Clemson CB Marcus Edmond playing catch-up after hamstring injury

Former Lower Richland star Marcus Edmond appeared destined for a breakout junior season at Clemson, but he is now climbing an uphill battle before the Tigers have even played a game.

The cornerback was penciled in as a starter opposite Cordrea Tankersley on Clemson’s defense entering fall camp before missing the first three weeks of practice with a hamstring injury.

He returned to practice on Monday and is working to get back in the mix for playing time.

“He’s got to get into shape. That’s the biggest thing,” Tigers defensive coordinator Brent Venables said. “Is he behind? Probably a little bit because he’s not in great shape yet, but he’s an athlete, so we’ll see. He’ll be ready to help us this year for sure.”

Venables said Edmond ran a 4.3 40-yard dash this offseason and has shown flashes of being a playmaker in the Clemson secondary.

Even though he has only been back at practice a couple of days, he is catching the coaching staff’s attention.

“He’s done well. You can see his experience coming back as opposed to a young guy getting hurt and being rusty,” Venables said. “He’s an older guy that’s kind of, ‘Ok, I know where I’m supposed to be and my leverage,’ some of those things. He’s done well.”

Edmond appeared in all 15 of Clemson’s games in 2015, contributing mostly on special teams.

He also played 53 snaps defensively and logged seven tackles.

Edmond is competing alongside sophomore Mark Fields, freshman Trayvon Mullen, junior Ryan Carter and freshman K’Von Wallace for playing time at cornerback.

Tankersley said he believes the defensive backs are talented but still have plenty of work to do.

“We’re still developing. We still have a long ways to go. We’re progressing each and every day. We’re just all working on getting on the same page,” he said. “I think this group wants to be great. I think they come out with a competitive edge every single day, and I think that’s going to drive us in the long run.”

He added that Edmond can be a big part of the Clemson defense in 2016 if he can stay healthy.

“He doesn’t wanna try to do too much and re-tweak his hamstring so he’s just kind of taking it day-by-day, step-by-step,” Tankersley said. “He still has his speed. It’s just a matter of knocking the rust off and building the confidence and getting back in the rotation.”

This story was originally published August 25, 2016 at 11:56 AM with the headline "Clemson CB Marcus Edmond playing catch-up after hamstring injury."