'He's the real deal': Clemson frosh Bryant Wesco Jr. draws rave reviews

CLEMSON — A week before Clemson’s spring practices opened, safety Khalil Barnes didn’t know much about receiver Bryant Wesco Jr.
The midyear enrollee from Texas was tall, about 6-foot-2. But he was more angular than big. String-bean arms accentuated a 170-pound frame.
Wesco was regarded as a five-star prospect by recruiting sites, until he was downgraded to a four-star in the winter. But a three-star recruit turned star freshman like Barnes wasn’t hung up on reputation when Wesco stood across from Clemson’s safeties to drill some releases off the line.
“I just knew he was a tall kid. I thought he was gonna be a one-move release,” Barnes said, “but he’s real sticky. He’s fast. He’s gonna be a problem, for sure.”
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Since spring practice opened in late February, Wesco has earned some adjectives beyond tall and skinny.
“He’s a freak,” tight end Jake Briningstool said.
“He’s different, man,” receiver Troy Stellato added.
“He’s the real deal,” linebacker Wade Woodaz confirmed.
Some caution is required, because Wesco hasn’t even played in a spring game. He certainly hasn’t stood across from Georgia’s secondary, as he probably will in the Tigers’ Aug. 31 opener, to prove his talents under the brightest of lights.
It’s just March.
But if anything is clear from early appraisals, Wesco has not struggled in his transition to the college ranks. Despite a thin frame, the Texan’s fast feet and soft hands have allowed him to consistently make plays in spring practice.
Clemson coach Dabo Swinney credits more than his athletic traits.
“Sometimes you see guys, they got all the talent, man. They can run, they can jump, they can change direction. But their maturity doesn’t match the talent,” Swinney said. “He’s very talented but he’s committed. It’s given him a chance to get the attention of everybody early. He’s done that.”
Woodaz, an alum of Jesuit High in Tampa, Fla., is keenly aware the Tigers have another highly touted receiver, five-star TJ Moore, arriving for the first summer session in May. Because Moore is from rival Tampa Catholic.
But Wesco has been an impressive forerunner, consistently catching Woodaz’s eye. The linebacker recalled two touchdowns Wesco scored on a Monday. Then another Wednesday. Then another Friday.
On one play, Wesco pulled out a “dead-leg” juke, a sudden stop and start.
“I was like ‘Woah, that was impressive,’” Woodaz said. “But he makes plays every single day. Like, legitimately.”
What stuck in running back Phil Mafah’s mind was a fade route Wesco hauled in during a two-minute drill. He tipped it to himself and caught it one-handed.
Mafah laughed when he was asked to name a comparison for Wesco. He had one in his head, but it was almost too gaudy to say out loud.
“Kind of reminds me of CeeDee Lamb,” Mafah said, recalling the former Alabama and current Dallas Cowboys star. “I feel like if he keeps getting better, and puts the work in, he’s gonna be good.”
Everyone seems confident in Wesco’s desire to put in work.
As quarterback Cade Klubnik went down a list of the freshman’s best attributes, including speed and ball skills — Wesco had just brought in an over-the-shoulder grab in drills, allowing a pass to drop over his head and into his hands like Willie Mays — a greater emphasis landed on Wesco’s lack of ego.
“Just a guy that comes to work every single day,” Klubnik said. “But he’s smooth. Just fluid.”
“He’s fast,” Stellato added. “He’s very fast.”
Slippery off the line, as well.
“It’s hard to get hands on him. Great with his releases. He has a knack for it,” Stellato said. “He’s obviously a highly ranked guy for us. I feel like, guys like that, it’s not too much of a jump, just because of the skillset, you know? It’s translating already.”
Wesco’s combination of skills has inspired Clemson’s quarterbacks to throw it up.
“To know I just gotta put it somewhere in the vicinity of him, he’s gonna make a play, that’s a really good feeling,” Klubnik’s backup, Christopher Vizzina, said.
Again, it’s just March.
But what the Tigers have seen thus far offers hope of a brighter future.
A season where defenses fear the deep pass, because Wesco can run by them.
“Take the top off the defense,” Briningstool said. “That’s gonna be a big thing we’ll need to help our offense explode next year. I think he’ll be a big piece.”
Wesco might be tall and skinny, as Barnes observed.
But he can play.
“He looks the part,” Stellato said. “He’s gonna help us, for sure, this year.”