Patience Pays Off as Cornell Powell Shines Against Notre Dame
Cornell Powell has patiently waited for his chance to shine. Now that he has, he is determined to make the most out of it.
The fifth-year senior came to Clemson as a highly-touted, four-star receiver in the 2016 recruiting class. He was the highest-rated receiver the Tigers took in the class.
However, Clemson has become a school well-known for producing NFL talent at receiver, and playing time at the position can be hard to come by. Powell has competed for snaps with guys like Hunter Renfrow, Artavis Scott, Mike Williams, Tee Higgins, and Justyn Ross, just to name a few.
With so much competition, it would have been understandable had he decided to transfer out, but he did not. Powell stuck with it, says that his faith played a large role in him deciding to do so, and this season it has paid off in a big way for the veteran wideout.
"It's all on God's timing, he controls everything," Powell said. "I put my faith into him and he told me to stick with it and tough it out. Great players have made it through adversity and sacrifice. The last four years I have been fighting, battling. I knew that whenever my time came and whenever my number was called, I was going to be ready and that's what you're seeing."
Eight games into the season and Powell is by far having his most productive year. He is currently third on the team with 31 catches and 466 receiving yards and has been a reliable target for both Trevor Lawrence and D.J. Uiagalelei.
While he has been consistent all season, it has been the last two games in which Powell has really stepped up and made his presence felt. With the Tigers missing Lawrence, as well as Joseph Ngata and Frank Ladson Jr, the team needed a receiver to make plays and he has done just that.
After catching a career high 11 passes against Boston College and helping the Tigers overcome an 18-point deficit, he followed that up with an even bigger game and on one of the biggest stages.
Against Notre Dame, Powell hauled in another 6 catches for a career-high 161 yards and a touchdown.
The numbers speak for themselves, and while they may be up dramatically from what he's done in previous years, Powell says that nothing has changed for him as far as how he approaches the game. The only real difference is the number of opportunities and the fifth-year senior is determined to make the most out of them.
"I don't think I would say is necessarily different," Powell said. "I've always had the mindset that when I go out onto the field, I'm the best player on the field. It's just showing this year with more opportunity, just got to make the most of them. I feel like you never know, especially this year when your last game is going to be so I want to go out there and leave it all on the field."
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