dietrick pennington – Page 2 – Syndication Server

Despite injuries, Swinney says OL is ‘much better’ from a depth standpoint this season

Clemson’s offensive line depth was delivered another blow. Dabo Swinney announced that true freshman Dietrick Pennington tore his ACL and that he’ll miss the remainder of the season. That marks the third backup offensive lineman that Clemson has now …

Clemson’s offensive line depth was delivered another blow.

Dabo Swinney announced that true freshman Dietrick Pennington tore his ACL and that he’ll miss the remainder of the season. That marks the third backup offensive lineman that Clemson has now lost to a season-ending injury.

The Tigers have also lost John Williams (knee) and Tayquon Johnson (torn pectoral muscle), who were both injured during camp. Though, Swinney said there is a possibility that Johnson could return for postseason play.

“That’s three big losses for us on the OL,” Swinney said during his media availability Tuesday. “John Williams was a guy who was really going to help us this year. Obviously, he’s been out with his knee now since camp and then we lost Tayquon. [He] was really going to help us. That’s three guys we were really counting on being contributors for us. So, disappointed with that, but we have to keep moving forward and hopefully get those guys better sooner than later.”

Swinney was asked about his evaluation of Clemson’s depth on the offensive line (6-9) based on what he’s seen in practice and in the second half of the Tigers’ 49-3 win over South Carolina State this past Saturday.

“Like I said, I hate that we lost John early, but at least it was in camp and we had a lot of time in camp to get the other guys a ton of work,” he said. “Tayquon same thing. Tayquon would’ve really come in here, he really would’ve been a guy to help us. I think he made it one day and he was out.

“Deitrick is a real blow. I think he was on his way to really, really becoming a very consistent contributor for us and a big-time depth guy.”

Swinney was able to spin some positives out of it, though. Clemson will be getting Mason Trotter back. His right hand will be clubbed up and he’ll have to play the guard position, rather than center. However, Swinney described the redshirt sophomore as a “very functional player.”

While the loss of Pennington is a big blow, Swinney was encouraged by what he saw out of his backups against S.C. State.

“As far as our backup guys, I thought Mitchell Mayes played really, really well this past week in his first significant time,” he said. “He did a really nice job. He’s had a really good camp. The arrow’s up by his name. [Paul] Tchio has made a lot of progress. Tchio can really do it. He’s just still developing consistency in his game, but I feel good about him.

“We really like Trent Howard. He’s still developing physically. We got four years left in a guy that I think is going to be a very good player. Understands the game. He went in and did a nice job snapping the ball for us and just communicating and directing traffic. He’s a savvy, high football I.Q. guy. And then [Hunter] Rayburn, he’s a little bit of a putty guy right now, playing center, playing guard, playing tackle. He’s a big athlete and so he brings some really good things to the group.”

Swinney was happy to get some of the backups in with the starting offensive line, getting them some experience in a game that got out of hand rather quickly.

Clemson wants to continue to build its offensive line depth because the Tigers really didn’t have beyond five guys that they could trust last season.

“We’re a lot better than we were this time last year, I can tell you that,” Swinney added. “From a depth standpoint, we’re a lot better. We’re getting worse though with losing Dietrick, that’s for sure, but between Trotter, Tchio, Mayes and Howard and Rayburn, I think we got a good little group coming on right there.”

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Swinney gives bad news on injury front

Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney passed along some bad news on the injury front during his Tuesday press conference. Swinney said freshman offensive lineman Dietrick Pennington will miss the rest of the season with a torn ACL. “Injury wise, the …

Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney passed along some bad news on the injury front during his Tuesday press conference.

Swinney said freshman offensive lineman Dietrick Pennington will miss the rest of the season with a torn ACL.

“Injury wise, the biggest thing to report to you guys is Dietrick Pennington is going to be out,” Swinney said. “He tore his ACL. So, really just a big disappointment there. Going to be a great, great player, and I think a guy that as the season went on would have been a difference maker for us, for sure. He’s a lot like (fellow freshman OL) Marcus Tate as far as where he is.”

