If you ever see Clemson’s defensive linemen break out in laughter in a meeting room or on the practice field, chances are Ruke Orhorhoro is the culprit.
“He keeps it lighthearted,” defensive end K.J. Henry said.
That’s just who Orhorhoro is.
The Tigers’ defensive tackle said cracking jokes and witty banter have always been part of his personality, but nothing is scripted, so to speak. Orhorhoro said he doesn’t have certain topics in mind when cutting up with coaches and teammates. Whatever comes to him in the moment is what he blurts out with the objective being to at least get a smile out of them.
“I just like being a blessing and a light to everybody,” Orhorhoro said.
Playing football, however, is no laughing matter for Orhorhoro, particularly as he works to transform into a more significant contributor for a defensive line that has no shortage of talent and bodies. With five defensive ends that have starting experience, All-American Bryan Bresee at one defensive tackle spot and multi-year starter Tyler Davis at the other, there are expectations both inside and outside of the program of being one of the nation’s best defensive fronts this fall.
“It’s always climbing the ladder, not going down on the ladder,” Orhorhoro said. “I just expect us to have a great year. We have so much depth and depth from last year. We’re all healthy. We’re all playing at a high level.”
Bresee and Davis won’t be able to log every snap on the interior, which is where Orhorhoro will be counted on to help out. Tre Williams, Darnell Jeffries and Etinose Rueben are among others who could also provide depth on the inside, but Orhorhoro, who’s healthy again after missing most of last season with a knee injury, was listed as Bresee’s backup on the Tigers’ pre-camp depth chart and has gotten many of the second-team reps during camp.
It’s a significant sign of development for someone who’s still relatively new to the game.
An immigrant from Nigeria, Orhorhoro, whose first name is short for Oghenerukevwe, grew up playing basketball. He wanted to play football once got to high school in Michigan, but the one he attended as a freshman, Trillium Academy, didn’t have a football program. Orhorhoro said his parents were also reluctant to let him play football because of the physical nature of the sport.
Orhorhoro had two cousins that had success playing football at Power Five schools, Michael (Iowa) and Mario (Michigan) Ojemudia, which he said softened his parents’ stance. Orhoro enrolled at River Rouge as a sophomore and was on the football field by his junior season.
A 6-3, 210-pound point guard early in his high school career, Orhorhoro first tried his hand at receiver, but “I couldn’t catch,” he admitted. He continued to fill out his body, growing to 250 pounds by his junior season.
“We tried out linebacker and then figured out d-line was the best spot for me,” Orhorhoro said.
Orhorhoro was initially recruited to Clemson as a defensive end but is entering his redshirt sophomore season as a 300-pound tackle. Having a clean bill of health has certainly helped get him in a position to be a significant part of the rotation this fall, but so has the mental side of the game that Orhorhoro said has been his main focus this offseason.
Physically, Orhorhoro said his ability to help stop the run is catching up with his pass-rushing skills as an interior lineman. But after two years at the collegiate level, being able to process the game faster has been just as important for his development.
“Now I can see the tendencies of what the offense is getting ready to do, what formations they’re in and whether it’s pass and run,” he said. “I identify that a lot quicker as to where I was two years ago.”
Orhorhoro’s desire to go from a player with potential up front to one that can be consistent and reliable is no joke.
“I think I put more time into the film room, and my knowledge of the game has grown not having played for that long compared to the others,” he said. “But I feel like I’ve taken a big step mentally and physically.”
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