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W LUCAS AT LARGE BY MIKE LUCAS // UWBADGERS.COM Clement wants to be 'that guy' for Badgers 12 hen Wisconsin freshman Corey Clement arrived on campus in mid-June, he assumed that he was the No. 4 tailback since he was unaware that Jeff Lewis had agreed to make the move to defense. "I thought he was still a running back,'' Clement said innocently. Lewis had been No. 3 on the depth chart behind James White and Melvin Gordon. When Clement learned that Lewis was shifting over to safety, he quickly reassessed his playing status. "I got bumped to 3,'' Clement said, "and 3 is where I'm going to actually get into the rotation of the game. I thought, `OK, the doors are slightly open, so it's time to kick it into gear.''' UW coach Gary Andersen made it clear last Friday that the 18-yearold Clement, the all-time South Jersey rushing leader, was getting the first crack at filling the void left by Lewis. "Corey has big shoes to fill,'' said Andersen, however noting, "He has a purpose. He came here for a reason. We're never going to play a young man when he's not ready, but that's the guy right now.'' Clement has always wanted to be "that guy.'' He said so 10 months ago. On Nov. 2, 2012, which just happened to be his birthday, Clement stood in front of his classmates at Glassboro (N.J.) High School and announced his future plans. At a pep rally in the school's gym, he admitted to feeling comfortable with a lot of colleges. He had previ- // VARSITY August 8, 2013 ously verbally committed to Pitt before narrowing his choices to the UW and Notre Dame. Clement shared the floor with three of his high school football teammates, each of whom was wearing a baseball cap representing his final three: the Panthers, the Badgers and the Irish. After choosing the UW cap, Clement said, "I want to be that guy. I feel like at Wisconsin I could be that guy, and at Notre Dame, I would be just another guy. "It's one thing for the coaches to want you but I felt like the (UW) players wanted me too. I already feel like I'm part of the Badger family.'' At last Friday's Media Day at Camp Randall Stadium, Clement reinforced his decision to attend Wisconsin. "It was the school itself, not just football, and the opportunity for an education,'' he said. His schooling ― College Football, 101 ― began Monday as the Badgers opened fall practice. "The first thing we've got to do is accelerate his reps,'' said UW running backs coach Thomas Hammock, "and make sure he gets enough reps to get his work in, so he's able to understand the offense and the expectations of what we need to get done within the offense. "I think today was a step in the right direction. He needs to continue making steps each day. I think he's physical, he's big, he's thick, he's fast, he's quick to the hole and he'll continue to get better. When he got recruited, he understood that he was coming here to compete. "The one thing we talk about in our (meeting) room,'' Hammock went on, "is that it's about performance, not seniority. If you perform well then you deserve the opportunity to play. He knows the opportunity is there and he's trying to take advantage of it.'' He will get plenty of mentoring from White, a senior, and Gordon, a redshirt sophomore. "They have a lot of experience,'' Clement said, "on what to do and what not to do and how to work, day-in and day-out. I want to take everything I can from James and Melvin.'' Clement is chiseled. He's listed at 5-foot-11, 210 pounds. Before getting to Madison, he gained some notoriety for a "Not So Basic Training'' video which revolves around an "endurance tire push.'' Clement is featured pushing a bulky tire up a muddy hill, a grueling exercise punctuated by a five-mile run. During Monday's practice, Clement showed some burst -- and the potential to run downhill -- whenever he touched the ball in the nontackling drills. After finishing a run, some 20 yards downfield, Andersen offered him a knuckle bump while Hammock gave him an earful on his return to the huddle. "I'm just trying to emphasize game awareness,'' Hammock said. "What's the situation? These things can happen on this particular play and you need to be prepared for it. I was impressed with his first day. He picked up the offense pretty well. We're going to keep building and see where it goes.''