Clemson’s defensive line is set to possibly rival the 2018 front, which was notably known as the Power Rangers.
Though preseason All-American Bryan Bresee and others on the defense feel they should never be compared to those Clemson legends, the Tigers are still expected to have the best defensive line in college football in 2021.
Everyone knows about Bresee, Tyler Davis, Xavier Thomas, Myles Murphy and K.J. Henry. But what could make this year’s group so good is its depth.
In the first week of camp, Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney, along with defensive coordinator Brent Venables and several defensive players, have talked about how other members of the defensive line are making plays, too.
Defensive ends Justin Foster and Justin Mascoll have stood out to this point, as have defensive tackles Etinosa Reuben and Ruke Orhorhoro.
“We got so many veterans over there, but I would probably just have to say Ruke,” Swinney said. “He has just missed a lot of time, but he is the guy, if I had to pick one guy that I think has a chance to have a great season, I would say Ruke. He is ready. He is ready to be the guy.”
Venables and Bresee both mentioned how much big, stronger and faster Mascoll is and how he is really standing out in camp, while safety Lannden Zanders thinks Reuben has been the most improved player on the defensive front.
“[Kevin] Swint, he would probably be the other most improved, especially because he moved to a new position,” Swinney said.
In the spring, Swint moved from linebacker to defensive end.
“He is a great football player,” Swinney said. “Then you throw in Regan Upshaw, who is just a problem. I know we don’t talk about Regan Upshaw a lot, but that dude, if you line up on him and you are not ready to practice, he is going to kill you.
“This guy is really a good, tough, hard-nosed football player. We just have a very veteran group. That defensive line is special.”
Clemson’s head coach says all of his safeties have improved too, but Orhorhoro has made big strides in camp. Swinney has also liked what he has seen from Foster, who has returned to football after initially retiring following issues with COVID-19 last fall that kept him sideline and wondering if he would ever play football again.
“He looks great. He is doing everything,” Swinney said. “He had just had a little test that first day, so we held him because he literally had something stuck down his throat. But he has done everything and is doing great.
“We will probably keep him on a little bit of pitch count, but it is kind of easy to do that when you have five guys that have started there at that position. Then you have Swint. So, we are in a good spot there. But he does everything and looks great, but we don’t need him to have to play fifty snaps. We don’t need him to have to play two series in a row. We are very fortunate with the type of depth we have.”
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