Joseph

Ngata

Ngata and many others spent the 2023 season on the Eagles’ practice squad, so the team will keep them around for the offseason. The 6'3" Ngata was a five-star recruit when he committed to Clemson, but he has never quite been able to build on that early-career hype. He’ll have another offseason to try and figure it out. The other 19 players signed to reserve/future deals were: DT Thomas Booker, T Le’Raven Clark, WR Shaquan Davis, DT Noah Elliss, DB Mekhi Garner, DB Mario Goodrich, WR Jacob Harris, WR Griffin Hebert, DE Tarron Jackson, TE E.J. Jenkins, LB Terrell Lewis, DB Tristin McCollum, DB Tiawan Mullen, RB Lew Nichols, G Jason Poe, LB Brandon Smith, C Lecitus Smith, T Brett Toth, and WR Austin Watkins.

Ngata (6’3/217) joined Clemson as a five-star receiver from the 2019 recruiting class but struggled to live up to the hype. It doesn’t help that his last two seasons were marred by underwhelming quarterback play, but Ngata still has a lot to improve on at the next level. While not necessarily a “catch and fall down” guy, Ngata struggled to separate from coverages during his time with the Tigers and rarely found room to run after the catch. His 3.6 YAC/REC in 2022 was not only underwhelming but marked a career-low for the senior receiver. Injuries have plagued Ngata at various points in his career, though he appeared in all 14 games for Clemson last season. In 35 career games, Ngata surpassed 60 receiving yards just five times. He could have a difficult time adjusting to the NFL.

The Tigers are short-handed at wide receiver with no Justyn Ross or EJ Williams, so getting back Ngata (6'3/220) is a big boost for the offense. He’s been nursing a foot injury for most of the season, but with three straight games off and the time in between of the bowl game, he should be close to 100%.

Ngata (6'3/220) sustained the injury on November 6 in a 30-24 victory over Louisville and has not been able to play since. Foot injuries are notoriously fickle injuries, so it makes sense that Ngata is being brought along with caution. He has posted a pair of 100-yard games this year, which is actually a major accomplishment in Clemson’s morose passing offense. All told, Ngata has secured 23 passes for 438 yards, 19.0 YPC and one touchdown over the course of the season. The Tigers’ passing attack will lean on freshman WR Beaux Collins this Saturday against in-state rival South Carolina.

Ngata (6'3/220) came up limping after attempting a catch and did not return in Saturday’s win over Louisville. Head coach Dabo Swinney said on Sunday that he will miss “at least a couple of weeks” due to the injury. Ngata is currently second on the Tigers with 438 receiving yards. Clemson will be hoping a couple of weeks literally means two as they get a non-conference matchup against a struggling UCONN, so he won’t be missed that much in this game.

It was reported earlier in the week that Ngata (6'3/220) was expected to be available Saturday, and things are certainly trending in that direction. The redshirt sophomore has caught 18 passes for 352 yards and one touchdown this season, and his return will give QB D.J. Uiagalelei a trusted target on the outside.

Ngata (6'3/220) missed last week’s game against Pitt because he was in COVID-19 protocols, but is almost assured of suiting up this Saturday. He has been arguably Clemson’s best wide receiver this season, putting up two 100-yard games thus far. On the season, he has secured 18-of-34 targets for 352 yards, 19.6 yards per reception and one touchdown while running exclusively on the outside. Though he has been pretty good in spurts, his overall passer rating when targeted of 86.9 leaves plenty of room for improvement.

Ngata (6’3”/220) tested positive this week for Covid-19. The news continues to get worse for the Tigers on offense. Clemson already knew starting center Hunter Rayburn would not play, now they will be without their leading receiver. The offense has already been a weak point this season, now they have to try to compete with Pittsburgh’s fourth-best offense in College Football.

On a night where Clemson was able to do squat, jack on offense, Ngata (6'3/220) was able to have a quality night against the terrific Georgia defense. It is worth pointing out that 44 yards came on one play, but the big plays are what make Ngata such a quality wideout in the first place. Ngata should be able to get things done next Saturday against South Carolina State until the backups come in.

Ngata (6'4"/215) underwent surgery back in late November that caused him to miss the remainder of the 2020 regular season. A former four-star recruit, Ngata had been slowed by an abdominal injury suffered in Clemson’s 37-13 season opening victory over Wake Forest before returning to the field in a limited fashion in November, only to suffer the aforementioned back injury shortly thereafter. The injuries are a disturbing trend for Ngata, as he is going to have a hard time cracking the starting lineup if the staff can’t trust him to be available. He has until Clemson’s huge September 4 opening week tilt against Georgia to get back into playing shape.