Clemson brought in some shiny new reinforcements along the offensive line with its 2021 recruiting class, and the Tigers may need some of them to contribute immediately.
Tristan Leigh, Marcus Tate, Dietrick Pennington and Ryan Linthicum were part of the nation’s fifth-ranked signing class, according to the 247Sports Composite. While some of them will need more time than others to get caught up mentally in their first fall camp, they already look the part.
Start with Leigh and Tate, the two highest-ranked offensive linemen in the class. Tate is a 6-foot-5, 290-pound swingman that can play inside or out. Meanwhile, Leigh, a consensus five-star prospect ranked in the 247Sports Composite as the nation’s No. 14 overall prospect in the 2021 recruiting cycle, is a 6-6, 290-pound tackle.
“Oh my goodness. Two great looking young prospects,” Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said. “Let’s see where they are in pads, but as far as just prospects and what you would hope they’d look like walking in out of high school, they’re two great looking young players.”
The other signees up front aren’t exactly small. Pennington, a four-star recruit, goes 6-5 and 310 pounds while Linthicum is a 6-4, 280-pound center.
Are Swinney and the rest of his staff expecting at least some of them to help out right away? Elliott said Bryn Tucker, a freshman who redshirted last season, should also be included in that mix.
“The impression is the future is very bright with those guys,” offensive coordinator Tony Elliott said. “Still a lot to learn, but we’re pushing them and we’re trying to get those guys to step up.”
Getting playing time as a true freshman on the offensive line is always a tough chore since the physical and mental demands make the position developmental in nature. Tate and Linthicum got a head start on the playbook by going through spring practice as early enrollees.
For Leigh, working to get his body right is the priority. Leigh played his senior season at Robinson (Virginia) High during the spring, so he’s jumping into his second football season of the calendar year without much of a break.
“He just played high school football, so his body is in a different place than the rest of the guys,” Elliott said. “He played a full season and didn’t have an offseason. Now he’s coming out here and he’s banging again.”
But the Tigers have bigger needs at some positions up front, which could play a role in how soon some of the youngsters find themselves part of the rotation. With sophomores Mason Trotter and Hunter Rayburn competing to replace the departed Cade Stewart at center — guard Matt Bockhorst could also play there — Linthicum has spent most of camp getting third-team reps at the position.
Things are more fluid at some of the other spots. The Tigers are already short one guard following Tayquon Johnson’s recent surgery to repair a torn pectoral muscle, and if Bockhorst ends up being the best option at center, that position could thin out even more.
Tate has taken some second-team reps at guard. Walker Parks might be the favorite to take over at right tackle, though Leigh could have something to say about that. It may be a lot to ask of Leigh to be ready to start the Tigers’ opener against Georgia on Sept. 4 — not since Mitch Hyatt in 2015 has a freshman offensive lineman started his first game at Clemson — but he may have enough raw talent to at least make things interesting.
Elliott said he’s been encouraged by what he’s seen out of the freshmen linemen after four practices, but there’s still a lot of learning and developing that needs to be done over the next three weeks.
“We’ll see as we continue to go through camp, can they maintain and continue to make the progress we need?” Elliott said.
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