Pennington, a former four-star prospect from Evangelical Christian School in Memphis, Tenn., enrolled at Clemson this summer and played four snaps vs. SC State in his collegiate debut on Sept. 11.

“He just came in late, but his grasp of things, his physicality, his athleticism… But really disappointed, hate that for him,” Swinney said.
“But the good news for him is he was able to get to camp, was able to get good experience and learn from it. Obviously he can redshirt, and he’ll be back and better than ever.”

This marks the third big loss for Clemson on the offensive line as far as backups, with redshirt freshman John Williams (knee) and redshirt sophomore Tayquon Johnson (torn pectoral muscle) already out for the season.

“John Williams was a guy that was really going to help us this year, and obviously he’s been out, his knee, since camp,” Swinney said. “And then we lost Tayquon. Tayquon was going to really help us. So, that’s three guys that we were really counting on being contributors for us. So, disappointed with that, but we’ll keep moving forward and hopefully get those guys better sooner than later.”

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For Clemson’s offensive line, ‘talking season is soon to be over’

Football is a physical game by nature. That’s particularly true in the trenches. And for Clemson’s offensive line, it’s been a constant talking point considering how last season went. The Tigers averaged just 4.4 yards per rush and 153.8 rushing …

Football is a physical game by nature. That’s particularly true in the trenches.

And for Clemson’s offensive line, it’s been a constant talking point considering how last season went.

The Tigers averaged just 4.4 yards per rush and 153.8 rushing yards per game, 10th-worst in the ACC and the team’s fewest since rushing for less than 147 yards on average back in 2014. And that was with the services of Travis Etienne, who finished his stellar collegiate career as the ACC’s all-time leading rusher before taking his talents to the NFL in April.

To put all the blame for the lack of a consistent running game at the feet of the offensive line would be unfair considering play calls, blocking schemes and health all play a part, but those who were a part of the group have been candid in their assessment of the line’s performance last season, which included what they felt was a lack of consistent physicality.

“I wouldn’t say we lacked physicality at all points, but it’s pretty fair to say we were inconsistent with it,” said senior left guard Matt Bockhorst, who’s also in the running for the starting job at center. “And that’s something that you’ve got to look at the man in the mirror and consider how you’re going to improve upon that.”

Bockhorst said many of Clemson’s linemen have added what he called “good weight” to help them be more physical at the point of attack, but fellow senior Jordan McFadden said improving in that aspect has been about the unit taking on a different mindset as much as anything else.

With right guard Will Putnam also back, the Tigers are returning three starters along the offensive line.

“We don’t want to be a dirty offensive line by any means, but we want to outphysical every opponent,” said McFadden, who’s making the switch from right tackle to left. “We want to play to the whistle. No matter how tired you get.”

Though McFadden said the group doesn’t want to make any excuses for the way it performed in the running game, he felt like injuries impacted the line’s performance at times. Clemson dealt with its share of them up front last season, including Bockhorst, who’s healthy again after undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery shortly after the season.

“I feel the best I’ve felt in over a year,” Bockhorst said.

Freshman Dietrick Pennington (foot/ankle) has missed some time during camp, but other than that, the line has maintained a relatively clean bill of health leading up to the Tigers’ marquee opener against Georgia on Sept. 4. And with more young linemen ready to play than Clemson had at this time last year, McFadden said he’s more optimistic about the depth of the unit, which he believes should help the unit maintain its collective aggressiveness.

“If I get tired, another guy can come in and we’ll keep rolling guys in and be fresh,” McFadden said. “I would say our biggest thing is playing to the whistle. And finishing people to the ground. I think that’s a big emphasis for us as well.”

Physicality has also been harped on with the group because of who it will be squaring off against in Week 1. Led by a couple of space eaters on the interior in nose guard Jordan Davis (6-foot-6, 340 pounds) and defensive tackle Devonte Wyatt (6-3, 315), Georgia has been the nation’s top rush defense two years running and ranked seventh in the Football Bowl Subdivision in total yards allowed last season (305.9 per game).

But the Tigers can talk about it until they’re blue in the face. The group knows how it performs against the defenses other than its own is all that matters.

