Life on the Other Side: Clemson WR Carving Out His Role in Secondary

For much of his Clemson Tigers career so far, Misun ‘Tink’ Kelley’s primary role was tied to the wide receiver room, even after being recruited into the program as a two-way athlete. Now, his future potentially lies on the other side of the ball.

Following short stints playing both sides of the ball over his first two years, the redshirt sophomore and Dabo Swinney decided to prioritize his role as a defensive back. Though he has still seen wide-out reps.

“We feel good about where he is at receiver, but we really haven’t had a true evaluation of him on defense,” Swinney said ahead of spring camp. “Coming out of spring, we’ll have a better idea of what the best path is for him moving forward. He’s got three years left, so we want to make sure we’re putting him in the best position to succeed.”

Now, in fall camp, Swinney seems to think defensive back will be the right position for the 5-foot-9 athlete, saying, “He’s really come along.” Kelley has seen reps at nickel back and cornerback, even scoring a pick-six in the Tigers’ most recent scrimmage.

It’s not unfamiliar territory for him either, as the local product coming out of Daniel High School thrived as a two-way player, recording 86 tackles, eight interceptions, and seven pass deflections in four years on varsity.

That two-way pedigree made him an intriguing addition to Clemson’s 2023 signing class, but his early years in orange were defined more by development than production.

After redshirting his freshman season due to injury, Kelley entered 2024 fully healthy and ready to compete for snaps – only to find the depth chart stacked ahead of him. While he made the most of it with five catches on 81 snaps, breakout seasons by Bryant Wesco Jr. and TJ Moore made it hard for the young receiver to see the field much aside from special teams.

However, Kelley has seemed to only take away good things from starting his collegiate career as a receiver, explaining how it’s helped him develop as a defensive back.

“It’s good going against [our] receivers,” Kelley told the media. “Going against dudes like [Antonio Williams] in practice gives me a lot more confidence for games we have coming up, and [Tyler Brown] too, he’s a pretty good slot too. We got a lot of good receivers, so I think [the DB room] can really go against anybody.”

Similarly, Ronan Hanafin switched positions before last season, converting from wide out to safety, sparking a bond between the two and their transitions on the field.

“[We] have a pretty good relationship because we know what the offense likes to do,” Kelly said. “It’s a lot of IQ stuff because we can jump a lot of [routes]. We know certain routes they like to do down and distance.”

When asking Clemson star cornerback Aveion Terrell about Kelley and his development, he immediately grinned, eager to give a response.

“Tink is a dog,” Terrell quickly answered. “He’s a dog, and I like it because you don’t have to tell him to do too much. He came over from [wide receiver], and he just wants to learn every day. I heard him yesterday, and he just wants to go watch film after our late practice. Tink just wants it.”

Kelley continued with the advice given to him by Terrell, filling the role of a mentor for the young athlete.

“Just stay focused, he asks me a lot of questions, so I break it down to him,’ Terrell said. “We talk so, you know, he used to play receiver, so he knows what some receivers are doing and certain stuff, so he really is a student of the game, he’s smart with it.”

As Kelley continues to develop his skills in the secondary, his unique perspective as a former receiver and intense work ethic have undoubtedly earned him respect from his peers and coaches alike.

With three years of eligibility left, he’s carving out a new role for himself in a crowded defensive backfield. If his early fall camp performances are any indication, he could become a valuable rotational contributor for the Tigers in 2025 as he adjusts to life on the other side of the ball.