As a defensive player, he watched the Georgia Tech offense and wished with everything inside of him that he was out on the field at Raymond James Stadium with his future Clemson teammates.

Garry Peters [6-0, 173), a cornerback out of Heritage High School in Conyers, Ga., committed to the Tigers back in August, and left no doubt how he felt watching the Tigers and Jackets.

“It was heartbreaking,” Peters told TigerNet Tuesday evening. “That was my team out there. I was just sitting there watching that and wishing I was out there with them.”

Peters is a burner with legitimate 4.5 speed who has a chance to compete for playing time in Clemson’s secondary almost immediately. Because of his speed, he also could see time as a kick returner. Last year, he caught 26 passes for 361 yards and five touchdowns, rushed the ball six times for 146 yards and had nine kick returns for 217 yards.

Peters said he has not been told if he will redshirt or not, but has the confidence to believe that if the best people earn positions, he will be on the field in 2010.

“They told me that everybody has a fair chance to compete for a spot,” he said. “I really believe that I am one of the best out there. So I am going to go in early, work my butt off, and get that job. As soon as school is over here, I am going to go to Clemson and get enrolled in classes and get going.”

Peters said that his speed is probably his greatest asset in playing cornerback, but that he also believes his football intellect plays a huge role as well.

“It is both smarts and speed,” he said. “I have comeback speed. If I get burned on a play, I can come back and still make a play. Or, if I am about to get burned, I can come back and get an interception. But I also played quarterback in high school, so I know they like to do in certain situations, and I know their tendencies. I try to bait them and stuff.”

Peters said he knew almost from the beginning that Clemson was the place for him, and it all came down to feeling at home in “those hills.”

“Coach Swinney and Coach Rumph [his recruiter], all the way down to the assistants, they showed me love,” Peters said. “I knew this was the closest thing I was going to get to a family besides the one I have now. That is my family at Clemson.” Peters said that he feels like playing man coverage is a strength for him right now, but he also knows what he needs to work on.

“I can always use my speed, and playing up tight in man coverage is what I like,” he said. “I know I have to work on the zone. But Coach Steele wants his corners to be out there on an island, and I like that.”

2010 Football Commitments

Tavaris Barnes		DT	6-5 240
David Beasley		OL	6-4 290
Victor Beasley		ATH	6-5 215
Bashaud Breeland	ATH	6-1 190
Desmond Brown		DB	6-0 195
Martavis Bryant		WR	6-4 190
Demont Buice		RB	6-2 205
Ricky Chaney		LB	6-3 200
Sam Cooper		TE	6-5 230
Joe Craig		ATH	6-0 170
Corey Crawford		DE	6-5 235
Kalon Davis		OL	6-5 325
DeAndre Hopkins		ATH	6-2 170
Martin Jenkins		DB	5-9 170
Jake Nicolopulos	LB	6-2 220
Garry Peters		DB	6-0 175
Darius Robinson		DB	6-0 170
Tra Thomas		DT	6-1 270
Gifford Timothy		OL	6-6 290
Josh Watson		DT	6-3 285
Reid Webster		OL	6-5 270