South Carolina Football 2011: Jadeveon Clowney "Too Fast" at First Practice

To open this article, a quote from South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier:

"He plays too fast out here," Spurrier said, laughing. "We've got to teach him the practice speed. He was going right around (offensive tackle) Will Sport faster than we could (slow him down). We try to let the quarterbacks throw the ball in these drills with no pads down.

"We can't slow Jadeveon down. I think you have to take him out of the game to slow him down."

Honestly, I could just end this article with this quote. 

But I won't... the 6'6", 270-pound Jadeveon Clowney has opened some eyes in his short five-week tenure thus far at South Carolina.

It wasn't enough for him to come in as the best defensive end in high school and a glorified Decepticon.  He came and got right to work.

Clowney has been one of the hardest working players on the team.  He added 15 pounds of solid muscle in four weeks and increased his speed. 

In practice yesterday, Clowney lived in the backfield, and it was against more than just the freshmen.  He showcased an array of moves that had fans breathless.  It only has upped the anticipation for him to strap on the pads and get after a quarterback or two. 

He did have his moments of looking like a freshman. At times the coaches and veterans gave him a bit of grief for drills, but those moments were few and far between and revealed a player who will respond to coaching.

As for the coaches, they are working harder than ever to ensure that all of the pre-season hype received by South Carolina will not go to waste. 

Jadeveon Clowney is only a cog in the machine that South Carolina looks to be becoming.  If the first practice is any indication, he could be worthy of the hype. 

Maybe even more.

It is great to be a Gamecock.