And that’s really all that’s left for the line to do at this point.

“Let’s just spot the ball and play and see if we’re really about it,” Bockhorst said. “Talking season is soon to be over. You’re either going to talk about it or be about it. It’s one of the two, and you’re going to find out real quick.”

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Swinney says freshman OL is ‘like Dexter Lawrence at offensive line’

Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney says he wasn’t surprised by what he saw from any one position group during fall camp, which the third-ranked Tigers recently wrapped up as they shifted their focus to game installation for the season-opening matchup …

However, there were a few individual players that caught Swinney by surprise in camp, he said Wednesday during a guest appearance on the Packer and Durham show on the ACC Network.

“We had a full spring, watched how they worked this summer. I think I had a good feel, pulse of this team coming into camp,” Swinney said to Mark Packer and Wes Durham. “I can’t really say that [any position group] surprised me. There’s maybe an individual or two that maybe surprised you a little bit on where they are. But as far as a group, I think everybody’s kind of about where I thought they would be and what I thought they were coming in.”

One of the players who caught Swinney’s attention during camp is Dietrick Pennington, a 6-foot-5, 338-pound freshman offensive lineman from Evangelical Christian School in Memphis, Tenn.

Pennington (pictured above, No. 59) enrolled at Clemson this summer after signing with the Tigers last December.

“You think, ‘Ah, he’s probably going to be behind and has a lot to learn,’ but man this guy, oh wow!” Swinney said.

A former four-star prospect, Pennington was ranked as the nation’s No. 9 interior offensive lineman and a top-150 national prospect (No. 138 overall) by 247Sports coming out of Evangelical Christian.

Pennington was named Mr. Football for D2-AA in Tennessee in 2020 after being the runner-up for the honor in 2019. He was an all-state honoree in 2018 and 2019 and a two-way starter on Evangelical Christian’s 2019 D2-AA state title team.

Clemson beat out schools such as LSU, Auburn, Florida State and Georgia to land Pennington, who also played basketball and threw shot put and discus in high school.

Swinney compared Pennington to former Clemson and current New York Giants defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence.

“He’s like Dexter Lawrence at offensive line,” Swinney said. “He is a special young talent, and he’s shocked me just as far as where he is, how quickly he grasped the concepts of what we’re doing, physically where he is at 338 pounds. Just incredible.”

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Clemson pushing freshmen offensive linemen to be ready

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 …

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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Bockhorst provides offensive outlook, anticipates having ‘an explosive’ offense

Matt Bockhorst had plenty to say during the ACC Kickoff in Charlotte on Thursday. Bockhorst came to the defense and praised his own unit, but he also took time to commend all the pieces and position groups around him offensively. He provided quite …

Matt Bockhorst had plenty to say during the ACC Kickoff in Charlotte on Thursday.

Bockhorst came to the defense and praised his own unit, but he also took time to commend all the pieces and position groups around him offensively.

He provided quite the offensive outlook from running back to tight end to wide receiver, giving a mini-preview of each position group.

Clemson’s starting left guard was asked what type of offense he expects to hit the ground running when the Tigers are back in Charlotte to face off against Georgia on Sept. 4.

“An explosive one,” Bockhorst said, without much hesitation.

Bockhorst acknowledged the high-profile losses that Clemson has experienced on the offensive side of the ball. Everyone that the Tigers had drafted in April’s NFL draft was on offense: Trevor Lawrence, Tarvis Etienne, Jackson Carman, Amari Rodgers and Cornell Powell.

Clemson’s anchor on the offensive line really went into detail about what to expect out of the Tigers backfield, especially for life beyond Etienne.

“We got some pretty good young guys too,” Bockhorst said. “That guy over there D.J. [Uiagalelei] playing quarterback, he’s not too shabby. And then from a running back perspective, I’m even more excited because of the amount of guys that we have. I think that you’re going to see a running back by committee and that’s fantastic because you can just keep going, you can keep going. We’ve got some young guys and old guys. Lyn-J’s been here for a long time. You got guys like [true freshman running back] Will Shipley coming in that are going to compete.”

