Clemson Football: 3 Early Standouts from Spring Practice

The Clemson Tigers are trying to put a disappointing end from last season behind them as they begin preparing for a spring game that takes place on April 14. They have been sweating it out the last few weeks and will soon have questions answered about their team.

In order to prevent another collapse at the end of the year, the Tigers must develop more depth and have other players step up. That's what spring practice is for and throughout the last couple of weeks, there have been a few players who have stepped their game up and impressed the coaches.

Here are three players who have stood out during the spring for the Clemson Tigers.

WR Martavis Bryant

Sophomore wide receiver Martavis Bryant is one of the players that has taken his game to another level in practice. So much so, that other wide receivers are complimenting him and expecting a big season this year.

“You look at him and think he is the perfect wide receiver, which he is,” wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins said of Bryant. “Martavis has come a long way.”

Bryant caught nine passes for 221 yards and two touchdowns his freshman season. He has fantastic speed and playmaking ability, but with the emergence of players like Hopkins and Sammy Watkins, he was often the third wheel in the offense. Expect a big year from the sophomore if he can keep up the good work.

WR DeAndre Hopkins

Another wide receiver who has stepped it up this season is DeAndre Hopkins, who quietly caught 72 passes last season.  He's put extra work in during the offseason, and he even bulked up to 212 pounds and looks fantastic early on in camp.

“Hopkins has been unbelievable,” Head coach Dabo Swinney said. “Ain't nobody covered him yet.”

Clemson's offense was already terrific, but with good players becoming even better, this could become one of the most explosive offenses we've seen in a long time.

LB Lateek Townsend

Linebacker has been a weak position for the Tigers the last few seasons. Sophomore Lateek Townsend is trying to do his part to turn that weakness into a strength as he's playing his tail off in the spring early on.

"Lateek continues to make strikes. He's going to help us big time. He's a guy who has shot his stock up the last two or three practices." Coach Swinney said.

Townsend saw limited action last season in his freshman year and had 14 tackles in 10 games. You can expect him to see the field a lot more this season, especially with him playing the way he has as of late.