Brandon Radcliff strolls into the press conference smiling Monday, having emerged from obscurity into the limelight after two consecutive 100-yard-plus games in which he has scored four touchdowns. Bringing boundless energy to an otherwise struggling offense.
He’s obviously happy about those stats but what really gets him going is the return of DeVante Parker to the offense this week.
“Everybody’s excited about that, man. We’ve been waiting for DP to come back,” he says. “He’s one of the top wide receivers in the nation. Just gets you excited knowing he’s going to be out there making those plays. He’s a great wide receiver, a great person to be around, he’s going give us the juice we needed. He’s the X-factor, a great player, he excites everyone out there.
“He’s just a dominant wide receiver, he can go across the middle, go up top, he’s very physical, very athletic, fast, jumps very high, one of the best athletes I’ve been around, one of the best I’ve seen play the game.”
Radcliff attributes much of his own escapability to a steady diet of leg squats all year round in the weight room. He can lift 675 pounds, second only to fullback Griffin Uhl who has lifted 700 pounds. “It really helps to have strong legs,” he says.
“Most of the time I’m trying to be the one who delivers the blow instead of the other way around,” he says. “You have to give your all, you can’t be afraid. Early in the game, you have to punish them before they punish you.”
The 5-foot-9, 207-pound sophomore gives a lot of credit to Running Backs Coach Kolby Smith, a former University of Louisville back, for what he has accomplished thus far. “Every day he pushes me. He seems like another player out there. I know he gets as tired as we do because he running along with us. He’s a great coach, always on us 100%. If we mess up, he’s right there in our ear making sure we make up for the next time. He’s like a big brother to all of us.”
He believes the offense may be coming together as they prepare for Clemson. “These are the kind of games we all look forward, big stadium, big crowd, huge game with a lot on the line,” he says. “It’s a great experience. It’s going to a memorable moment for all of us.”