‘He’s a Natural’: Swinney Excited About Touted Freshman

Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney can’t wait to get on the field with T.J. Moore when fall camp begins Aug. 1.

Moore, the highly touted true freshman receiver from Florida, enrolled at Clemson this summer. So, fall camp will be Swinney’s first opportunity to coach the 6-foot-3, 190-pound talent.

“Obviously we know what he did in high school, but haven’t coached him yet,” Swinney said of Moore during the Tigers’ annual media outing this week. “What we loved about him in high school is easy to see – he’s a big-bodied receiver, he’s got good collision balance and body control, and he’s got elite ball skills. That’s what we’ve seen on tape. We’ll see what happens in camp.”

As for the other half of Clemson’s dynamic true freshmen receiver duo – Bryant Wesco Jr. – Swinney has been able to coach the 6-foot-2, 170-pounder since January.

A former top-30 national prospect from Texas, Wesco enrolled early and generated plenty of buzz while impressing during spring practice, and how he has smoothly transitioned and acclimated himself to college ball really stands out to Swinney.

Wide receiver Bryant Wesco Jr. (12) during Clemson’s Spring Game Saturday, April 6, 2024 at Clemson’s Memorial Stadium. Bart Boatwright/The Clemson Insider

“He’s a kid that just took to it right away. I mean, he’s a natural,” Swinney said. “Was not overwhelmed. He needed a big January to August (in terms of his development), and he’s not going to be a finished product this year, but he’s made the strides that he needed to make to enhance his ability to compete. But the biggest thing is he wasn’t overwhelmed from the speed of the game.”

Ranked as high as the nation’s No. 7 wideout and No. 28 overall prospect in the 2024 recruiting class by ESPN, Wesco recorded 109 receptions for 1,903 yards and scored 29 touchdowns during his prep career at Midlothian (Texas) High School. He posted 36 catches for 619 yards and 13 touchdowns in just seven games as a senior after catching 56 passes for 1,072 yards and 12 scores as a junior.

Wesco showed he’s the real deal during Clemson’s spring game at Death Valley in April, when he hauled in three of five targets for 26 yards and scored the first touchdown of the contest — a highlight reel, over-the-shoulder 9-yard grab in the opening quarter.

While Wesco wasn’t flawless at the start of the spring game, he was able to settle in and ultimately flash the potential he had shown throughout the spring.

“He was not overwhelmed – I thought early on in the spring game, which was the first time he was kind of out there, that was the first time I saw he kind of looked like a freshman early,” Swinney said. “But then he kind of settled into what I had seen all spring. But the main thing with him is he just mentally took to it like a fish to water. I mean, it was just natural, and that’s what I’m excited about with him.”

With Wesco in the fold, to go along with the addition of Moore – ESPN’s No. 12 receiver and No. 50 overall prospect in the 2024 recruiting class – Swinney loves the talent, depth and especially the health that Clemson’s receiving corps has heading into the 2024 season.

“Can’t wait to get on the field with TJ and be able to kind of evaluate where he is,” Swinney said. “But it’s a deep room. It’s going to be a ton of competition. We’re really excited about it, and man, just thankful that we’ve got the type of talent in that room – and more importantly, the health. We’ve got 10 guys to go to battle with and two or three good walk-on guys that really give us some good depth. But should be fun to watch.”

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