Clemson freshman WR a pleasant surprise down the stretch

CLEMSON — Dabo Swinney has talked up freshman receiver Cole Turner all season, declaring to anyone who would listen that he would be a big part of the Clemson offense sooner rather than later.

Turner showed why Clemson’s staff is so high on him during last week’s ACC championship game, catching three passes for 101 yards to help the Tigers knock off North Carolina.

Turner became the first player to reach 100 receiving yards in a game all season for the Tigers and led all players in the game in receiving yards, including North Carolina star Josh Downs.

“It was good to get Cole Turner back in there,” Swinney said. “We talked to him all year about, ‘Hey, listen, we’re going to need you to win a championship.’ Didn’t know it was going to quite be like that, but it was really awesome.”

Turner’s biggest play of the game came midway through the second quarter when Tigers freshman QB Cade Klubnik found him running down the left sideline for a 68-yard gain.

Turner nearly scored on the play, and it set up a 1-yard touchdown run by Klubnik on the following play to give Clemson a 21-7 lead.

“I really loved to see Cole Turner kind of show out tonight. That was really awesome,” Klubnik said. “Dude is just kind of a silent worker. He is more of a quiet guy but also just a great dude, but he can fly. Like he can run, and he catches the ball.”

Turner, who is the younger brother of former Clemson star safety Nolan Turner, added a couple of catches in the second half, including one that went for 29 yards.

The Alabama native became only the third Clemson player to ever have a 100-yard game within his first two games, joining former stars Justyn Ross and Artavis Scott.

He should be a bigger part of Clemson’s offense in the Orange Bowl against Tennessee and into next season and beyond.

The Tigers have a very good young nucleus on offense with Klubnik, Turner, Antonio Williams and others.

“He’s going to be a great player, and he really doesn’t even know he’s good,” Swinney said of Turner. “I love our young guys that we got. Beaux [Collins] had a great year, and man, obviously he’s missed some games, too, with injuries, but Beaux and Antonio and Adam [Randall] and Cole, I think we’ve got a really great nucleus of guys that we can build around there.”