WR Review: A Tale of Two Seasons

Clemson’s 2019 wide receiver group was full of star power but struggled to find an identity in the most important games of the season.

Editor’s note: ClemsonSI is running a series of 10 positional breakdowns each day reviewing the 2019 season.

Clemson’s 2019 wide receiver group was full of star power but struggled to find an identity in the most important games of the season.

Heading into spring practice, the expectation was that Trevor Lawrence and the Clemson receivers would improve on their 2018 campaign which ended in a national championship win over the Alabama Crimson Tide.

Position Breakdown:

When comparing the teams on paper, the Tigers passing game saw a slight improvement statistically from the 2018 season. Specifically, the group scored three more touchdowns than last year and a total of 150 more receiving yards on two fewer receptions. On the outside, it seems that the Tigers passing attack improved.

However, the receiver group was not without its share of obstacles to overcome this season. First on the board was losing starting slot receiver Amari Rodgers to a knee injury after he just finished the 2018 season with the third-most receiving yards on the team. Rodgers tore his ACL on March 25th and was not expected back until late in the year.

However, Rodgers set his own personal expectations high and pushed himself to return earlier. He returned in record time, three to four months earlier than originally anticipated. Not only did he return miraculously early, but in only his second game back, he logged 121 receiving yards and two touchdowns on only 4 receptions.

Rodgers came back at a great time for the Tigers because it seemed that the team was struggling to find a go-to slot player to take his place. During fall camp the coaching staff indicated that Diondre Overton, TJ Chase or Cornell Powell would fill in at the position. However, this seemed to be a temporary solution and the Tigers offense needed one of their best receivers back to help keep the ball moving.

Speaking of keeping the ball moving, no other player in recent memory was able to do that better for the Clemson offense than that of a former walk-on, Hunter Renfrow. His presence on the field was game-changing and his ability to get open and catch some of the most critical and difficult passes was sorely missed after his departure to the NFL. Looking back, it took Trevor Lawrence more than half of the season to really settle in with a go-to receiver on 3rd downs. That receiver was none other than the 2019 First Team All ACC receiver, Tee Higgins.

Tee Higgins finished the 2019 season leading the team with 1,167 yards receiving and thirteen total touchdowns. Statistically, he was ranked as one of the top 20 receivers in the country. He developed into the go-to guy for Trevor Lawrence on 3rd down and this was unique since tall outside receivers are not the usual go-to guys in those situations.

On the opposite side of the field was Justyn Ross. After finishing 2018 with 1,000 receiving yards and an absolutely dominant performance in the 2019 National Championship game, many looked forward to an exciting 2019 campaign from the sophomore.

However, it was a slight step back for Ross as he finished with 135 less receiving yards and one less touchdown despite having twenty more catches this season.

Taking a look further into receptions per player also shows that Clemson’s top two receivers, Ross and Higgins, improved on total receptions from 2018 while Clemson’s third and fourth receivers had a decrease in receptions. 

Statistically, there was an 11.46% drop in receptions from the No. 2 to the No. 3 receiver in 2019. Compared to last year, the drop off was only 2.87%. This is likely due to two reasons, the addition of high profile freshman receivers, Joseph Ngata and Frank Ladson Jr. earning receptions, as well as the above-mentioned obstacles associated with Rodger’s injury and Renfrow’s departure to the NFL.

An argument could also be made for two other, more controversial reasons, Trevor Lawrence's dependance on throwing to the sidelines and Clemson's perceived avoidance of routes to the middle of the field. For the wide receiver position, obvious limitations are at play such as who and where the quarterback decides to throw the ball to and what routes the offensive coordinators call in specific situations.

Strengths:

• Statistically, the Tiger’s improved in receiving yards and touchdowns.
• Tee Higgins lead the team with a career-high 1,167 receiving yards.
• Tee Higgins was named First Team All ACC.
• Senior Diondre Overton found a way to contribute more this year.
• True freshman Joseph Ngata and Frank Ladson Jr. were used frequently throughout the season and into the post-season.

The Tigers receiving corps again dominated their competition during the regular season. Clemson finished with four players in the top 30 of the ACC in receiving yards and one of those players was Travis Etienne.

Tee Higgins, Justyn Ross, and Amari Rodgers were again reliable targets this year, while senior Diondre Overton was able to finally have a breakout game against Boston College.

Due to the Tigers having a wealth of talent at the position, highly ranked recruits like Joseph Ngata and Frank Ladson Jr. were used in backup roles, however, both true freshmen played in the postseason and finished with three touchdowns each.

Weaknesses:

• Injury to Amari Rodgers caused a void in the slot position at the start of the season.
• The departure of Hunter Renfrow to the NFL left a need for a go-to guy on 3rd down.
• When Tee Higgins was not on the field, the offense seemed to have difficulty moving the ball.
• The tale of two seasons, a dominant regular season and a disappointing post-season.

It was difficult to watch the Tiger’s struggle to pass the ball in this year’s playoffs. Not all of the problems moving the ball through the air were the result of the receivers alone. Football is a team game and takes a team effort from the coaching staff, to the receivers, to the quarterback, to be productive. While the team seemed to make progress on paper, on the field, something was missing.

Considering the amount of talent that this receiving corps has, it is concerning that the only receiving touchdowns in the playoffs came from the running back position.

Overall grade: B+

The ultra-talented Tiger receiving corps were able to improve statistically from last year, however, the team had difficulty finding a consistent go-to player outside of Tee Higgins and failed to find the endzone in the post-season.