Clemson wide receiver Germone Hopper will miss the rest of spring practices to focus on his academics, according to a school spokesman.
Hopper is one of several receivers expected to help compensate for the early departures of Sammy Watkins and Martavis Bryant (a combined 2,292 receiving yards and 19 touchdowns in 2013) to the NFL. Hopper had 23 catches for 149 yards and two touchdowns from the slot receiver position last season.
In spite of the losses of Watkins and Bryant, Clemson still returns receivers who accounted for 48 percent of the passes and gained 41 percent of the yards. In addition to Hopper, the staff has high expectations for Adam Humphries, Charone Peake and Mike Williams.
Humphries had 41 receptions last season, third on the team, for 483 yards and two scores. Williams started three games last season and had 20 receptions for 316 yards (15.8 ypc) and three touchdowns. He had at least one catch in 10 of the 13 games. Peake played just the first two games of last season before suffering a torn ACL in a practice the week after the South Carolina State game. He played a big role in Clemson’s win over Georgia with five catches for 58 yards.
Clemson will have its first scrimmage on March 31.