Bockhorst spoke highly of senior running back Lyn-J Dixon, who was named as one of 82 players on the watch list for the Doak Walker Award, which is presented to the nation’s top running back at the end of the season.

Dixon enters the 2021 season as the elder statesman in Clemson’s running back room. For his Clemson career, he has 1,372 rushing yards on 208 career attempts with 13 rushing touchdowns.

“Lyn-J Dixon, I love that dude,” Bockhorst said. “He’s great. Everyone’s given the attention to Travis over the past four years and Travis was an exceptional player, but Lyn-J has had a pretty big role too. He’s made some big plays and he’s got the ability too. But at the same time, I think to have the depth..to have the ability to do that is something that most teams don’t have. Since we have this depth and we’ve got 3,4,5 guys that can play, that changes the dynamic.”

Bockhorst doesn’t know if Dixon will be the first guy out there against Georgia but made it clear that he doesn’t believe that the first guy who’s in the backfield will matter much because of an expected rotation. That very well may include a couple of true freshmen.

At the opposite end of the spectrum, Shipley is the newcomer that excites Bockhorst the most.

“I really like Will,” he said. “I think that once again, talking about having success as a young guy in this program, you come in and relentlessly work hard and you’ll find a way. Not to mention that he’s an incredibly talented guy and I just think that a lot of guys respect the way that he carries himself. We got a deep running back room, a very deep running back room, but I’m excited to see the way he competes this year and I really believe that he’s going to be a strong contributor for our team.”

Speaking of newcomers, Bockhorst was asked just about his early impressions from freshmen offensive linemen Dietrick Pennington and Tristan Leigh thus far.

“Obviously, they’re huge,” Bockhorst said. “I just think it’s good to see some size walk through the door. I know that was something that we wanted to emphasize and you can tell that they’re recruiting that, so that’s good to see. Obviously, they’re both specimens. Dietrick, you just look at the dude, he looks like he plays in the NFL.

“Those dudes have really fit in and kind of just made it work. It’s hard for freshmen anytime, but they’ve done a really good job of getting with the program and falling in line. I’m excited about both of those guys and Tristan as well. Obviously, you can see why he was a highly recruited, very twitchy guy. I’m excited about those and hopefully, they can potentially help this camp. You never know.”

From there, Bockhorst wanted to make sure he acknowledged just how stacked Clemson is at the tight end position.

“I think this is the best tight end group, without question, that we’ve had during my time here,” he said. “We’ve got really good players, but we’ve got a variety of types of players.

“You got [senior] Braden Galloway, who’s more of a receiving type. [Redshirt senior] Luke Price is back from a torn ACL, he’s that more fullback type of guy. [Junior] Davis Allen can do it all and we got [freshman Jake] Briningstool, we got [redshirt freshman] Sage Ennis. We’re loaded at tight end, we have plenty at tight end.”

Last, but certainly not least is the wide receiver position.

There obviously remain some health concerns with the unit headed into fall camp, but if the receivers can avoid that injury bug stipulation, they have quite the season ahead of them.

“That’s Clemson’s brand is the receivers,” Bockhorst said. “If we’re healthy like we’re supposed to be, then good luck to anybody else.”

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4-star OL Dietrick Pennington includes Georgia football in top 5

Saturday, 2021 4-star offensive guard Dietrick Pennington announced his top-5 schools on Twitter. Details here

Saturday, 2021 4-star offensive lineman Dietrick Pennington announced his top-5 schools on Twitter. The list includes Georgia, Auburn, Clemson, Florida State and LSU.

Pennington (6-foot-5, 326 pounds) plays football for Evangelical Christian School in Cordova, Tennessee, where he sees playing time at both guard and defensive tackle.

247Sports has Pennington rated as the No. 12 guard, the No. 4 prospect in Tennessee and the No. 212 prospect overall in the 2021 recruiting class.

From 247Sports:

“Wide-bodied lineman, big-jointed with a thick lower half and a bulky upper body. Plays both ways for his high school and has multi-positional and multi-sport background. Natural feet and lateral agility.”

https://twitter.com/Dietrick80P/status/1266862668717178881