The state of Texas has always been the hotbed of college football talent, producing players like Kyler Murray and Bijan Robinson. However, there’s a lesser-known town, Midlothian, just 25 miles southwest of Dallas, where a wide receiver was recently trying to follow in the footsteps of his Texas legends. And he had immense help, too. From a family steeped in athletic tradition. His father had already earned five All-American honors. The floodgates of glory were truly already promised. Add to that an offer from Dabo Swinney’s Clemson? Nothing could have gone wrong, and that showed in Bryant Wesco Jr.’s 2024 true freshman season.
Just as Clemson finished the season having made it to the playoffs after years of waiting, emerging out of that 2020 loss against Ohio State. Bryant Wesco Jr. also became pivotal for Swinney, finishing with 708 receiving yards and putting in a 130-yard performance against Appalachian State. Not just that, but against SMU, the guy was unstoppable as he recorded an incredible 43-yard touchdown along with totaling 143 receiving yards. Naturally, one would expect him to take a step up in 2025, right?
Everything looks lined up for Wesco Jr., except that he has gained an extra 10 pounds during the offseason, raising issues about his decline in speed and explosiveness. “Clemson sophomore WR Bryant Wesco Jr. (12) has put on about 10 pounds since last season and now weighs closer to 190 lbs,” Chapel Fowler reported on X. Adam Breneman, the former Penn State legend, also delved into how coaches value players based on their track and field record and less so on their performance in the weight room. So, a similar issue can plague Bryant Wesco Jr., too.
“An Ohio State coach once said. We always want a track kid over a weightlifting kid. It was the same when I coached at Arizona State. We looked at track times more than weight room maxes, and we looked at them way more in depth. Speed is the one trait that shows up loud and clear on tape. It’s the great equalizer…. You can build strength in a college weight room, but you can’t teach 22 miles per hour. No matter how much speed training you do,” concluded Adam Breneman. But how does this affect Bryant Wesco Jr.?
An Ohio State coach once told me:
“We always want the track kid over the weight room kid.”
When I was coaching, we cared way more about track times than bench numbers.
Because you can’t teach speed.
You can build strength — but speed’s natural. pic.twitter.com/SYAVDzdA6C
— Adam Breneman (@AdamBreneman81) August 2, 2025
Of course, Adam Breneman’s take is for general college football players and in no way pertains to Wesco Jr. Still, it shows how a wide receiver like Wesco Jr., who plays at the Z position, would need speed to beat cornerbacks and create separation. Then, Dabo Swinney would also require him to stretch the defenses vertically and create openings, which at 190 lbs is doable. But it sure raises some calls for maybe changing Wesco Jr.’s position in the slot. That said, his athletic performances were top-notch in high school.
Clemson’s Bryant Wesco Jr. already had immense track and field talent
Apart from being a prolific wide receiver for high school and receiving 1,160 yards as a junior, Wesco Jr. was also an incredible track and field athlete. For context, the WR qualified for Texas 5A regionals in the high jump and triple jump as a sophomore and was the Texas 14-5A champion, too. At the time, his frame was around 6’2″ and 180 lbs, which might have provided the required agility for the multi-sport performances. But now?
Maybe this is an intentional strategy by Coach Tyler Grisham, as a role change might be on the cards. Still, as said, 190 lbs will still be manageable with some practice, as we have seen Antonio Williams, weighing around 190 lbs, as he plays in the slot, and T.J. Moore, who also weighs around 200 lbs. Now, coming to Clemson’s prospects for the 2025 season, they do look good as fall camp has already started.
Clemson is already one of the top 5 teams touted to make it to the national championship game and even lift the title. They have Cade Klubnik returning, apart from Wesco Jr., and an intact O-line making things easy for them. As for their schedule, the LSU game will be difficult, apart from other games like Syracuse, FSU, Louisville, and South Carolina. Apart from them, UNC and SMU could also give some trouble, although these would be the games where Clemson would be huge favorites.
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