Deke Adams says Clowney handles attention well
Sunday morning, ESPN released a Sportscenter feature called “The Freak” that involves South Carolina defensive end Jadeveon Clowney. The preview, released Friday, showed opposing quarterbacks having nightmares about Clowney and included quotes from players such as LSU quarterback Zach Mettenberger and Missouri’s James Franklin.
The feature is just another headline for Clowney, whose year has been full of them ever since the smashing of Michigan tailback Vincent Smith in this year’s Outback Bowl.
However, Clowney’s position coach, Deke Adams, says the junior has handled the headlines well.
“He’s done a good job,” Adams said. “He’s different from some other guys; he tries to stay out of the limelight as much as possible. We are pleased with him. He’s definitely a different type of athlete, and hopefully he’ll show it Thursday night. You can just turn the film on and see what type of player he is.”
Adams said he saw a portion of the feature and he knows the amount of pressure that Clowney is going to be under to live up to expectations. However, the first-year Gamecocks coach says Clowney has shown a lot of energy in practice and is just ready for the season to start.
“I think he is ready to play,” Adams said. “They are all ready to play. We have been banging on each other for almost 20-something practices now, so they are ready to play against somebody else.”
Where’s the love?
Junior defensive tackle Kelcy Quarles said he liked the feature for the most part, but there was one small problem he had.
“The only thing I didn’t like about it is that every time you see a highlight, I’m right there beside him, two seconds away, and if I was a second faster, I could have gotten there,” Quarles said.
Quarles later said that he doesn’t need any of the attention and that everyone on the team understands what their role is.
Best players
Secondary coach Grady Brown is still shuffling his players around, trying to find the right group for the game against the Tar Heels. Brown said he wants to get the best players on the field, no matter what position they play.
“We have a lot of good players on this team that play similar positions,” Brown said. “There is no reason to have free safety or boundary safety stockpiled with really good players when they can get on the field at other positions. You just have to find a way to get all of your best players on the field and get them into positions where they can make plays.”
Brown also praised junior college cornerback Ronnie Martin, who he hopes to get onto the field sometime this season.
“Ronnie has a lot of natural ability,” Brown said. “He’s blessed with the ability to run, jump, change direction and get to his top speed really fast. He’s a guy that once he learns the technique part of things, he’ll be a good player for us.”
Injury report
Sophomore tight end Jerell Adams (ankle) participated fully in practice Sunday and should be able to help replace Rory Anderson, who will most likely miss the game against North Carolina.