When Kentucky freshman running back Josh Clemons steps onto the field in front of a raucous lunch-time Tiger Stadium crowd on Saturday, he won’t be intimidated.
After all, the Fayetteville, Ga., native grew up around too much big-time football to see it as anything but an opportunity.
Clemons is part of a strong football lineage. His father, Charlie Clemons, played for Georgia in the early 1990s before enjoying a seven-year professional career at linebacker that included a Super Bowl ring with the St. Louis Rams in 1999 and 20 career sacks.
His cousin, Chris Clemons, also played college ball for the Bulldogs from 1999 to 2003 and has played defensive end for four teams during his eight seasons in the NFL. He currently plays for the Seattle Seahawks.
Clemons said the time around his pro relatives prepared him for an immediate role in the Kentucky offense.
“I have been around football all of my life, and I always wanted to play the game,” he said. “Seeing [my dad and cousin] perform and what they did off the field really helped me see what I needed to do when I got to college.”
Despite his family’s defensive prowess, Clemons has been the Wildcats’ best running back on a struggling Kentucky offense early this season. He leads the team with 40 carries for 200 yards and two touchdowns, and he earned the last two starts after sophomore Raymond Sanders suffered a knee injury against Central Michigan on Sept. 10. Clemons also set a school record with his 87-yard touchdown dash in that same game.
But the freshman said his fast start means little until he does it against Southeastern Conference competition.
“I know that I have played well, but most of the teams haven’t been from the SEC, so I don’t feel like I have had success yet until I do what I did the first couple of games against SEC teams,” Clemons said.
Clemons’ first taste of SEC play last week against Florida didn’t exactly go according to plan, as an injured hamstring he suffered in the first quarter limited him to just seven yards on three carries in a 48-10 loss.
Kentucky coach Joker Phillips said he has seen enough from the young running back in practice this week to start him Saturday.
“He made it through the practice and he will be ready to go,” Phillips told media this week. “It won’t be full speed, but three-quarter speed, maybe. He is healthy enough and, from what I saw [Wednesday], he will be the starter.”
 
Clemons was named a 2010 Georgia Offensive Player of the Year by several state publications and was a highly touted three-star recruit as a Whitewater High School standout. But his family ties to Georgia did not extend to the recruiting process, as the home-state school didn’t give Clemons a serious look.
At his father’s recommendation, Clemons gave several other schools, like Maryland and Mississippi State, consideration before he decided on Kentucky.
“It isn’t too far from home and most of our away games are reasonable for my parents to come to,” he said. “I always wanted to play in the SEC with the hardest-playing teams.
The way that Kentucky plays its offense is my strength, being in the pro-style offense and out of the I-formation.”
Even though he says the offense is poised to break out, Clemons said the Wildcats have to be prepared for a swarming LSU defense.
“They really love to bring the rush off the edge and give the quarterback pressure so he can make bad decisions,” Clemons said. “We have to communicate a lot out there and talk to each other.”
 
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