Will Shipley's blocking an area of his game and narrative he's trying to reverse

No. 5 Clemson is off to a 4-0 start and remains a major College Football Playoff contender, in no small part because the offense continues to improve. Running back Will Shipley has been one of the driving forces there, though he hopes to become known for things other than his ability to pound the rock, like his blocking.

And Will Shipley’s blocking dedication this season was evident on one play in particular against Wake Forest last weekend. On a screen for receiver Antonio Williams, Shipley drove his blocking assignment all the way into the sideline.

“When I was pushing him into the defensive huddle on the sideline is when it kind of kicked in, like, ‘All right, I should probably relax and be a smart football player here,'” Shipley said with a smile. “But that’s one thing with me is that’s what you’re going to get, your all every play.”

Shipley has already scored seven times on the ground this season, piling up 353 yards with a 6.8 yards per carry average.

He’s also a threat to catch it out of the backfield.

The sophomore is quickly becoming a household name in college football, but he wants everyone to know he’s far from a one-trick pony.

“I think one narrative that I’ve kind of been wanting to reverse and deflect is that I can’t block,” Shipley said. “I’m a three-down back. I’m going to go out there, I can run the football in between the tackles, I can catch it and I can block people. That’s a narrative I want to switch around, and I can’t continue to put things on film that say otherwise.”

Will Shipley’s blocking a product of his mentality

Ask Shipley where his willingness to block comes from and the answer is pretty straightforward. When he’s got an assignment to carry out, it’s head down and get the work done.

To the point that sometimes he even gets wrapped up in the moment and loses where he is, like on the Williams screen.

“It’s kind of half and half. During it I don’t even know what’s really going on,” he said. “I’m out there playing football and one thing about me, I’ve got one speed, so that’s just how I’m going to play.”

With the Tigers at 4-0 and ranked at No. 5 in the country, Clemson and coach Dabo Swinney are probably just fine with that. After all, much easier to coach a player up on the small things. Effort is a harder fix.

Luckily, that doesn’t seem to be an issue with Shipley.

He’ll get a chance to show what he can do as a blocker again on Saturday as Clemson hosts No. 10 NC State, though the Tigers will likely need him to continue being effective on the ground, as well. The two programs will kick off at 7:30 p.m. ET with a national broadcast on ABC.