Corey Clement Set to Step out of Melvin Gordon's Shadow, Become Star of His Own

The spotlight Corey Clement has longed for is directly in front of him—three feet away, to be exact. Cameras and tape recorders hum in unison. A crowd gathers, anxiously waiting to hear what Melvin Gordon’s replacement has to say.

In present time, this is what he’s known as: the guy replacing the superhuman who casually destroyed box scores with unspeakable grace.

After patiently waiting his turn, it has arrived for Clement. The depth chart has been conquered. Finally.

And yet, the group huddled around him in the McCormick Ballroom in Chicago can’t avoid saying Gordon’s name. Once. Twice. I lost count. He is the most popular man in the room, even though he is nowhere to be found.

Finally, after being peppered about his former teammate and friend for more than 15 minutes, Clement has heard enough.

“It sucks,” Clement says, sprinkling in transitory laughter before redirecting to a more attentive tone. “I am tired of it. I can only be Corey Clement.”

When he takes the football out of his quarterback’s hand against Alabama on Saturday evening, the pendulum will start to swing back. Gordon’s replacement will have a name, face and running style—one distinct from all of the great backs who have terrorized box scores over the past two decades.

The nation may not be able to separate Clement from the greatness that came before him, although that hasn’t hindered his confidence one iota. There is an edge to this 219-pound back—a good edge, the kind that can be harnessed and put to good use.

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This is his team—an opportunity to finally reach what he came to Madison for in the first place. It took a little longer to arrive at a point where this was possible, but he’s made it.

That edge transforms into unwavering confidence before our eyes. The junior naturally distances himself from those that came before him.

“No less than 2,000. And winning the College Football Playoff,” Clement offers up without hesitation when asked about his goals. “I don’t like to get caught up in the individual accolades, because that’s not what gets you to that next level.”

Had he gone elsewhere, Clement could have been an established commodity by now. The next level would have been a conversation out in the open.

After prolific junior and senior rushing seasons in high school, the Glassboro, New Jersey, native had offers in his backyard. He could have been a star at Boston College, Rutgers, Syracuse or Connecticut out of the gate. Notre Dame, Ohio State and Penn State wanted him, too.

“I was looking for a place to get away,” Clement said. “All the east coast teams I could have gone to were just too close to home. Just too close to mom and dad. I needed that drive to be a two-day drive. I saw this as a way to grow into being a man.”

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His arrival at Wisconsin was accompanied by second thoughts. During his first day of workouts, the coaches laced into Clement for not moving fast enough during a tempo run—a drill that wasn’t necessarily about speed.

Clement wasn’t dogging it by any means. He was anxious to make a good first impression. Even so, he simply couldn’t keep pace with Gordon, whose half-speed movements translated to a sprint. Reality instantly set in. Clement started to question whether he belonged. Soon after, he turned these reservations into fuel.

“Not to sound cocky, but I could have gone to a different school and tried to start right away,” Clement said. “But I was just thinking that if I work with the best in the country, when my turn comes I will be ready. I have battled with the best of them.”

Over the two years that followed, Clement spelled Gordon in a reserve role. He went over 100 yards in his first two games, seeing action against Massachusetts and Tennessee Tech. He added another 100-yard game against Indiana later in the year, although he only saw action in games where the score was decided.

Last season was different. Serving as Gordon’s primary backup, Clement nearly eclipsed 1,000 yards. He finished the year with 949 yards on only 147 carries. He scored 11 touchdowns.

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Gordon, of course, put forth a year few running backs have ever approached. After running for 2,587 yards—second all-time for FBS backs—the Heisman runner-up decided the NFL was next. He left a void that was easy to fill.

This wasn’t the only question that prompted an easy answer. When head coach Gary Andersen left Wisconsin for Oregon State, the Badgers wasted little time bringing back former offensive coordinator Paul Chryst—a man already familiar with his new feature back. Before Chryst left to coach Pitt, he recruited Clement in high school while wearing his current logo.

“I have had some great conversations with Corey and that he knows who he is and he knows that he doesn't have to be Melvin [Gordon], doesn't have to be James [White],” Chryst said. “I like where he's at right now. I think he's excited for this next step in his progression.”

To help this growth, Clement spent the offseason tearing down his own game to build it back up. He’s put on three pounds and seen his body-fat percentage dip below nine percent. He worked on lengthening his strides and did other “unorthodox” workouts—including hauling logs around—in an effort to improve his speed.

Wait, hauling logs?

“Speed kills,” he added, cracking a smile.

Wisconsin quarterback Joel Stave has seen this speed up close. In fact, during his time at the school, Stave has handed the ball off to Clement, Gordon, White and Montee Ball. He’s had a front-row seat to a running renaissance.

This offseason, he’s seen the necessary steps were taken to ensure that we see Clement for who he is and who he can become—not the man he’s replacing.

“He’s put in a lot of work and stepped into his role of being the premier running back of our team,” Stave added.

That title—premier running back—is a badge of honor at the program. It’s an identity Wisconsin celebrates with great pride, vaunting a system that celebrates its running backs regardless of the linemen, running back or opponent.

The next opponent will be one of the biggest tests this system has seen in some time. With a front seven seemingly constructed to slow down offenses of this nature—a colossal collection of linemen and some vintage Alabama linebackers—Nick Saban’s team is hoping to delay Clement’s rise by at least one more week.

It’s a fitting next step for a young man who has had to scratch and claw to arrive here—to the opportunity to be Melvin Gordon’s replacement.

But soon, perhaps as soon as Saturday night or Sunday morning, Clement might just trade in his old title for something a bit more fitting. Something...more him.

“I understand the process,” Clement said. “Now it’s my turn.”

Unless noted otherwise, all quotes obtained firsthand.