5 observations from Clemson’s latest practice, including return of key playmaker

Clemson held its fifth practice of the preseason on Wednesday. It was the second practice open to the media, which watched the Tigers go through drills for about 45 minutes.

Here are some observations from the workout:

1. Injury report

Clemson junior running back Tavien Feaster was back full-go after being in a yellow jersey and jogging on the sideline for the first few practices of the preseason. Tigers receiver Tee Higgins, who is projected to have a huge sophomore season, was in yellow and not going through drills. Joining Higgins in yellow were linebacker James Skalski, defensive end Chris Register and receiver Will Brown. Offensive lineman Sean Pollard was in green, meaning he was limited.

2. Special teams

Sophomore receiver Amari Rodgers was up first returning punts for Clemson, followed by senior receiver Hunter Renfrow and freshman receiver Derion Kendrick. Junior defensive back K’Von Wallace was also returning punts.

3. Getting physical

The Tigers were wearing pads for the first time on Wednesday and practice got physical early. The receivers and defensive backs were doing a blocking drill on one side of the field, while the offensive line, defensive line, linebackers, tight ends and running backs participated in the Paw Drill. Three offensive players attempted to block three defensive players while a running back tried to follow the blocks and get through a hole during the Paw Drill.

4. Paw Drill standouts

Xavier Thomas and Isaiah Simmons were very impressive in the drill. Thomas shoved an offensive lineman to the side, picked up a walk-on running back and threw him to the ground in violent fashion during the most impressive rep of the evening. Thomas made several plays during the drill. Simmons was up against freshman tight end Braden Galloway and had his way with the Seneca native, shoving him to the side and making a tackle on several occasions. Freshman defensive end Justin Mascoll also had some impressive moments.

5. Intense workout

When defensive tackle Christian Wilkins wasn’t making impressive plays, he was egging on his fellow defenders and encouraging them to make tackles. Wilkins wasn’t the only player who was intense. Freshman linebacker Jake Venables, the son of Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables, got into it with redshirt freshman guard Matt Bockhorst. The two exchanged a few shoves and facemask grabs before being separated.

This story was originally published August 8, 2018 at 6:19 PM with the headline "5 observations from Clemson’s latest practice, including return of key playmaker."