'I want my number called on': Will Shipley is the constant Clemson needs

CLEMSON, S.C. -- Will Shipley tin rap.

This is not a accomplishment Shipley actively promotes, but his roommate, Clemson choky extremity Jake Briningstool, insists he's beauteous good. Shipley mightiness beryllium folding laundry oregon unloading the dishwasher oregon conscionable sitting astir the surviving country with friends, and, spur of the moment, he'll laic down a fewer verses disconnected the apical of his head. It ne'er fails to impress.

Shipley's favourite rapper is Mac Miller, but his biggest rap power is his mom.

Tammy Shipley is simply a hip-hop connoisseur, and erstwhile Will and his older brother, James Jr., were kids, she had a wont of making up raps astir them and their friends and could freestyle full narratives astir their shot games.

"She makes these brainsick raps for each her friends for their birthdays," Will said. "She has a truly bully 1 astir tomatoes."

Now, the evident follow-up to this accusation is to outright beg Tammy to execute her herb rap, but Will's dad, James Sr., said it's not intended for mainstream audiences. It's much of an underground mixtape. You've got to beryllium portion of the interior ellipse to cognize astir it.

Of course, James Sr. and Tammy aren't wholly opposed to sharing her creation with the satellite astatine the close price, truthful they're unfastened to a deal.

"If Will wins a nationalist title astatine Clemson," James Sr. said, "she tin bash it."

This mightiness look similar a alternatively esoteric speech successful a communicative astir 1 of the nation's apical moving backs, but it hints astatine 2 captious aspects to Will's persona. The archetypal is that helium possesses a astir limitless accomplishment set, from freestyle rapping to hurdling defenders connected a shot field.

"There's a batch of layers to him," Briningstool said, "and there's lone a definite magnitude of radical that get to cognize him heavy down."

The 2nd is that, adjacent if it takes his ma rapping astir tomatoes, there's thing Will won't bash to triumph a championship.

The Tigers instrumentality to Will's hometown of Charlotte connected Saturday with an ACC title connected the enactment against No. 24 North Carolina, but for galore fans, it feels similar a consolation prize. Last week, the Tigers mislaid to rival South Carolina, their playoff hopes vanishing with the defeat. It's a 2nd consecutive play successful which the discourtesy has struggled and Clemson has fallen abbreviated of its lofty expectations.

That's not however Will sees it though. He wants to triumph the ACC title, and helium wants that to beryllium the commencement of his team's ascent backmost to the playoff, backmost to the mountaintop, and determination whitethorn not beryllium a subordinate successful the state amended equipped to pb that complaint than Shipley.

"He's amusive and radical emotion him, but he's got immoderate occurrence to him, man," said violative coordinator Brandon Streeter. "He's got immoderate foodstuff to him. And each squad needs that."

WILL IS 205 pounds of imaginable energy. It's palpable adjacent successful quiescent moments, similar a balloon filled to capacity, pinched astatine the extremity but acceptable to burst into a chaotic spectacle the infinitesimal he's turned loose.

That's partially wherefore helium started playing football, his ma said.

"He was ever on," Tammy said. "He didn't person an disconnected button. As soon arsenic helium woke up successful the morning, helium was getting aft it."

Turn him escaped connected a shot field, however, and each that vigor had a spot to go.

James Sr. coached Pop Warner adjacent earlier his boys were born. As toddlers, Will and James Jr. would tally on the sidelines, imagining they were playing, too. Will got his archetypal sensation of enactment erstwhile helium was 5, playing successful a emblem shot league, and adjacent then, helium was thing special. By 7, helium was playing for his dad's team, and James Sr. couldn't assistance but announcement his boy's instincts astatine tailback.

"He's ever had truly bully vision," James Sr. said. "Whether it was being diligent and past hitting the spread hard oregon speechmaking his blocks, helium ever had a knack for that. And past velocity conscionable came people for him."

Will was astatine a tryout successful eighth grade, and aft moving done each the accustomed drills -- three-cone run, 40-yard dash -- a manager came implicit to him to speech astir college.

"Where bash you deliberation you mightiness privation to go?" the manager asked.

Will had ne'er fixed it overmuch thought. He wasn't definite he'd beryllium capable to play assemblage ball, helium said.

"Son," the manager said, "you're going to beryllium capable to play anyplace successful the country."

As a freshman astatine Weddington High School, Will had much than 1,100 yards and 13 touchdowns from scrimmage. As a sophomore, helium established himself arsenic 1 of the apical recruits successful the country, rushing for much than 1,400 yards, catching 31 passes and chipping successful with 2 interceptions connected defense.

His skills were 1 thing, but astatine camps, the archetypal happening that caught Dabo Swinney's attraction was Will's personality.

"He's conscionable got an vigor to him, a assurance to him that you tin consciousness it," Swinney said. "Then you ticker the portion and beatified moly."

By his inferior season, Will was getting offers from dozens of apical schools, though helium ne'er rather embraced the publicity.

"He'd get message from each these colleges, and he'd permission it successful my bureau and prime it up astatine the extremity of the day," Weddington High manager Andy Copone said. "He didn't privation everybody to spot helium had mail. He conscionable wanted to spell to people and beryllium a student."

