshman the latest in line of outstanding receivers from ‘Wideout U’?

Top-ranked Clemson has become somewhat “Wideout U” the past few seasons with receivers DeAndre Hopkins, Sammy Watkins, Mike Williams, Deon Cain. ...

And now, quite possibly, Tee Higgins, a freshman who accounted for 178 receiving yards in six catches against the Citadel two weeks ago.

Granted, it was the Citadel, but Higgins, 6-foot-4 and 188 pounds, totaled another 84 yards on three catches against South Carolina last Saturday.

Entering the ACC Championship Game against the Miami Hurricanes at Bank of America Stadium on Saturday, Higgins is emerging as quite a target as a freshman, much as Watkins was in 2011.

“It was just a matter of time,” Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said Tuesday. “The biggest thing with him was getting his sea legs. Sometimes it just takes a while where the game slows down where you can play fast and play fluid and play with confidence. That’s where he is right now.

“I’ve seen this coming all year long. Unbelievable attitude, great work ethic. He’s a kid who loves to be coached, who likes to learn, and his confidence is really high right now.”

Higgins, who is from Oak Ridge, Tenn., was a major recruit nationally, partly because of his size and downfield speed. He played in every game this season except the loss at Syracuse in October, but his playing time is up significantly, with 15 or more snaps in three of the Tigers’ past five games.

Job interest for coordinator

It’s just natural that Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables’ name will come up for the numerous Power 5 head-coaching openings. Venables has not been a major-college head coach, but he was named the country’s top football assistant last season.

Venables has shown up in media reports for the openings at Arkansas, Tennessee and Mississippi State. In his weekly media availability, Venables said none of that is on his mind five days from a championship game.

“I just don’t spend any time focused on that. I’ve got a great job and I’m very, very thankful for that,” said Venables, who in the past has indicated being a head coach is not necessarily his priority.

“Why would I be worried about what is on the other side of the fence? If people have interest, that’s just part of it, you listen or not. Right now we’ve got a tremendous opportunity this week to play for a championship and my loyalty is to here and our players.”

Venables has long said the autonomy he has, working for Swinney, is important, and something he would not bargain away for career advancement elsewhere.

Getting the little things right

Clemson receiver Hunter Renfrow got a kick out of Swinney’s concern for consistency in the Tigers’ traditional pregame “victory walk.”

A ritual that started well before Swinney was named coach, the players and coaches all meet at midfield after warmups, forming a line to walk arm-in-arm to one end zone as a sign of solidarity. Trouble is, it wasn’t so much a line this season - more a disorganized-looking “V” at times.

“We hadn’t been doing it very well at home games. One side would be 20 yards in front of the other,” Renfrow said Monday. “So about three weeks ago, coach Swinney started filming it and we’d watch it every Monday.”

Asked about that Tuesday, Swinney said it was a good lesson for his team in doing the little things right.

Mirror image?

Miami leads college football in turnover margin (plus-17 for the season) and sacks (3.55 per game). Swinney said the Hurricanes reminds him of…the Tigers.

“They look like Clemson – like our practice tape – when I watch this defense,” Swinney said. “They have some guys who are a bunch of (future) pros.”

This story was originally published November 28, 2017 at 5:44 PM with the headline "Is this Clemson freshman the latest in line of outstanding receivers from ‘Wideout U’?."