Reed says cornerbacks can't go back, have to go forward next season

Mike Reed has experience and talent at cornerback.

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Tue Feb 14 15:36:59 GMT-04:00 2023

CLEMSON – Mike Reed knows his cornerbacks need to play consistently, and even though there were flashes last season, that group also went through some growing pains. But he says they have to move forward because there is no going back.

The Clemson cornerbacks group suffered injuries to Fred Davis, Malcolm Greene, and Sheridan Jones last season, leaving position coach Mike Reed with no other option than to play youngsters like Nate Wiggins, Toriano Pride, and Jeadyn Lukus. Davis has transferred out of the program, but Greene should finally be healthy and Jones announced after the first of the year that he will return for a final season.

That gives Reed a mix of veterans and youth.

“We have basically everybody coming back, which is great. We have a great mix of young and old. Sheridan Jones making the decision to come back was very good for us,” Reed said. “So we have that elder statesman in the room. Nate Wiggins came on in the latter part of the season is back as well. And then we have an influx of young guys with some talent like Toriano Pride and Jeadyn Lukus.”

Reed said it’s a group that can only go forward.

“The next step is to be able to take over a game. We had glimpses, but in this game it's consistency that matters,” Reed said. “Usually, the most consistent team is the one that is going to win. My guys have to be consistent from play one to play 60, or whatever it may be. I would like to see guys change their body structures, and then act and play more mature. Because they are older. There is no way we can go back. We have to go forward.”

Reed added even more talent in the 2023 recruiting class, with Avieon Terrell (the younger brother of AJ Terrell), Daniel athlete Misun Kelley, and Shelton Lewis, who was a Georgia Region 8-4A Athlete of the Year selection by the Atlanta-Journal Constitution.

Lewis was able to participate in bowl practice with the Tigers.

“We had the opportunity to have Shelton with us through bowl practice. We got a glimpse of what we recruited live and in action. And he was as advertised,” Reed said. “Very fast, very twitchy, and, as I call him, a little pit bull. You get him acclimated with the speed of the game and when we go out there for the first spring practice, it's not going to be new for him. He is going to already be a step ahead. As a learning curve, he's already been in the playbook and watching a little bit of film, so it's going to be very beneficial for him.”