CLEMSON -- To anyone who has spent any time observing Clemson's spring practices, the receiving corps has probably created the greatest sensation.
Quite simply, they're loaded. And it shows. A lot.
Add a tall, shifty presence in transfer Tristan Smith and it's certainly bringing back some memories of the old days.
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One jersey number and name that hasn't been a part of it is No. 3, that of Marquise Henderson.
On the surface, Henderson hasn't been available all spring after he suffered a hamstring injury on the first day of spring practice.
There's more to it than that, though.
We hesitate to get into all the details because a lot of it is personal in nature, and of course because this is a young kid who's been through difficult circumstances.
But Henderson has had a rough go of it since he arrived at Clemson as an early enrollee, and at this point we're not sure what the future holds.
According to multiple sources, Henderson is not participating in full team activities and needs to fulfill a list of accountability standards to ensure a return.
At the time that spring practice began, one contact wasn't sure of Henderson's availability because he hadn't completed the team's rigorous winter conditioning mat drills.
Up to this week Henderson has been with the team during spring practice, but in a yellow non-contact jersey.
"He's got a long way to go," Dabo Swinney said of Henderson in mid-March before the Tigers' spring break.
Henderson was sensational as a four-year starter at Belton-Honea Path High School. Entering early signing day in early December, he had averaged 11 yards per rush on 577 career carries for 6,369 yards.
Clemson offered him late, and the final test was a spectacular showing against Daniel High School in the 2023 state playoffs.
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The Lions narrowly beat BHP that night, but the big story was Henderson. He was playing a different game than everyone else before a late fumble near the goal line allowed Daniel to prevail.
"He's just a football player," Swinney said in December. "He can do so many things. He plays way bigger than he is. He's so fast. Just really glad we got him. I think there's a lot of opportunity with a guy like him. ... He's ... whew. You better get your hands on him or it's going to be a house call.'
At the start of spring practice, Swinney was open to the idea of the 5-foot-10, 170-pound Henderson playing at cornerback eventually but said he'd be at receiver initially.
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But the biggest question now pertains to off-the-field stuff as Henderson has to do some real work to put himself back into the good graces of the program.
Clemson's receiving corps has the potential to be elite with or without Henderson.
Seems for the time being it'll be without.
