Tony Elliott on Hunter Renfrow's success: "He practices the right way."

What was your first impression of Hunter Renfrow?

Is this guy going to survive? I'm here with all these Division I athletes. He showed up. He's a small guy, unassuming, doesn't look like a football player. But the moment he took off running and we saw him catch the ball, just his knack for the game, we knew he'd have a chance to compete.

How often does he drop balls in practice? Does he ever drop anything?

Actually, I think he dropped the first one the other day, and I had to get on him. I said, "Hunter, I'm not used to yelling at you for dropping the ball." He doesn't drop the ball. I think that's why he's so successful is because he practices the right way. He takes practice like it's a game. That's why he's able to perform.

What is it about him that makes him able to perform and produce at that high level against a good team?

I think it just goes back to who he is at his core, his belief system. Very, very confident, very, very humble. He understands it's a privilege to be out there. Every day, when he comes to practice, he treats it like it's a privilege. His attention to detail is unbelievable. He's got a coach's mind, grew up in a coaching household. He understands what it takes to be successful, and that's why he's able to compete.

What's special about Hunter Renfrow that allows him to have success as a player that doesn't get talked about enough or doesn't get enough credit?

I don't think his natural ability gets talked about enough. You look at him he's as quick a guy we have on the field. Maybe not as fast as some other receivers in Deon [Cain] or Tee Higgins. But he's very, very quick. And it's the way that he goes about it. He's a master of his craft. And that's something that's being lost with young people nowadays. Because they watch the pro guys. And the pro guys are very, very talented. And they can get away with not having good technique. They can false step in their routes. Their break points don't have to be perfect. But Hunter is a master of his craft. So he understands leverage, influence, break points, setting up defenders. He reads coverages well. So he's a master of his craft. And that's why he's able to compete with guys maybe a little more talented than him.

Alabama has a ton of injuries on defense. When you watched them from the beginning of the season to the end, how have you seen them adapt given all the injuries they've had?

They keep saying there are a lot of injuries, but they just keep rolling guys in there. I swear they've got about 25 defensive linemen. Every time you watch film, you see a different one. Literally in our staff meetings watching film, we're like who's 24 [Lewis]? Who's 4 [Allen]? And they just keep rolling them in there. But you see their system. They ask those guys to be ready to perform.

The biggest area of concern would be their linebacker motion. I think they're going to get a lot of D linemen back. Really the linebacker position is the one that probably gives them the biggest issue just because they ask those guys to do so much. But when 30 [Wilson] was in there, you saw him come back from his foot injury later in the season versus Auburn playing at a high level. But, when 30 [Wilson] was in there, you saw him come back from his foot injury late in the season versus Auburn, playing at a high level.

Obviously, 42 [Holcombe] has played a lot of football for them early in the season. And then I think one of their best players on defense is 32 [Evans], the way that he runs around. So I anticipate that with the time off, they have an opportunity to get those guys healthy and really haven't seen them go away from what they do. They just keep plugging guys in and asking those young guys to step up. 

What's it like to watch Minkah Fitzpatrick on film?

He's incredible to watch because he does so much. I mean, he can go out there and play corner, lock you down. He can lock your slot down. He rushes the passer. If they need him to go back and play off the hash, he can do it all. You can tell he's like a quarterback out there. He gets those guys in the secondary where thee need to be and plays with a motor. And you can see that everyone feeds off his confidence.

What about Kelly Bryant?

Going into it we knew athletically he had everything he needed. We just didn't know how he was going to perform when the lights came on. Right out the gate seeing how he came out against Kent State, being able to throw the ball where he needed to throw it, he continued to progress. Biggest thing is, when there was a little bit of a lull and we weren't hitting the deep balls down the field, he never lost confidence. He kept throwing the ball. And that's just a sign of maturity that he trusts the process, he trusts his ability. And he understands that you're going to have to work through some low times to get back to performing at a high level.

What did you make of when people were questioning you guys at the beginning of the season because of having to replace Deshaun Watson?

