Student-athletes walk orange carpet for CLEMMYs

Boyd, Adeleye named top male, female athletes

Clemson football players, from left, Quandon Christian, Tajh Boyd and Chandler Catanzaro pose for pictures before the inaugural CLEMMYs on April 15 at Littlejohn Coliseum. (Photo by Dawson Powers)

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By Steven Bradley

IPTAY Media

CLEMSON — At most major award shows, the stars walk the red carpet and proceed into a ballroom where awards are handed out for the year’s best performances. That was also the case at the inaugural CLEMMYs April 15, only the stars were Clemson’s student-athletes, the carpet was orange and the ballroom was Littlejohn Coliseum.

The CLEMMYs were modeled after the ESPYs as a comprehensive year-end awards show encompassing athletic and academic achievement. They replaced the Athletic Department’s annual honor banquet, which was an academic-focused event where only student-athletes with at least a 3.0 GPA had been invited.

“It’s all about the student-athletes. This is a night for them to have fun and just get together and celebrate,” Assistant Director for Athletic Academic Services Lindsey Ricketts said. [Read more...]

From the Desk of Dan Radakovich

April 22, 2013

Hello Tiger fans!

I thought this would be a good time to reflect on the tremendous success enjoyed by our athletic teams on what was dubbed “Solid Orange Weekend,” April 12-14 in Clemson. Our teams not only went undefeated, but IPTAY members and Tiger fans were able to gather and participate in fellowship on what turned out to be a beautiful weekend in the Upstate.

We had over 140 former letterwinners participate in our spring golf outing at the Walker Course and Cross Creek Plantation on Friday afternoon, and then over 300 were on hand for the awards dinner that night. It was great to spend time with some of our alumni and their families. Dabo Swinney also held his All-In Ball at the new indoor practice facility on Friday, and over $250,000 was raised for his foundation, which focuses support toward a number of worthy causes. [Read more...]

Tigers pleased with progress of defense in spring

Quandon Christian, top, B.J. Goodson (44) and Martin Jenkins (14) swarm to the football to make a tackle for the White team during the Spring Game on Saturday at Memorial Stadium. (Photo by Rex Brown/IPTAY Media)

By Steven Bradley

IPTAY Media

CLEMSON — Asked to identify the players who made the biggest strides on his unit during spring ball, the first two names out of Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables’ mouth were safeties Travis Blanks and Robert Smith.

Given that safety was easily the biggest question mark on the Tigers’ defense coming into spring practice — they only returned one career start at safety on the roster — that development can only be viewed as an extremely positive one.

“Blanks and Smith have really solidified themselves where they’re at,” Venables said after the Spring Game. “Travis had practiced there, but hadn’t had a bunch of game experience. He and Robert both are guys that seldom make the same mistake twice, and that’s not always the case with guys. Their progress throughout the spring was pretty consistent.” [Read more...]

Leggett’s late touchdown lifts Orange

Sammy Watkins runs after a catch for the White team during the Spring Game on April 13 at Memorial Stadium. (Photo by Rex Brown/IPTAY Media)

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By Steven Bradley

IPTAY Media

CLEMSON — Clemson’s offense has made a habit of setting records anytime it takes the field, and that trend even continued in Saturday’s Spring Game.

And even without its best player taking a snap.

With starting quarterback and reigning ACC Player of the Year Tajh Boyd looking on from the sideline, the Orange team beat the White 34-26 at Memorial Stadium as true freshman tight end Jordan Leggett caught a 50-yard touchdown from Donny McElveen on a fourth-and-3 play with 5:18 left to lift his team to victory.

Leggett, whose clutch grab provided the only touchdown of the second half, finished with seven catches for 97 yards to cap off an impressive spring for the early enrollee from Navarre, Fla.

“He’s just cool as a cucumber,” coach Dabo Swinney said. “Nothing fazes him. He just gets it, and I don’t have any doubt that he’ll be a factor for us. He’s going to be a heck of a player.” [Read more...]

Backup QBs impress during Spring Game

Clemson junior Cole Stoudt threw for a Spring Game-record 304 yards Saturday. (Photo by Rex Brown/IPTAY Media)

By Gavin Oliver

CLEMSON — Every college football player knows there is an injury risk each time he decides to take the gridiron.

But every injury also provides an opportunity for the next person on the depth chart to step up, and the backups to starting quarterback Tajh Boyd certainly gave an optimistic outlook for the comprehensive talent Clemson is fortunate to have at the position.

Redshirt freshman quarterback Chad Kelly was injured himself while running with the ball during the Spring Game at Clemson Memorial Stadium on Saturday afternoon, and head coach Dabo Swinney said indicated the team believed Kelly had torn his ACL.

Swinney remains positive that Kelly will return at some point during the latter stages of the upcoming season, but was impressed by the effort of Cole Stoudt, who was battling Kelly for the second-string job throughout spring practice.

Stoudt set a spring game record with 304 yards passing, while dishing out four touchdowns to only one interception.

“Cole was outstanding,” Swinney said. “I’m anxious to watch the film and see how he did with some of the matchups in place, but I thought he did an excellent job.” [Read more...]

Refocused Watkins relishing new role in offense

By Steven Bradley

IPTAY Media

CLEMSON — Sammy Watkins has a new position this spring and a new outlook to go with it.

Watkins, who in 2011 became the first true freshman in ACC history to be named an Associated Press First-Team All-American, is now manning the “9” receiver position in coordinator Chad Morris’ offense that DeAndre “Nuk” Hopkins played to the tune of 82 catches for 1,405 receiving yards and 18 touchdowns for Clemson last season.

With the move, which will see the rising junior line up as the boundary receiver — the one on the short side of the field — Watkins hopes to not only return to his freshman form, but to surpass it. [Read more...]

Student-athletes take time out to say thanks to donors

Clemson women's golfer Taylor Ramsey calls an IPTAY donor during the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee Thank-a-Thon on April 1 at the University Foundation building on campus. (Photo by Rex Brown/IPTAY Media)

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By Steven Bradley

IPTAY Media

CLEMSON — One of the purposes of Clemson’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee is to give the university’s athletes a voice when it comes to issues that affect them, and last week that voice was used to say thanks.

This year’s SAAC Thank-a-Thon began April 1 and continued April 2 at the University Foundation building on campus with 100 Clemson athletes — 50 each day — taking time out to call as many IPTAY donors as possible to express their gratitude for the ways those donations have enriched their college experiences.

“That’s the great thing about IPTAY — we don’t hear a lot about IPTAY as far as our everyday lives,” said Brittney Waller, a senior thrower on the track & field team who helped head the initiative. “We don’t think about our facilities and how we’re able to do a lot of the things we do — traveling, maintenance, construction, those kind of things — so it is very nice to have IPTAY, and we’re really thankful to have donors who do support us and who do want us to be successful on and off the field.” [Read more...]

From the Desk of Dan Radakovich

Ricketts

April 8, 2013

Hello Tiger fans!

At the end of May, one of the fixtures in Clemson’s athletic department over the last 28 years, Robert Ricketts, will be retiring. Robert has dedicated most of his professional life to Clemson, and in the process has worn many different hats, first at the university and then within the athletic department. We are indebted to he and his wife, Kathey, for all they have done for Clemson Athletics. With that in mind, I asked Associate Sports Information Director Philip Sikes to sit down with Robert for a question and answer session to reflect on his experiences at Clemson.

Dan Radakovich [Read more...]

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