03/23/2006
Clemson Football Ready For Spring Practice
To a large degree, the Clemson University football team that returns to work Saturday will look much like the one that took the field 10 weeks ago in Orlando, Fla.
The most evident changes are at quarterback and on defense, where the depth chart was tweaked, but a couple subtle adjustments on offense are stirring interest.
Receiver Rendrick Taylor will work at a hybrid fullback/tight end position to exploit his size and skills, and Jacoby Ford, a mid-year freshman transfer, is regarded as a potential big-play receiver with the speed to stretch the field.
"We do have more weapons," coach Tommy Bowden said Thursday, "on both sides of the ball."
Even so, with 17 starters returning from last season Bowden said things are far from settled because Charlie Whitehurst won't be at quarterback.
"Our biggest question mark is probably the most important question mark," Bowden said. "We're unsettled at probably the most important position on the team."
Unsettled in that Will Proctor, who served as Whitehurst's backup for three seasons, has minimal though meaningful experience.
"He's probably the least experienced of all the starters," Bowden said of Proctor.
Last season, Proctor came off the bench to finish off a win against Texas A&M, then started and beat Duke University while Whitehurst nursed a shoulder injury.
Proctor completed 18 of 31 passes for 281 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 49 yards and a touchdown in four appearances.
"The opportunities he had to perform, he performed well," Bowden said. "Those tests he passed, but that's not a lot of tests in this conference at that level of competition."
Proctor is clearly the No. 1 quarterback, with Cullen Harper and Tribble Reese next on the depth chart. "It's really not open," Bowden said. "Those guys are battling for No.2."
The depth chart lists eight returning starters on offense, seven on defense, plus the kicker and punter.
C.J. Gaddis moves from cat safety to cornerback, replacing Tye Hill. Duane Coleman steps ahead of Sergio Gilliam at the other corner. Antonio Clay moves from middle linebacker to compete with Tramaine Billie at strongside linebacker. "I think that's going to be a good battle," Bowden said and Cortney Vincent moves from bandit end to middle linebacker behind Anthony Waters. Chris Clemons is listed as the starter at free safety, and Phillip Merling replaces Charles Bennett at end.
Also returning, as tight ends coach, will be Billy Napier, the former Furman University quarterback who spent a season as an offensive assistant at South Carolina State following a stint as a graduate assistant at Clemson.
Bowden hopes to have his new defensive line coach officially in place soon, but former University of Memphis assistant coach Chris Rumph has been working out of Marion Hobby's old office.
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03/03/2006
Clemson 2006 Football Schedule Finalized
Clemson has finalized its football schedule for the 2006 season. The original release three weeks ago listed the games of September 30 and October 14 as TBA. Clemson will play Louisiana Tech at home on September 30 and will travel to Temple for a game on October 14. Special designations for home games will be announced within the next few days.
Clemson 2006 Football Schedule
Date Opponent
Sept. 2 Florida Atlantic
Sept. 9 at Boston College
Sept. 16 at Florida State
Sept. 23 North Carolina
Sept. 30 Louisiana Tech
Oct. 7 at Wake Forest
Oct.14 at Temple
Oct. 21 Georgia Tech
Oct. 26 at Virginia Tech
Nov. 4 Maryland
Nov. 11 NC State
Nov. 25 South Carolina
Times and Game Designations TBA
Note: Spring Game at Death Valley, April 8, 1:00 PM
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Versatile DT was Clemson All the Way
Good big men are always tough to find in football, but when Clemson picked up a commitment from Jarvis Jenkins, a defensive tackle out of Daniel High in S.C., the Tigers found a great talent for themselves.
For Jenkins, the decision was easy.
"Clemson was the first school that started to hit me real hard in recruiting, and I've to a lot of Clemson games since I was little, so that was an easy choice for me."
Last spring, Jenkins took in the Clemson spring game which let him get a feel for the players and coaches on the team, and that helped put the Tigers solidly over the edge.
"I went to one of their practices, I think the Orange and White game, and I was on the field when the players were great and the coaches were real friendly to me and everybody came up to me saying how much they wanted me."
However, Jenkins still had to wait for an offer from the Tigers before he could make a decision.
"Clemson offered in August of last year. We kept it low-key because we had some good prospects on our team that were seniors and I was only a junior. They offered about three or four weeks before I committed. I was waiting to see, since (Clemson) offered so early, if more colleges would offer me.
"Then I called coach Brad Scott, he is one of my really good friends right now, and he talked to me a lot about the grades and the majors and what they mean to me. I talk to Coach Scott about two or three times a week."
While none others offered, Duke, North Carolina, Vanderbilt, Georgia, Wake Forest, South Carolina, and others were sending letters to Jenkins before he made the early jump to Clemson.
On film it is easy to see what many coaches love about the 6-foot-5, 290 pound defensive tackle. For several games last season, Daniel ran a defense with only three down linemen and Jenkins running around in pass coverage as a linebacker, and he did not look like a stiff lineman knocking down a few balls.
"When I first did it, I was a little nervous because I didn't know how to defend the pass very well. I played two or three games with it and then the third game I was pretty good at it, but I was a little lost in the first game against Westside."
Fortunately for Jenkins, who already lists Clemson as his hometown, chances are that he will not be lost for much longer.
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Napier Named Clemson Football Assistant
Former Furman quarterback Billy Napier has been named Clemson tight ends coach, the school said Monday.
Napier was quarterbacks coach at South Carolina State last season, helping the Bulldogs offense to an average of 34.4 points a game and a 9-2 record.
At 26, Clemson coach Tommy Bowden said Napier will be one of the youngest full-time Division I coaches.
"I look at that as a strong asset," Bowden said. "He was a big reason South Carolina State had a very successful season, especially on the offensive side of the ball. He will also be an asset to us in recruiting."
Napier was an offensive video graduate assistant coach at Clemson in 2003 and on-field graduate assistant coach who worked with the defense in 2004.
Napier said he knew at an early age he wanted to be a coach.
"So I tried to soak up everything I could as a player and as a coach along the way," he said.
Napier played for the Paladins from 1999-2002 and was a two-time All-Southern Conference quarterback. In 2002, he broke Furman's single season passing record (2,475 yards) and the pass completion percentage record (68.5 percent).
He is a native of Chatsworth, Ga.
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