It's "next man up" is the mentality. We've been working for a long time as a program to get to that point. And we challenge everybody, whether they're a starter or a backup going into it, you have to prepare as if you're a starter because you're one snap away from being the guy that the team is counting on. So Kelly had a great mentor in Deshaun. He saw it every single day what it looks like to prepare, what it looks like to go out, your practice habits, your demeanor, how you handle the media. He had a perfect example in front of him. And he was a young person that he took advantage of that. A lot of guys, when they're in a backup role, they sit there and wait their time, twiddling their thumbs. He took advantage of it. He prepared every single day. And, when he got his opportunity he performed. So just having Deshaun there every single day showed him what a I said it before, Deshaun prepared like a pro. I think that's what Kelly has been able to adapt and learn throughout the season, how you prepare like a pro.

Was there ever doubt through spring practice and summer that he would be your guy? Was that ever a question in your mind and Coach Swinney's mind?

Never a question. I think right out of the gate when we started we had great chemistry, great cohesion. And you could tell that he'd been working in the offseason with the guys. The team was very, very confident in his ability. The biggest question and concern was we'd never seen him do it under the lights. When you talk about going on the road to Louisville, we're going to have to go to Virginia Tech, playing in those environments, he'd never been the guy out there first. That was our only concern.

Physically and mentally, we knew he was prepared and ready. He had waited his turn. He really brought the guys together. And we were excited about what we had offensively. Because there were a lot of questions with all the guys that walked away. But we saw that the guys rallied towards him. He's got a great demeanor about himself. The guys really feed off him. And now we just need to see him do it.

Did those stages, those road games against those teams, compare to what we'll see on Monday? 

I think, when you're playing Florida State in Clemson, that's a big game when you're on the road at Lane Stadium at night, College GameDay, biggest game in a long time. They got all their former great they're honoring there. Go to Louisville. And, if you look back to when Deshaun [Watson] was a young guy, Deshaun didn't play quite as good at Louisville. Third game of the season Kelly [Bryant] goes there and leads us to one of the biggest victories we've had on the road in our conference. I think he's going to be ready for the moment. And what you're learning about Kelly is there's never a moment that's too big for him. I think that's something that he learned from Deshaun, too, is just, once the smoke clears and you're on the field, it's just football

Characterwise or personalitywise do you see similarities in how they handle things?

No question. I think it stems from both of their backgrounds. Everybody knows Deshaun's background, his humble upbringing. And Kelly [Bryant] has a similar story. Family structure might be a little different, but he overcame serious adversity in high school that potentially took the game away from him. So, when he was able to overcome that and put the game in perspective for him, And like I said on [Hunter] Renfrow, he treats it like it's a privilege. That's what you see out of Deshaun and Kelly. That gives them that calm demeanor to never panic.

Have you seen a defensive end as big as Raekwon Davis?

No, I have not.

What's the challenge in game planning?

One, he's an unbelievable athlete. To be 6'7" 300 plus pounds, his change in direction and length. Biggest thing for him is just the challenge of having that length. He's got the versatility to go inside. So he can play 3 technique, and he can line up at defensive end. So, when he's at end, he has the length that he can use to his advantage. When he's inside, he also has that speed and quickness to create an advantage on centers and guards. He's a lot like was it Jonathan Allen from last year? A lot like him in his versatility but he's bigger. He's a lot longer than Allen was.

A lot of teams facing Alabama just don't even try to run, looks like they just concede that they can't do it. How important is it for you guys to be able to say this is a big part of what we do and we're going to find a way?

No question. You've got to run the ball effectively. You haven't seen anybody just come right out at Alabama and knock them off the ball and get four or five yards a clip. You've got to have ways within your scheme to generate a running game. But you've got to stay committed to it, keep them honest. You don't want to get in a situation where it's passing every down. Because they've got packages to bring speed guys on the field and really create some havoc. You've got to keep them honest, keep them in their base personnel by trying to effectively run the football.

What would the matchup be like him against Fitzpatrick? What do you think that matchup is going to be like?

I think it's going to be the key matchup in the game. Obviously, Hunter [Renfrow] has had some really, really good games against these guys. So they're going to be gunning to make sure that they take him away and force other guys to make plays. I'm anxious to see that matchup. Obviously, Minkah is the bigger more physical guy. But Renfrow is a technician. So you're going to see technique versus athletic ability. And, hopefully, our technique will win.

To a reader that just sees Minkah [Fitzpatrick] make a lot of plays, how unusual is his versatility?

