TicketsCINCINNATI - There's a new home run hitter in Cincinnati.
No, I'm not writing about a member of Scott Googins' baseball Bearcats or the Cincinnati Reds. My subject is freshman running back Charles McClelland.
The 5'11, 185 pound speedster from Homerville, Georgia is a member of this year's highly-touted recruiting class and enrolled at UC in January in order to take part in spring football.
When the Bearcats recently held their first practice with full contact, McClelland stood out for his quick feet and big play potential. With incumbent running backs Gerrid Doaks, Michael Warren and Taylor Boose in yellow jerseys at various points this spring, McClelland has seen plenty of action when UC dons the pads and tackles.
"That was really a big day for him because we hadn't been in a live setting before," said head coach Luke Fickell. "He's a young guy that sometimes you think he might run a little too upright and I thought, 'He might get indoctrinated here.' But you know what? There are some guys that have that knack not to take big shots even when they are younger and a little bit slight coming out of high school. He really showed up with the ability not only to accelerate but to make some guys miss."
"He was a quarterback in high school and you worry, 'Is he really going to want to hit it up in the hole between the tackles?'" said quarterbacks coach Gino Guidugli. "He proved it in the first live contact period. I thought he ran great and he's also catching the ball really well. He's a fast learner so the future is bright for Charles McClelland."
Guidugli was the Cincinnati assistant coach that recruited McClelland out of Clinch County High School.
"I was recruiting South Georgia and it's really the first time that I have been in that area," said Guidugli. "I stopped at a couple of schools that were on my list and everybody asked me if Clinch County was on my list and it wasn't. I heard it at two or three schools so I figured that I had better stop at Clinch County. So when I got to the school, Charles was the first kid that they brought up and they told me about his grades and threw his film on. Then he came in and was very impressive. He communicates very well and is everything you're looking for when you go out to find a recruit. It's nice when you stumble across those."
"One day Coach Guidugli came into my school and saw my film," said McClelland. "I would say that two or three days later they offered me (a scholarship). I had a good relationship with him and decided that this is where I wanted to come to.
"I had never heard of (Cincinnati) really. I'm from South Georgia so I only knew about SEC teams."
McClelland helped lead his high school to a pair of state titles and was named the Region 2-A Player of the Year in Georgia as a senior. He was recruited by SEC schools, but not at his preferred position.
"I had offers from Auburn, LSU, and Kentucky," Charles told me. "They were saying that I could play running back, but every time that I went there I was always with the defensive backs coach. I kind of figured that's what they wanted me to play."
Cincinnati returns two of its top three rushers from last season in sophomores Gerrid Doaks (513 yards) and Michael Warren (324 yards), but McClelland's breakaway speed adds a different dimension.
"That's what we were looking to sign in the class," said Guidugli. "We knew that Gerrid Doaks was going to be a great player and were pleasantly surprised with how quickly Michael Warren came along, but they are similar. They're 220 pound, one-cut backs that are going to punish the defender. We thought we needed somebody with a little more explosiveness that could stretch the perimeter and be a home run hitter. As you saw in practice, he's that guy."
"You have to strike some fear," said Fickell. "He's obviously a young guy but he brings something to the table that's different from (Doaks and Warren). We're always looking for that versatility because we don't want to be a one-dimensional team."
McClelland enrolled early at Cincinnati with hopes of playing as a true freshman.
"I talked to some of my mentors and they told me that if I came to school early it would mean a better opportunity for me," he said. "I would get a better chance to learn the plays instead of getting here in the summer without knowing what to do.
"I feel like if I keep improving I'll get a chance to get playing time my freshman year."
"Guys that show up and play like that – it's our job to get them on the field and find a way to help them make us better," Fickell said. "Not overdoing things, but putting them in a situation where they can be successful, play fast, and let their abilities go."
I'd love to hear from you at Dan.Hoard@Bengals.nfl.net
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No, I'm not writing about a member of Scott Googins' baseball Bearcats or the Cincinnati Reds. My subject is freshman running back Charles McClelland.
