Compare & contrast
Hurricanes WR Ladson on his QB at Clemson, Lawrence, vs. UM’s Van Dyke
Frank Ladson Jr. has been around winners. The former Clemson wide receiver reached the College Football Playoff twice with the Tigers, making it to the national title game as a freshman in 2019.
The other players on the Hurricanes can only inquire about what those big games are like.
“Some of the guys asked me about it,” Ladson said. “They asked what’s the biggest game you’ve ever played in, the loudest game you ever played in?’ It’s just different. It’s a different type of atmosphere when you’re in the playoff and you’re playing for a championship game. It’s different at the end of the game: they bring the stage out, confetti will fall. So it’s a different feel.”
Ladson hopes to help the Hurricanes reach that goal by providing a big, new target for quarterback Tyler Van Dyke.
Ladson sees similarities between his new quarterback and the one who led those Tigers teams to the playoffs: Trevor Lawrence.
“Just being a student of the game, being a perfectionist, being a student of the game,” Ladson said. “Just wanting the best for everybody and demanding that from everybody around him — come to work every day. … Great arm talent, smart decision-maker.”
Ladson’s playing time was limited at Clemson. He was a highly touted prospect coming out of South Dade High in Homestead, and he played in 31 games for the Tigers. He made 31 catches for 428 yards and six touchdowns in his three seasons with Clemson. Last year, he had four catches for 19 yards in five games, missing the rest of the season after having surgery on his groin.
Ladson, a fourth-year junior, is one of the taller wide receivers on the team. Listed at 6-3, Ladson is the third-tallest wideout behind fellow new arrivals Isaiah Horton (6-4) and Colbie Young (6-5).
“To have a big wide receiver like him for the red zone and stuff like that is a good thing to have on the team,” wide receiver Key’Shawn Smith said.
Even with his size, Ladson doesn’t want to be pigeon-holed as simply a tall receiver.
“Even though you’ve got some guys smaller than me, I still like to play that size, and I know those guys like to play big,” Ladson said.
Since arriving in the winter, Ladson has worked on building chemistry with Van Dyke. The Hurricanes’ signal-caller will sometimes pop into the wide receiver room to give advice and talk football with
the receivers.
“He’s the quarterback,” Ladson said. “Whatever he wants, he gets. … It’s like, ‘What do you think about this route? How do you want this? How do you want me to come out on this?’ That’s been great. I love to get the feedback.”
Ladson’s role in the Hurricanes’ offense is still to be determined as Miami’s staff searches for receivers who can replace the production the Hurricanes got from departed standouts Mike Harley Jr. and Charleston Rambo.
With his talent, Ladson is an appealing target, and he may get the chance to show it off against his former team as Miami travels to South Carolina to face Clemson on Nov. 19.
“It’s going to be fun, of course, but we’ve got to (go) one day at a time, one game at a time,” Ladson said. “I can’t think too far ahead.”