Well, most guys in the secondary are either a safety or they're a corner. So he can play in the box. He can play out of the box. He can go isolate into the boundary, take away your best receiver. He can go back on the hash and just be a middle field player. So not many guys can do that. A lot like Jabrill Peppers. He was a guy who was very, very versatile. But Minkah is bigger, longer, a little bit faster, and probably more versatile than Peppers was.

Is this a game where no matter how much success you have running, you got to stick with it and keep pounding away?

No question. You've got to keep them honest. They're built to stop the run. And you've got to make sure that you keep them honest. Because, if you don't, you get into a situation where they can get speed off the edges. They can stay fresh by rotating guys in, if you're constantly in passing situations. You've got to run the ball effectively in this game.

Last couple years you guys have had primary success through the air. Is there a sense of confidence that, if things don't go well on the ground, you have found a way to gain yardage through the air against the Alabama defense?

You've got to take whatever they give you. And the last couple years, obviously, that front seven was unbelievable. And you knew that you weren't going to be able to run the ball. And our strength was at the positions outside with Mike Williams and then Deshaun [Watson] with his ability to throw the ball. I think going into it you've got to have a plan to run it; you've got to have a plan to pass it. And then, as the game unfolds, once you play a little cat and mouse, you'll see which one they're going to give you. And you have to try to take advantage of that and create opportunities.

Personnel-wise it's safe to say it's probably not possible or, to the extent that you can't simply replicate what you guys have done, just because you have a different cast of character, maybe they have a different cast?

I think our confidence is there to be able to throw the football. Because, if you watch how 4 Quotes provided by Caption Northwest, Inc. – 425-343-4946 www.captionnorthwest.com Clemson Offense Press Conference December 29, 2017 Kelly is throwing the ball down the stretch obviously, the guy that probably played some of the biggest plays in the game last year was Deon Cain. And he's back. And RayRay [McCloud] is chomping at the bit because he didn't get any catches in this game last year. Our perimeter guys are excited to play. Biggest thing is take the ego out of it and whatever it takes to be successful. So whatever they're going to give us, we're going to try to take advantage of.

They're not 100% at linebacker. But can you talk about how they're getting healthier at linebacker, how does that affect your game plan?

To me, in my opinion, the best football player on the field for them has been number 32, Artur Davis. He is a contact player. He's all over the place. You can see he's a very instinctual guy, lot of experience. 42 [Holcombe] made a lot of plays for them when he was in there early. And there was a transition when number 30 [Wilson] came back healthy. He started playing. Obviously, [Dylan] Moses was a young guy you could tell his experience he was gaining experience every single week. But they ask those guys to do a lot. Those guys are the heart and soul. You can tell they do some things where they flip based off where your alignment of your tight end is. So it looks like those guys are getting healthy at the right point, and they're going to have all their bullets in this game.

How have your skill positions this year impacted the way you and Jeff call a game as opposed to last year where you had a Mike [Williams] or a Jordan or Wayne [Gallman] that were sort of feature guys?

I think the depth hasn't changed it much. The identity of this team is a little different whereas, last year people were committed to stopping the run. So we led with the pass a lot with Mike and those guys on the perimeter. Whereas, this year we've been able to run the ball probably with more success than we did last year, as opposed to 2015 we ran the ball a lot. I think it's more so how teams are trying to defend us. And with the emergence of Travis and those guys being big play guys. Wayne was just a steady, consistent pounder. He was going to get you four yards, but he wasn't going to break as many big runs. Whereas, now you've got dynamic young guys that can break big runs in the running game. So that gives you more flexibility and options there. It's more so, not necessarily the depth, as how teams have played us and how the identity of this offense has come about.

What did you think when you saw y'all were going to play Alabama again for the third year in a row? When you're in the moment it's hard to appreciate the historical significance. But trilogy is sort of a big thing in sports, and the first two legs of this have been pretty impressive.

No question. It's let's go. It's almost like this is what we do. We work all year to hit our goals and get an opportunity to play against the best. Everybody knows for so long Alabama has been a standard in college football and a team that we've been trying to chase on the field. So in order for us to get to where we want to be, obviously, you've got to match up against the best and got to have your victories against the best. So, if that's what it takes, we're ready for a challenge.