Welcome to college football, young man.
A former Clemson offensive player told me that early during his freshman season he had to line up against legendary defensive lineman Chester McGlockton. McGlockton eyed the freshman, grinned, and said, “Son, does your momma know you’re out here?” And McGlockton then delivered the type of punishment he was known for.
Three Clemson freshman appeared on the 2 Right Turns podcast recently and detailed their “welcome to college football” moments this past spring. Running back Gideon Davidson, defensive tackle Amare Adams, and offensive lineman Easton Ware all had stories to tell about their experiences this past spring, and it started with Davidson, who had to line up against linebackers Wade Woodaz and Sammy Brown.
“I had to go up against Wade, and I was just like, in my head, I kind of defeated myself before the rep even started. But after the rep, it just got worse,” Davidson said. “He just bull rushed me. Sammy Brown also did the same thing. So, it was like, yeah, I was coming into a great program with great defense, and I kind of underestimated those guys. That was my ‘welcome to college’ moment.”
But Davidson wasn’t done.
“There’s another time where I was running on the edge,” Davidson said. “In high school, you can get the edge and outrun people, and I tried that. But Drew [redshirt freshman linebacker Drew Woodaz] just hawked me down and tackled me, and I was like, yeah, this is not gonna work. Gotta really use technique and just run.”
Ware was one of the top offensive linemen in the state of Virginia and a teammate of Davidson’s at Liberty Christian in Lynchburg, Virginia. In high school, Ware was used to having his way with defenders, but he met his match against who he believes was redshirt freshman defensive end Darien Mayo.
“I think it was our first scrimmage, and I forgot who it was – it might have been Mayo,” Ware said. “In high school, no one’s going to be able to bull rush you or just lift you up. It was like two seconds, I was in the air.”
Jeremiah Alexander is a linebacker from Alabama who transferred to Clemson in January, and he delivered yet another welcoming to blow to Ware.
“We had some type of crack screen,” Ware said. “I was running out, and the receiver, he was supposed to come for the linebacker, and I was just going for the corner. And Jeremiah comes in. I turned for a split second – I just see a flash. I go flying. He makes the tackle. It’s on the defensive sideline, and they were going crazy. I had to get up and run back, and I’m just shaking my head, like, that’s going to look so bad on film.”
Adams had his moment with offensive lineman Harris Sewell.
“I think it was one of the scrimmages, and I had to slant to Harris’ side. … Harris came out of nowhere and hit my hip. That was probably the hardest I fell in a minute,” Adams said. “So, that was probably my welcome to college football moment. That was kind of crazy.”
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