Dabo Swinney praises Nate Wiggins for being a 'bright spot' for Clemson

Clemson cornerback Nate Wiggins is finally finding his groove. After struggling over the first portion of the season, Dabo Swinney was thrilled to see the sophomore DB step up and make huge plays each of the last two weeks in wins over Boston College and NC State.

The Tigers are facing injury issues in the secondary, with a number of guys getting a bit banged up over the last couple weeks, which just meant more opportunity for Wiggins. After the BC win, Swinney reflected on the lack of available bodies in the defensive backfield, which forced Wiggins into a primary role.

“I mean, you know, you got no T-Bone (Tyler Venables), you got no RJ Mickens. Shariden [Jones], Toriano [Pride] went out there for a little bit of time. I mean, so it’s great to see him play like that and Nate’s had two good weeks in a row,” said Swinney after the game. Though Wiggins hadn’t showcased that level of performance until recently.

Swinney also discussed Wiggins’ vast improvement over just the last couple weeks. “And again, just maturing young player,” he added on Wiggins, noting he has matured a lot since his rough performance vs. Wake Forest a few weeks ago. “You know, he was a disaster up there at Wake and didn’t handle himself, well showed a lot of immaturity and allowing external things to affect him.”

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Some coaches might have just benched Wiggins after his outing vs. the Demon Deacons. Whether Dabo Swinney was forced to play him due to injuries or simply believed Wiggins would respond well after the Wake game, he stood by the sophomore. That decision looked good on Saturday, according to Swinney himself.

“And, you know, he’s just really, these last couple weeks, he’s just really done a good job of just staying focused, doing his job, playing his technique. That was a big time play. You know, a big time play that he made on that ball. And he doesn’t make that like two weeks ago.

“So, you know, it’s a tough position to play. But he is a very very talented young man. And almost had another pick tonight, you know. He’s getting his hands on some ball. But Nate’s been a real bright spot for us these last two weeks. And again, the whole secondary tonight, you know, did a really good job.”

That secondary is rapidly improving by the week after Wake Forest burned them for half-a-hundred in Winston-Salem. A big part of that is Nate Wiggins’ maturity.