Swinney: Braden Galloway 'is a real problem'
Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney has no shortage of offensive weapons at his disposal this season. While quarterback Trevor Lawrence and running back Travis Etienne garner most of the attention, the Tigers' less known threat is a junior tight end, Braden Galloway.
The Tigers endured most of the 2019 season without the services of the nearby Seneca High School alum after he was suspended in 2018 for testing positive for the banned performance-enhancing drug, Osterine.
Galloway returned for last year's playoff run and showed flashes of greatness in his two appearances against Ohio State and LSU.
Reports through fall camp indicate the tight end is locked and loaded for the 2020 season and beginning to gel nicely with the offense.
"Braden Galloway is really starting to build the chemistry with Trevor like we hoped," Swinney said. "He's a real problem and he's learned. Obviously, he was out most of last year until the end of the season. But this last year really helped him because he had to sit back and watch and work. But he's just a different guy completely from when he got here as far as his knowledge. He's playing fast, has good hands and he's going to be a matchup problem for people."
Swinney said there's been a night and day difference between last year's tight end unit and this year's group with J.C. Chalk and redshirt freshman Jaelyn Lay.
During the spring, Galloway downplayed comparisons of himself to former Tiger TE Jordan Leggett and said he's just focused on being the best version of Braden Galloway.
“I’m just trying to be the best version of myself. There are comparisons out there between me and him, maybe because of our body types or whatever,” Leggett said. “I’m just going out there and trying to be the best player I can be every practice and just be the best player I can for this team.”
The junior's confidence is also growing and he, too, feels he's a matchup problem with his 6-4, 240-pound frame.
He enters 2020 credited with seven catches for 112 yards and one touchdown.
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