Will Shipley Displays 'Heart of a Champion,' Leadership for Clemson
Clemson's offense has been looking for leaders for much of 2021, especially this past week after senior offensive lineman Matt Bockhorst went down with an ACL tear.
The man who stepped up both on the field is Will Shipley, a freshman running back who scored the fourth-quarter, go-ahead touchdown Saturday in the 30-20 win over Florida State.
"You just saw Will Shipley and what we already know about him, but it was good for everyone else to see," Clemson offensive coordinator Tony Elliott said. "He has the heart of a champion. He’s been banged up and came back from injury probably a week before anybody anticipated."
Shipley took a handoff and turned a misdirection play into an all-out 21-yard scamper into the end zone with 2:53 to play that put Clemson (5-3, 4-2 ACC) up for good.
"The biggest thing was trying to create a little bit of movement up front to see if Shipley could find a running lane," Elliott said. "He was able to pop it and he did the rest on his own.
"For Shipley to be able to make that play at the end is only fitting considering how hard he has played, how hard he has battled, and how he’s played through injury."
Shipley suffered a knee injury at NC State that put him on crutches and cost him two games, but he rushed for 128 yards and two touchdowns to make him the team's leading rusher after eight games.
But he's done more than fill up a stat sheet. Despite his age, Shipley has become a voice on the team and a leader behind the scenes, Elliott said.
"Age isn’t a prerequisite for leadership," Elliott said. "It’s your character. It’s your work ethic. He’s creating credibility in the locker room by the way that he carries himself in the weight room, through all the training sessions, the way that he handles his business academically, the way that interacts with everyone in the building. And that’s one thing that we’ve needed on offense, is leadership."
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