The 5'11, 185 pound speedster from Homerville, Georgia is a member of this year's highly-touted recruiting class and enrolled at UC in January in order to take part in spring football.
When the Bearcats recently held their first practice with full contact, McClelland stood out for his quick feet and big play potential. With incumbent running backs Gerrid Doaks, Michael Warren and Taylor Boose in yellow jerseys at various points this spring, McClelland has seen plenty of action when UC dons the pads and tackles.
"That was really a big day for him because we hadn't been in a live setting before," said head coach Luke Fickell. "He's a young guy that sometimes you think he might run a little too upright and I thought, 'He might get indoctrinated here.' But you know what? There are some guys that have that knack not to take big shots even when they are younger and a little bit slight coming out of high school. He really showed up with the ability not only to accelerate but to make some guys miss."
"He was a quarterback in high school and you worry, 'Is he really going to want to hit it up in the hole between the tackles?'" said quarterbacks coach Gino Guidugli. "He proved it in the first live contact period. I thought he ran great and he's also catching the ball really well. He's a fast learner so the future is bright for Charles McClelland."
Guidugli was the Cincinnati assistant coach that recruited McClelland out of Clinch County High School.
"I was recruiting South Georgia and it's really the first time that I have been in that area," said Guidugli. "I stopped at a couple of schools that were on my list and everybody asked me if Clinch County was on my list and it wasn't. I heard it at two or three schools so I figured that I had better stop at Clinch County. So when I got to the school, Charles was the first kid that they brought up and they told me about his grades and threw his film on. Then he came in and was very impressive. He communicates very well and is everything you're looking for when you go out to find a recruit. It's nice when you stumble across those."
"One day Coach Guidugli came into my school and saw my film," said McClelland. "I would say that two or three days later they offered me (a scholarship). I had a good relationship with him and decided that this is where I wanted to come to.
"I had never heard of (Cincinnati) really. I'm from South Georgia so I only knew about SEC teams."
McClelland helped lead his high school to a pair of state titles and was named the Region 2-A Player of the Year in Georgia as a senior. He was recruited by SEC schools, but not at his preferred position.
"I had offers from Auburn, LSU, and Kentucky," Charles told me. "They were saying that I could play running back, but every time that I went there I was always with the defensive backs coach. I kind of figured that's what they wanted me to play."
Cincinnati returns two of its top three rushers from last season in sophomores Gerrid Doaks (513 yards) and Michael Warren (324 yards), but McClelland's breakaway speed adds a different dimension.
"That's what we were looking to sign in the class," said Guidugli. "We knew that Gerrid Doaks was going to be a great player and were pleasantly surprised with how quickly Michael Warren came along, but they are similar. They're 220 pound, one-cut backs that are going to punish the defender. We thought we needed somebody with a little more explosiveness that could stretch the perimeter and be a home run hitter. As you saw in practice, he's that guy."
"You have to strike some fear," said Fickell. "He's obviously a young guy but he brings something to the table that's different from (Doaks and Warren). We're always looking for that versatility because we don't want to be a one-dimensional team."
McClelland enrolled early at Cincinnati with hopes of playing as a true freshman.
"I talked to some of my mentors and they told me that if I came to school early it would mean a better opportunity for me," he said. "I would get a better chance to learn the plays instead of getting here in the summer without knowing what to do.
"I feel like if I keep improving I'll get a chance to get playing time my freshman year."
"Guys that show up and play like that – it's our job to get them on the field and find a way to help them make us better," Fickell said. "Not overdoing things, but putting them in a situation where they can be successful, play fast, and let their abilities go."
I'd love to hear from you at Dan.Hoard@Bengals.nfl.net
If you're on Twitter, you can follow my tweets at http://twitter.com/Dan_Hoard
And I'm on Facebook at www.facebook.com/dan.hoard.1