Dabo Swinney happy with Cole Turner’s growth as all-around wide receiver

Clemson receiver Cole Turner is a player to keep an eye on as he enters his second college season. After sitting out the first 10 games, Turner flashed his potential near the end of 2022 in both the ACC Championship and Orange Bowl.

Because he only played in three games, Turner was able to take a redshirt year and has four seasons of eligibility remaining going forward. The former three-star receiver again impressed Saturday as the Tigers held their first scrimmage, with coach Dabo Swinney saying he finished as the team’s leading receiver.

Speaking after the scrimmage, Swinney praised the effort from Turner while saying he expects him to be among a number of receivers who contribute in 2023.

“Really good. Had a huge play down the sideline, had two or three,” Swinney said. “I think he was the leading receiver. He had about four catches or so. We spread the ball really all over. We had a bunch of guys touch it, which is gonna happen in what we’re doing. A lot of people are gonna touch the ball.”

Turner had his best game of last season in the ACC Championship win against North Carolina. He established a strong connection with quarterback Cade Klubnik to finish the game as the team’s leading receiver with three catches for 101 yards, including a 68-yard catch that was the longest of any Clemson receiver this past season.

The freshman followed that up with four catches for 51 yards in the Orange Bowl against Tennessee. But while Turner has proven himself as a pass-catcher, Swinney would like to see him develop his blocking game. The coach pointed to a moment in the scrimmage where the receiver missed a block, saying he has to learn how to make an impact in that area.

“The biggest thing with Cole is I want him to be a difference maker without the ball,” Swinney said. “If you’re gonna be a great wideout, you’ve got to impact the game when you don’t have the ball. He missed a big block on the screen and got a guy blown up. …Those are losing the Clemson-type plays. So things we’ve got to clean up. Again, we’ve gotta get our job done without the ball as well. But first scrimmage, it will be an opportunity for him to study the tape and learn from it.”

Clemson will have plenty of other options at receiver alongside Turner. Last year’s leading pass catcher Antonio Williams returns, as do key contributors Beaux Collins and Adam Randall. That core group will look to help the Tigers win yet another ACC Championship and compete for a Playoff spot in Klubnik’s first full season as starter.

Clemson is set to kick off the 2023 season on Sept. 4 with a matchup against Duke.