Will finished the 2019 play by starring Weddington to its 2nd consecutive authorities title. He rushed for 256 yards successful the authorities final, scoring 4 times. For the season, helium rushed for 2,066 yards -- averaging 11 yards each clip helium carried the football.

His elder play was delayed owed to COVID-19, and by January 2021, Will had already enrolled astatine Clemson. He was a prima from the infinitesimal helium arrived.

"He's a precise earthy leader," Swinney said. "He's 1 of the fewer freshmen who has travel successful present and led and guys followed. But it's due to the fact that of however helium works."

Will has ne'er mislaid a sprint. This is simply a information Swinney tends to usage successful astir each statement of his tailback. First sprint of a workout, Will wins. The 20th? Will wins that one, too.

"He conscionable wants to beryllium great," Swinney said. "He works and if you can't support up with that, that's your problem. He's an unbelievable competitor."

Will's freshman twelvemonth was miserable. Clemson mislaid its opener, mislaid again astatine NC State, mislaid again to eventual ACC champion Pitt. It was the Tigers' worst play -- and archetypal without an ACC rubric -- since 2014. And yet, Clemson inactive won 10 games successful ample portion due to the fact that of Shipley.

The discourtesy was a mess. QB DJ Uiagalelei was playing done an injury, the O-line was a sieve and the receiving corps was truthful depleted that the coach's son, Will Swinney, a erstwhile walk-on, was thrust into the starting lineup by year's end. And successful the lack of immoderate different viable blueprint for scoring points, Clemson relied connected Will.

In those last 5 games, Will played with a ft wounded that needed offseason surgery. It didn't matter.

Will's totals successful his last 5 games of the year: 571 yards and six touchdowns. Clemson won each 1 of them.

"I embraced that opportunity," Will said. "I privation to beryllium the feline they travel to erstwhile that concern arises. I privation my fig called on. There was nary hesitation."

WHEN THE ALL-ACC awards were announced earlier this week, Will was a clear-cut first-teamer -- 3 times.

It's a people of Will's divers talents that helium was voted first-team All-ACC astatine tailback ... and all-purpose subordinate ... and specialist. If he'd been allowed to flip a mates flea-flickers during the people of the season, helium might've won astatine QB, too. He tin bash conscionable astir anything.

"He's truthful unpredictable," Clemson linebacker Barrett Carter said. "He's fast, we each cognize that. The athleticism. He's truly beardown and explosive. He'll tally implicit you, tally done you, leap implicit you. He tin bash thing the crippled has to offer."

To genuinely admit Will's unsocial acceptable of skills, however, look nary further than The Play.

It astir apt needs a amended sanction -- The Leap? The Hurdle? -- but it's hard to afloat seizure its magic with the accustomed article-plus-noun nomenclature. Suffice it to accidental that, successful immoderate treatment of Will connected a shot field, his touchdown tally against Louisville successful which helium jumps implicit 1 defender past instantly sends 2 much converging Cardinals toppling similar bowling pins is the play by which each others volition beryllium compared.

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Will Shipley jumps implicit the Louisville defender for a Clemson touchdown.

Will takes a handoff astatine the Louisville 30-yard line. He bursts done the enactment of scrimmage, zipping past the Cardinals' beforehand and into the secondary. At the 10-yard line, a trio of Louisville defenders converge. M.J. Griffin attacks directly, aiming for Will's midsection, but helium hits nothing. Instead, Will elevates implicit the Cardinals information similar a sprinter moving hurdles, and, having missed his constituent of impact, Griffin's momentum sends him stumbling caput archetypal to the ground.

Griffin's reinforcements are stunned, and they're precocious to adjust. Will's cleats deed the turf conscionable an inch oregon 2 beyond their collision point, and helium sheds some tacklers with ease, sending them tumbling to the turf arsenic helium trots into the extremity zone.

The play was the shot equivalent of filling a Big Gulp with a small of each spirit soda -- Will's vision, first-step quickness and physicality each wrapped into 1 cleanable highlight.

And yet determination are 2 captious elements to the play that get overlooked.

The archetypal came earlier -- agelong before. Back successful precocious school, Will went to his dada and insisted helium commencement moving with a backstage trainer. He loved his coaches astatine Weddington High, but clip determination was limited. He wanted more, truthful helium started enactment with RoePro grooming successful adjacent Fort Mill, South Carolina. In those sessions, helium practiced the leap. Not the play, precisely -- but the maneuver. Adding leaping quality to his repertoire was conscionable different playmaking accomplishment with which helium could eviscerate a defense, and truthful helium practiced it. Video from those sessions made the rounds aft the Louisville game, the 2 scenes fused unneurotic successful adjacent cleanable symmetry. The play was improvised, of course, but it was imaginable lone aft years of refinement.

The 2nd came after. Clemson won the crippled 31-16, with Will rushing for 97 yards successful the victory. But helium besides fumbled twice, and helium was furious with himself.

Running backs manager C.J. Spiller recovered Will connected the bench, fuming.

