Tag: Hunter Rayburn

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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Clemson no closer to naming a starter at center

Following last Saturday’s scrimmage, Dabo Swinney was not pleased with his offense’s performance when it came to the procedural items, such as false starts, offside and bad snaps. But the report was much better on Thursday, as third-ranked Clemson …

Following last Saturday’s scrimmage, Dabo Swinney was not pleased with his offense’s performance when it came to the procedural items, such as false starts, offside and bad snaps.

But the report was much better on Thursday, as third-ranked Clemson wrapped up its second and final scrimmage of the preseason at Death Valley.

“I think we went from ten penalties to two,” Swinney said afterwards. “We had no bad snaps (with the first or second team). We had a couple with our third group, our Pride Group. But the guys that we know that we have to count on to go play in a couple of weeks, they were excellent today.

“They were right on point and where they needed to be. It was good to see.”

Swinney says that is what he was looking for from his offense, especially on the offensive line. He wanted to see them improve.

“You get two scrimmages. I thought the guys that needed to improve, they did just that. The guys that we wanted to see some consistency from, I think we saw that as well,” the Tigers’ head coach said. “So, it was a good day. It was a much better day procedurally.

“The first scrimmage, we had ten penalties, a bunch of bad snaps. We had a couple of drops, and that was disappointing, but all-in-all, procedurally, it was very solid. It was much better.”

As for who might be the starter at center when the Tigers take on No. 5 Georgia on Sept. 4, it appears Swinney nor offensive line coach Robbie Caldwell are any closer to naming someone.

Swinney alluded to the fact they might not be able to name a starter until way into Georgia week.

“We will watch this tape tonight and then we will start honing into the personnel and how we want to rep,” he said. “Anything can happen. I mean it is two weeks from now. You still have to go practice. Nobody at this point is entitled to be the starter, you still have to go earn it every day.”

Swinney said Matt Bockhorst, who is expected to start at left guard, worked some at center in Thursday’s scrimmage, as did Hunter Rayburn and Mason Trotter. Earlier this week, Swinney said all three players are receiving first-team reps, but they are not ready to name a starter at this point.

“I think they have all done well,” he said. “Again, it is not something we are ready to roll out there. We will put a depth chart out here soon enough, but I have seen good things from all of them. I really have. Bockhorst has got a lot of work, the same thing with Trotter and the same thing with Rayburn, and Trent Howard, he has gotten some good work at center. He is a young freshman that we are excited about.

“So, all of those guys have gotten work and have done well in spots and not so well in spots, so we are still kind of working in that area.”

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Freshman OL among Clemson’s options at guard if needed

After starting all 12 games at left guard a season ago, Matt Bockhorst could be sliding over this fall. The competition to replace the departed Cade Stewart at center is still ongoing as Clemson heads out of fall camp. Hunter Rayburn, Mason Trotter …

After starting all 12 games at left guard a season ago, Matt Bockhorst could be sliding over this fall.

The competition to replace the departed Cade Stewart at center is still ongoing as Clemson heads out of fall camp. Hunter Rayburn, Mason Trotter and others are still firmly in the mix, Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said, but Bockhorst has gotten his share of first-team reps there and got what offensive coordinator Tony Elliott called “some good work” at center in the Tigers’ first scrimmage over the weekend.

So Bockhorst seemingly has as good a chance to win that job as anybody else, which begs the question: Should that happen, what will the Tigers do at left guard?

Sophomore Paul Tchio was listed as Bockhorst’s backup on Clemson’s pre-camp depth chart, so he’s certainly an option. But the Tigers have also spent a lot of time getting a true freshman ready just in case.

Marcus Tate, a four-star signee, has been getting first-team reps at left guard when Bockhorst has worked at center during periods of practice that have been open to the media. Swinney said Tate has also been getting some reps with the twos. Those are important reps that seem to indicate the Tigers are preparing the 6-foot-5, 290-pounder for significant game action after Tate arrived on campus in January as an early enrollee.

Tate, whom Swinney said has also repped some at tackle, is one of several offensive linemen Clemson is cross-training in an attempt to create more versatility up front. That includes Rayburn and Trotter, who could play guard if center doesn’t work out, Swinney said.

“There’s competition everywhere,” Swinney said.

The Tigers would be giving up some experience at that left guard spot if Bockhorst moves to center. Bockhorst, a fifth-year senior, has played 1,352 career snaps at Clemson. Tchio, Rayburn, Trotter and Tate have combined for 370.

Yet the depth on the line isn’t as green as it was this time last year. Throw in Walker Parks, who’s set to take over as the starting right tackle, and there were a handful of freshmen who used last season to get experience, which is paying off heading into their sophomore seasons.

