During his radio call-in show Monday, Dabo Swinney was asked to name players who might come out of nowhere to be a team leader this season, and among those mentioned by Clemson’s head coach was Ruke Orhorhoro – with Swinney commenting that he thinks the redshirt junior defensive tackle has the type of ability to be “anywhere from a first- to fourth-round draft pick if he stays healthy.”
“He is one of the most improved players that we’ve had here,” Swinney said, adding that he’s excited about him. “I think he’s a guy that’s gonna wreak some havoc.”
On Tuesday, when Clemson’s depth chart for this coming Monday’s season opener against Georgia Tech was released, Orhorhoro was listed as a co-starter with Bryan Bresee and Tyler Davis at the two defensive tackle spots.
On Wednesday, during his media availability, Wes Goodwin chimed in on Orhorhoro when asked to describe the skillset that the athletic 6-foot-4, 295-pounder possesses.
Clemson’s defensive coordinator loves what he’s seen from Orhorhoro this offseason following the 2021 campaign during which he stepped up in the absence of Bresee after the fourth game of the season and made a significant impact for the Tigers.
“He’s really physical, heavy-handed, really strong at the point of attack, and just his length and athleticism in there is really, really special,” Goodwin said. “He’s had a tremendous offseason. Completely changed his body. He shows up every day with the right mindset, brings a physicality and just a workman’s attitude every day and just attacks the day and has a bright personality.”
Orhorhoro was named fourth-team all-conference by Phil Steele in 2021, when he recorded 42 tackles (8.0 for loss), 2.5 sacks, three pass breakups and a fumble recovery over 502 snaps in 13 games (nine starts). Those contributions came after the 2020 season in which Orhorhoro sustained an injury in the season opener at Wake Forest, was limited to 33 defensive snaps over four games and qualified for a medical redshirt.
Born in Nigeria before coming to the United States when he was nine, Orhorhoro played just two years of high school football in Michigan. He played basketball as a youth and in high school, averaging a double-double as a sophomore. The week after his sophomore season of basketball ended in the state semifinals, he met with the school’s football coaches and decided to join the team for spring practice.
Orhorhoro did not play his first football game until the fall of 2017, but fast forward five years later, and he enters the 2022 season credited with 47 tackles (9.5 for loss), 3.0 sacks, three pass breakups and a fumble recovery over 27 games (nine starts) across his first three years at Clemson since enrolling in January 2019.
Goodwin appreciates the team-first attitude of the joyful Orhorhoro and looks forward to seeing him take the field when he and the Tigers kick off their 2022 season against the Yellow Jackets at 8 p.m. Monday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
“He always has a smile on his face, and just is completely bought in to the concept of team and what’s best for Clemson football and our defense,” Goodwin said. “I’m excited to see him run out there on Monday night as well.”
–Biographical information from Clemson Athletic Communications contributed to this story
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