How Baylon Spector went from no offers before Clemson to being Tigers’ top tackler
Baylon Spector was already a star on his high school team as a sophomore, playing both ways while helping Calhoun High (Ga.) to an undefeated season and a state title.
But heading into his junior year in the summer of 2015, Spector was still searching for someone to give him an opportunity to play college football somewhere.
The versatile playmaker, whose father Robbie played receiver at Clemson from 1988-90, was traveling around to different camps throughout the southeast hoping to catch the attention of a coaching staff.
When he arrived at Clemson for a three-day camp, he had zero scholarship offers. He left with the offer he desired most.
“I remember just hoping and praying that I could get an offer from somewhere,” Spector recalled.
That three-day camp ended up shaping Spector’s football career and his future. Spector played all over the field for Hal Lamb at Calhoun High, spending time at quarterback, running back, cornerback and safety.
On the first day of Clemson’s camp in 2015, he was working out with the safeties for defensive backs coach Mike Reed before Tigers defensive coordinator Brent Venables suggested Spector give linebacker a try. It didn’t take Spector long to make an impression on Venables.
“Venables came over to Coach (Dabo) Swinney and said, ‘Hey, I don’t know who this long-haired kid is over here, but he can play,’ ” Robbie Spector said. “That sort of hammered home the fact that he’s got legitimate opportunity, and if they’re seeing something with him the first day of drills, then this could very well become a reality for us.”
It soon did.
By the end of the camp, Spector had earned an offer from Clemson and committed shortly thereafter to his dream school.
He was the lowest-ranked player in Clemson’s 14-man recruiting class for 2017, but both parties felt good about the match. The Tigers believed they had a difference maker in Spector, and Spector felt that he was going to get to learn from the best defensive mind in college football in Venables. The three-star recruit and No. 61-ranked player in Georgia was ready to get to work.
“I think they do a phenomenal job recruiting,” Lamb said of Clemson. “They’re going to recruit to their fit. It’s not about chasing all the best five stars and all of that. They’re going to recruit to their fit, and that’s what I like. They’re high-quality coaches.”
The adjustment period
Venables is arguably the best defensive coordinator in college football, and he demands excellence and accountability from his players — especially his linebackers.
Spector started out at Sam linebacker as a freshman, before moving inside to Will in his first year. For a guy who had never played inside linebacker before, doing so for the first time in Venables’ system was a challenge.
“As a freshman you’re like, ‘Ah, I don’t know if I’ll ever be’ ... you see all the old guys and they have it down and our defense is so complex. Mentally, it’s just totally different,” Spector said.
Spector took a redshirt his first year on campus in 2017, before playing 62 snaps over 15 games in 2018.
He observed closely the work of Kendall Joseph, Dorian O’Daniel, J.D. Davis and Judah Davis, who were ahead of him on the depth chart his first two years, taking note of the extra film study they took part in and the extra reps they got after practice.
He also spent plenty of time talking with Venables and realized what is required to succeed at a program like Clemson.
“I’ve never met a guy that will push you so hard to be the best that you can be on and off the field,” Spector said of Venables. “To come in and watch extra tape, to get your stuff done, to be a great person of faith. He demands excellence out of everybody he runs into. And that’s a special, unique character trait that he has. I’m thankful to have him as a coach and for him to have this small little time in my life to make me the best that I can be.”
Becoming a leader
The extra film study, extra reps and constant desire to get better is paying off for Spector in 2020.
After contributing regularly off the bench last year, recording 45 tackles, six tackles for loss and a pair of sacks, Spector is Clemson’s leading tackler through four games this season.
He not only leads the Tigers in tackles with 27, but he’s second in tackles for loss with five and is tied for the team lead in sacks with 2.5.
“He’s a great player,” Swinney said. “Their talent gets them here, and their skills develop. If you’ve got the work ethic, you’re going to make it. But you’ve got to put the work in. You’ve gotta go earn it. Baylon is the epitome of that.”
Spector is one of eight new starters on Clemson’s defense for 2020, a unit that entered the season with question marks but ranks in the top 10 nationally in tackles for loss, sacks and scoring defense.
Spector has led Clemson in tackles each of the last two games and earned Walter Camp National Defensive Player of the Week honors for his performance against Virginia after recording 13 tackles, including 1.5 for loss. He, along with fellow linebacker James Skalski, have been nicknamed the “bruise brothers” by Swinney because they seem to always be around the ball and pack a punch when they arrive.
“He and Skalski, it’s a reflection of how they practice. I mean, I’m telling you, every single rep at practice is a game rep for those two guys. They put a ton of work in every week to get themselves ready to play,” Swinney said. “It’s just good to see them enjoy the fruits of their labor a little bit, because I know how hard they work. It’s the unseen grind.”
Family ties
Baylon isn’t the only Spector making plays for Clemson this season. His brother, Brannon Spector, is a redshirt freshman receiver for the Tigers.
The younger Spector brother is tied for fifth on Clemson’s team in receptions with eight for 58 yards and has already drawn comparisons to Hunter Renfrow for his ability to find holes in opposing defenses and make plays.
“Brannon’s gonna be another great one for us for the next several years,” Swinney said.
While the brothers have similarities, including the fact that they were both three-star prospects, there are also some differences. For one, Brannon has been working to play receiver his whole life and didn’t have to learn a new position once he came to college. That has helped him to get on the field quickly.
“That’s what he’s dreamed of. That’s what he’s practiced. That’s what he’s always worked at,” Robbie said. “So for him, the transition in college hasn’t necessarily been as tough because of his background and things that he and I have worked on and the things I was fortunate enough to teach him with my knowledge.”
Baylon, Brannon and the Tigers will be in the Spectors’ home state of Georgia this weekend as the Tigers face Georgia Tech in Atlanta, about an hour from where the brothers grew up.
And Robbie will be in the stands.
When Baylon and Brannon were kids, it was them sitting in the bleachers with Robbie, hearing stories about his playing days with the Tigers. Now Robbie gets to sit in the stands and watch his sons play for the program he was once a part of.
“It’s almost like a dream come true, but you dreamed it and were like, ‘No, that’s not really possible,’ ” Robbie said. “To actually sit there and watch it happen, it’s a blessing that you can’t necessarily put into words.”
This story was originally published October 14, 2020 at 2:14 PM.