“The good news is we’ve got more guys that can play for us,” Swinney said of the offensive line. “So I’m excited about that. We’re still a work in progress with two and half weeks here before our first game, but I think we’ve got a lot more guys that can go in and get the job done for us than we had at this time last year.”

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Swinney updates the battle at center

Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney provided an update on the competition at the center position following Tuesday’s practice. Swinney said after Saturday’s scrimmage that redshirt sophomore Mason Trotter, redshirt sophomore Hunter Rayburn and senior …

Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney provided an update on the competition at the center position following Tuesday’s practice.

Swinney said after Saturday’s scrimmage that redshirt sophomore Mason Trotter, redshirt sophomore Hunter Rayburn and senior graduate Matt Bockhorst have all been sharing first-team reps during fall camp, and said after Tuesday’s practice that “all of them have done some good things.”

“The biggest thing is consistency,” he added. “I think all of them physically can get the job done, and I think all three mentally can get the job done. But consistency with our snaps, that’s the area we’ve got to make some strides in. You’ve got to be 100 percent, 99.99999 percent when it comes to the C-Q exchange. So, that’s an area that I think we’ve got to clean up as we really hone in coming out of camp here. But all those guys have done a good job.”

After Tuesday’s practice, Swinney also mentioned redshirt freshman Trent Howard, saying he has shown the most consistency as far as snapping the football.

“Trent Howard has done a really good job, really pleased with him,” Swinney said. “He’s probably the most consistent when it comes to just the C-Q exchange part.

“But I think mentally and physically we’ve got some guys that can get the job done, but still need a little more consistency there.”

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Where do things stand with Clemson’s center competition?

Less than three weeks remain before Clemson faces off against Georgia in what’s widely viewed as the marquee matchup in college football on Labor Day weekend, and the Tigers are still doing plenty of mixing and matching in their search for the right …

Less than three weeks remain before Clemson faces off against Georgia in what’s widely viewed as the marquee matchup in college football on Labor Day weekend, and the Tigers are still doing plenty of mixing and matching in their search for the right combination along the offensive line.

The position perhaps under the biggest microscope up front is center, where things still appear to be fluid.

Clemson has three starters on the offensive line back from last season in guards Matt Bockhorst and Will Putnam and Jordan McFadden, a preseason all-ACC selection who’s moving from right tackle to left to replace Cincinnati Bengals draft pick Jackson Carman. Walker Parks, who played in 11 games last season as a true freshman, has gotten most of the first-team reps at McFadden’s old spot during fall camp as the favorite to take over there, but who will end up taking over for the departed Cade Stewart in the middle of the line remains up in the air.

Saturday’s scrimmage, though, may have offered some clarity on where things stand in the competition.

Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said Mason Trotter, Hunter Rayburn and Bockhorst are all continuing to share first-team reps during camp. Offensive coordinator Tony Elliott, however, didn’t mention Rayburn when asked about how those reps were divvied up during the scrimmage.

Elliott said Trotter also rotated in but that Bockhorst got “some good work” at center during the scrimmage, which would create another vacancy up front if the Tigers ultimately decide to make Bockhorst their full-time center. During portions of practice that have been open to the media during camp, true freshman Marcus Tate has slid into the starting lineup at left guard when Bockhorst has worked at center, an indication of the direction Clemson might go there if that happens.

Swinney said the Tigers are still trying different combinations and cross-training some linemen at various spots in order to make the most informed decision not only on a center but also the collective group.

“Right now, we’re trying to find who’s the best five and getting the right combination,” Swinney said. “And then not just the best five but making sure we have the type of flexibility we need for three weeks from now.”

Bockhorst, a fifth-year senior who’s played 1,352 snaps during his time with the Tigers, is the most experienced contender for the job in terms of playing time, and Swinney said in the spring Bockhorst could “easily be our starter” if that means getting the best five offensive linemen on the field. Trotter played 147 snaps over nine games last season as a freshman while Rayburn has 97 career snaps to his name (true freshman Ryan Linthicum, a four-star recruit, hasn’t been getting first-team reps).

Rayburn, a 6-foot-4, 320-pound sophomore, drew praise from Swinney and his teammates throughout the spring to the point that he could’ve been viewed as the frontrunner for the job then, but Rayburn hasn’t been mentioned as often this fall. That might not mean much, but Swinney said he’s looking for consistency out of Rayburn and the others at a position on the line where being able to process things mentally is just as important as being able to handle them physically.

The top three contenders will have to start showing it sooner rather than later.

“You’ve got to go take (the job),” Swinney said. “Simple as that. Day in and day out. If you’re the best guy, you’ve got to prove it every day. We’ve got a lot of competition. Everybody wants to play, and everybody wants to be that guy.”

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