Shipley 'Has Confidence in Ability, But Not Arrogance'

Clemson offensive coordinator Tony Elliott joined the mass of players and coaches to praise freshman running back Will Shipley.

Offensive coordinator Tony Elliott is similar to Dabo Swinney in his honesty about whether young players aren't ready or how they currently stand.

Elliott was straightforward when asked about freshman running back Will Shipley's work ethic by media at Clemson's indoor practice facility.

"Even though he may not know exactly what he's doing, he's still going to go to the front of the line," Elliott said.

"He has a confidence about himself. A confidence in his ability, but it's not an arrogance. And that confidence is that he will put in the work and he has the ability to learn. He's going to give everything that he has every single play, and not just here but in everything that he does. He's an exceptional young man."

The Tigers are recently getting adjusted to full pads, and Shipley's playtime or standing is unknown. Still, he's only trended upwards in the coaching staff's good graces since arriving in January.

Swinney mentioned early in camp Shipley is "Not like a typical freshman," and competing with the top tailbacks was a by-product of off-the-field work ethic.

Elliott agreed that Shipley carries himself a little differently.

"You go look at his academic record in high school. ... (he's) been a 4.0 student since he got here (to Clemson)," Elliott said. "He's fully bought into the PAW Journey as a freshman. ... most freshman, they don't quite understand what that concept is all about until later in their career when they have the chance to be exposed to it, but he's dived in head-first. He wants to be a leader, he wants to be great, and that resonates in everything that he does."

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