When No. 12 Texas A&M and No. 1 Clemson get together Saturday, don't expect to see anyone short on the outside. On offense or defense.
In a clear sign of where major college football is going, the Aggies and Tigers will send out groups of wide receivers and corners that average well over 6 feet tall. And they won't be lacking for speed or athleticism, either.
A&M's receiver outfit is well known to Clemson, because all four starters -- Jhamon Ausbon, Quartney Davis, Kendrick Rogers and Camron Buckley -- played in last year's 28-26 Clemson win. But the players themselves have changed. Ausbon is faster and more athletic after having lost weight, while Davis has gone from an unknown quantity to one of the top receivers in the SEC. Rogers began building his reputation as a big-game player against the Tigers last season, emerging from obscurity to catch 7 passes for 120 yards and 2 touchdowns.
“They’ve got terrific receivers. They’re experienced. They’re big, long, fast. So it’s a great challenge. Some tough matchups,” Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables said.
The Aggie receiving corps is definitely big -- Rogers is listed at 6-foot-4, while the other three starters are listed at 6-foot-2. The primary backups, redshirt freshmen Caleb Chapman and Jalen Preston, are listed at 6-foot-5 and 6-foot-2, respectively.
On the other side of the ball, Clemson's corners aren't exactly tiny. Junior A.J. Terrell, who a preseason All-ACC selection with three interceptions last year, is 6-foot-1. New starter Derion Kendrick, a former 5-star who played offense in 2018, is 6 feet tall. Primary backups Mario Goodrich and Sheridan Jones are also 6-footers.
"Terrell leads the defense back there," A&M coach Jimbo Fisher said. "(Safeties Tanner Muse and K'Von Wallace) are very talented and do a great job. They play the ball well, they're used to playing it. They see it in practice."
As big as A&M's receivers are, Clemson's are even bigger. Starters Tee Higgins, Justyn Ross and Deondre Overton are all listed at 6-foot-4 and can run, as Notre Dame and Alabama found out last January.
"The wide receivers look very confident," Fisher said. "This is a different level of guys. They are very dynamic, not only are do they have the ability to make you miss but they are strong. Even when you do tackle them, you have to get multiple guys to the ball… Their speed and agility make it tougher. Their receivers are huge."
The Aggies will counter with the tallest corners on either roster, 6-foot-4 Myles Jones and 6-foot-2 Elijah Blades. After a horrific 2018, the cornerbacks started off the season in style against Texas State, picking off three passes. Jones had two of them, and 6-foot-4 nickel Roney Elam had another. During his Wednesday night radio show, Fisher said Blades had a solid showing in his first career game as an Aggie.
"He's going to be a very good player for us," Fisher said.
The third corner -- fourth, if you count Elam -- will be 6-foot-2 Charles Oliver, playing in the place of the suspended Debione Renfro.
"You've got to (have length). You've got to be able to tip balls, get balls, jam, get your hands ... that length allows you to play," Fisher said.
The size, and play, of the Aggie corners in Week 1 got Clemson coach Dabo Swinney's attention.
""Their corners are all long bodies, 6-2, 6-3, 6-4," he said. "This is as good a secondary as we’ll see all season. They’ll be a handful.”