The Clemson receiver who has looked like a pro this spring

Clemson coaches have been raving about Amari Rodgers since he stepped on campus prior to last season.

The wide receiver was the talk of fall camp in 2017 as he made play after play against Clemson’s talented secondary, and after catching 19 passes for 123 yards as a true freshman, Rodgers is again drawing high praise from Clemson’s coaching staff.

Tigers co-offensive coordinator and receivers coach Jeff Scott was recently asked if any receivers have stood out in spring practice, and Rodgers’ name was the first one out of his mouth.

“I would say Amari Rodgers is a guy that’s just been on fire this spring, done a really good job. He’s very businesslike,” Scott said. “He practices like a pro. What I mean by that is he’s a guy that he doesn’t look like a college guy out there. He’s a 28-29-year-old guy that’s going about his business. He’s very serious about it. It’s very important.”

Rodgers was rated as the No. 117 overall prospect in the country by the 247Sports composite rankings coming out of Knoxville Catholic High in Knoxville, Tenn.

He caught 40 passes for 1,238 yards and 18 touchdowns as a senior in high school and immediately worked himself into Clemson’s talented receiving rotation in 2017.

Scott described Rodgers as a perfectionist.

“He’s disappointed if he doesn’t do it exactly right,” Scott said. “He’s back in there watching the film after practice and just trying to be a master of the details. So I’ve been really pleased with him.”

In addition to contributing at receiver, Rodgers will be a punt returner for the Tigers in 2018.

Ray-Ray McCloud, who was a weapon for Clemson in the return game last year, opted to turn pro following his junior season.

Rodgers, who excelled at punt returning in high school, reached out to Eagles receiver Nelson Agholor for advice as far as punt returning in college.

"I was with him during spring break and I asked him, 'Yo bro, I saw you took a lot of kick and punts to the house. What do you do?' And he was like, 'See it and hit it. Get the ball and go north. East and west doesn't work for you.' So that's one thing I've put in my head. I see one slight hole and I'm going to hit it,” Rodgers said. “In high school it was a lot easier. You come out here and there's four and five stars. As soon as you catch it, you turn and run that way."

Rodgers is not the only receiver who has impressed Scott this spring.

He also expects T.J. Chase to make a jump after hauling in five passes for 35 yards last season.

“T.J. Chase is another guy that I’m really pleased with his progress,” Scott said. “He’s a guy that a lot of people don’t know about. He’s going to surprise a lot of people, in my opinion, and have a chance to be an excellent player for us here.”

This story was originally published April 7, 2018 at 9:41 PM with the headline "The Clemson receiver who has looked like a pro this spring."