Minnesota got a surprise commitment this morning from Kelvin Clemmons before he had even visited campus over offers from Kentucky, Maryland, and USF. Clemmons is a 6’2”, 200-pound cornerback from Hutchinson CC.
Strengths:
· Physicality and size for position
· Closing speed
· Feet and hips
Weaknesses:
· Per his highlights, played a lot of zone coverage
· Very nonchalant in his initial drop which allows receivers to gain a step on deep routes
· Quite handsy so he’ll have to be careful to not get called for penalties
From a physical standpoint, there is a lot to like regarding Clemmons. At 6’2”, he has the size needed to matchup with taller, more imposing receivers in the Big Ten. Clemmons is incredibly physical with receivers at the line of scrimmage and down the field but also when coming up to make tackles and fill in run support. He does show surprisingly fluid movement in his feet and hips for a corner that is of his height and closes quickly on throwing lanes.
As sometimes what happens with JUCO players is that bad habits tend to form. Clemmons highlights show a lot of zone coverage, which the Gophers do play quite a bit of, but it is yet to be seen what his man-to-man capabilities are. One area he will really need to improve upon is his initial read step and drop. He tends to stand up way too high in his initial drop which makes change of direction difficult and is very nonchalant which allows receivers to gain a step on deep throws.
Clemmons has the physicality aspect necessary to compete for playing time, but he will need to be coached up and show better habits. I think he will have a chance to compete for playing time but he’s going to need to prove it to the coaches that he can be an every down player.
Strengths:
· Physicality and size for position
· Closing speed
· Feet and hips
Weaknesses:
· Per his highlights, played a lot of zone coverage
· Very nonchalant in his initial drop which allows receivers to gain a step on deep routes
· Quite handsy so he’ll have to be careful to not get called for penalties
From a physical standpoint, there is a lot to like regarding Clemmons. At 6’2”, he has the size needed to matchup with taller, more imposing receivers in the Big Ten. Clemmons is incredibly physical with receivers at the line of scrimmage and down the field but also when coming up to make tackles and fill in run support. He does show surprisingly fluid movement in his feet and hips for a corner that is of his height and closes quickly on throwing lanes.
As sometimes what happens with JUCO players is that bad habits tend to form. Clemmons highlights show a lot of zone coverage, which the Gophers do play quite a bit of, but it is yet to be seen what his man-to-man capabilities are. One area he will really need to improve upon is his initial read step and drop. He tends to stand up way too high in his initial drop which makes change of direction difficult and is very nonchalant which allows receivers to gain a step on deep throws.
Clemmons has the physicality aspect necessary to compete for playing time, but he will need to be coached up and show better habits. I think he will have a chance to compete for playing time but he’s going to need to prove it to the coaches that he can be an every down player.