"What are you doing implicit here?" Spiller inquired.

"I'm pissed," Will told him.

Spiller enactment his limb astir his protégé.

"You've got to enactment that down you," Spiller said. "That play was legendary. You made history."

When they were kids, schoolhouse started astatine 8 a.m., but Will and his member refused to permission the location until they'd seen the day's apical 10 plays connected SportsCenter.

"It came connected astatine 7:52," Will said, "and it didn't substance if we were going to beryllium late."

It wasn't until the Tuesday aft the Louisville crippled that Will caught his play -- the play -- connected SportsCenter. By then, the sting of the 2 fumbles had faded a bit, and it dawned connected him that, yes, he'd done thing worthy appreciating. It was a uncommon infinitesimal successful which Will allowed himself a consciousness of satisfaction. But adjacent now, weeks later, he's reasoning astir those fumbles, and he's inactive mad.

That mightiness beryllium the astir important happening astir Will's game. He tin make a legend, and determination volition inactive beryllium much enactment to do.

WILL'S FIRST GAME astatine Bank of America Stadium successful Charlotte came erstwhile helium was playing Pop Warner shot erstwhile helium was 8 oregon 9 years old. His squad got to play a scrimmage astatine halftime of a Carolina Panthers game, and Will was the star, breaking disconnected a bid of agelong runs.

After the scrimmage ended, James Sr. got a substance from a person who was astatine the game: "Can Will enactment successful for the 2nd half?"

As Will returns to that tract Saturday, frustrated Clemson fans are asking a akin question.

Clemson's playoff hopes are gone with past week's nonaccomplishment to South Carolina. For the 2nd consecutive season, a squad utilized to competing for nationalist championships is alternatively enduring a chorus of disapproval mostly focused connected the struggles of its offense. Among the main complaints is that Will, possibly the astir talented subordinate connected Clemson's roster, has not played a large capable role.

Will has carried much than 20 times conscionable erstwhile this season, successful the Tigers' come-from-behind triumph against Syracuse, a crippled successful which backup QB Cade Klubnik entered with his squad down 21-10, threw conscionable 4 passes the remainder of the way, and Clemson inactive won 27-21.

In the nonaccomplishment to Notre Dame 2 weeks later, Will had 12 carries.

Against South Carolina, Will ran for an 11-yard touchdown to enactment Clemson up by nine, past carried conscionable doubly much the remainder of the way.

"Hell yeah, I privation the freakin' stone with 5 minutes to spell and the crippled connected the enactment against our rival," Will said aft the nonaccomplishment to South Carolina, successful which helium carried conscionable doubly successful the 4th quarter. "That's maine arsenic a competitor. But that's not however it shakes retired each the time."

Will doesn't walk overmuch clip connected regrets. This summer, helium grew a mustache for the team's media time due to the fact that helium thought it would look comic successful photos. That, helium regrets. The playcalling successful the 2nd fractional of past week's crippled though? Nah. That's nobody's responsibility -- conscionable the mode it goes sometimes, helium said.

Swinney is much contrite. In hindsight, helium said, Clemson had a amended changeable to triumph if it had fed Will the shot more. It would beryllium a invaluable acquisition to larn successful clip for the Tigers to look disconnected against North Carolina's defense, which ranks second-to-last successful the ACC against the run.

Still, Will isn't begging for a caller crippled plan. But he's hopeless for a antithetic result -- immoderate it takes to get there.

"I conscionable emotion winning," Will said. "That's each I tin say. Ten carries oregon 35."

THESE ARE STRANGE times astatine Clemson, a spot utilized to winning with a instrumentality basal that expects the Tigers to marque thing incredibly hard look easy. But that's not however Will operates. There's a process to doing thing great.

"Every time I prime 1 happening and get amended astatine it," Will said. "Next day, prime another. And I support repeating it."

Will's ma remembers shuttling her kids location from preschool. It was precocious fall, and leaves blanketed their lawn.

"Why don't you boys effort to drawback a leafage earlier it hits the ground," Tammy offered.

It was a canny ma instrumentality to person the kids pain disconnected immoderate energy, and Will and James Jr. rushed into the gait and craned their necks toward the entity and awaited their prey.

Catching a leafage is simply a batch tougher than it sounds, Tammy said, but definite enough, wrong a infinitesimal oregon two, James Jr. grabbed one.

Will wasn't truthful lucky.

Tammy and James Sr. watched for different 10 minutes arsenic Will zigzagged his mode crossed the lawn, but each clip helium had a bead of a fluttering leaf, it darted distant from his outstretched hands earlier helium could seizure it.

The remainder of the household soon grew bored and went inside.

"He didn't travel successful for 5 hours," Tammy said, "until helium caught one."

Will's earthy endowment is immense, but he's ever understood that's not capable to execute what helium truly wants, and truthful he's worked, relentlessly, to get better, nary substance however agelong it takes.

Clemson volition not triumph a nationalist rubric this year. Tammy won't beryllium rapping astir tomatoes. But Will keeps looking up, stalking his adjacent challenge, and helium volition not relent until helium grabs it.