Tag: Ryan Linthicum

Starting center battle heating up, Swinney names current front runner for the position

There is a favorite to land Clemson’s starting center job.

Dabo Swinney and the Clemson football program are looking for someone to step up and start under center. Swinney himself has named a front-runner to land the starting job.

With the Tigers’ spring game approaching, Swinney met with the media Wednesday to discuss the team and what to expect for the game. Ryan Linthicum, Trent Howard, and Harris Sewell are currently battling for the starting center position, with Swinney noting that Linthicum will “be running out first” in the spring game.

“I want to see transformation in some areas of his commitment, if you will. I want his body to be in the best possible place…if he puts the work in, I think we’ll all like the work. He’s certainly capable,” Swinney said.

This position battle is one of the most important the Tigers have as center while not a glamorous position, is an essential one. We’ll see how each player fares on Saturday as the Tigers look to improve and show fans what they have going for next season.

Will latest OL attrition force Clemson to go portaling?

With Clemson set to lose at least part of its depth along the offensive line next season, will that force the Tigers to look for help there again in the transfer portal? That was a question posed to head coach Dabo Swinney following the news he …

With Clemson set to lose at least part of its depth along the offensive line next season, will that force the Tigers to look for help there again in the transfer portal?

That was a question posed to head coach Dabo Swinney following the news he delivered Wednesday night regarding Mason Trotter. Swinney said the Tigers were hoping to get back the junior interior lineman, who hasn’t played since last season, but Trotter recently underwent career-ending back surgery.

That leaves Will Putnam, sophomore Trent Howard and redshirt freshman Ryan Linthicum as the options next season at center, where Trotter started five games a season ago. Swinney said he still feels good about that depth currently on the roster.

“As I say every year, for us, the portal is about responding strategically if you have gaps,” Swinney said. “But we’ve only got one (departing) senior in J-Mac (Jordan McFadden). Everybody else is back, and Linthicum and Trent have really progressed for us.”

Swinney didn’t completely rule out the possibility of seeking outside help if needed. It’s what he briefly felt like the Tigers should do in the spring when the attrition was heavy at the position.

When Swinney revealed then that Trotter would likely miss most of this season for an unrelated reason that was never revealed, it came on the heels of Hunter Rayburn’s medical disqualification. Rayburn, who also started a handful of games at center last season, was forced to retire from football because of stinger issues shortly after last season.

Clemson went after a select few interior portal linemen but didn’t land any of them. Ultimately, Swinney decided to move Putnam, who had started the previous two seasons at guard, to center after the senior performed well in the spring. 

Putnam has been a bright spot for the Tigers up front at his new position, starting every game there so far this season. He’s already decided to use his COVID year to return to the team again next season. Clemson also has three offensive line commits that are expected to sign with the Tigers in the coming months.

So the plan is to sit tight for now. But with the first window for players to enter the portal set to open Dec. 5, Swinney acknowledged it’s a tentative one.

“We’ve got a really good group of linemen that we’re going to bring in here, but who knows?” Swinney said. “We may sign our class, and you may have some guys leave that you don’t know about.”

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One position up front that Swinney is ‘really proud of’ heading into the season

Clemson’s offensive line is looking for a bounceback performance this fall with some new faces in some new places. There’s one position up front in particular that has caught the eye of head coach Dabo Swinney. The Tigers return four starters along …

Clemson’s offensive line is looking for a bounceback performance this fall with some new faces in some new places.

There’s one position up front in particular that has caught the eye of head coach Dabo Swinney.

The Tigers return four starters along the offensive line from last season, though not all of them are manning the same spots. Walker Parks is set to move inside to guard with freshman Blake Miller’s emergence at right tackle, and Will Putnam is moving from guard to center after the Tigers lost their top three centers from last season.

Center is arguably the most important position up front given the position can be responsible for everything from setting protections to making checks to getting each play started with a good snap, the latter of which Swinney said Putnam has done most of the time since the spring.

Asked recently if there still have been no bad snaps from Putnam during camp, Swinney was trying to find some wood to knock on.

“He’s been excellent. Don’t jinx him,” Swinney said. “He’s been really, really good.”

In fact, Swinney said he’s been pleased with all of the Tigers’ centers leading up to Monday’s season opener against Georgia Tech in Atlanta. Sophomore Trent Howard and redshirt freshman Ryan Linthicum are next up at the position and are both listed on the two-deep of Clemson’s first depth chart of the season.

“All three of our centers have done a nice job,” Swinney said. “This is rare. Usually you get into some of these dog days, you get tired and somebody is hot and sweaty, they’ll roll a ball back every now and then on an A-gap blitz or something. But I think it’s just a sign of how hard they’ve worked this summer because that’s the type of stuff that you get done in the summer. That’s summer skills and drills. That’s putting the work in when nobody’s watching.”

Swinney said the group has been steady throughout the preseason.

“I’m really proud of our centers, and I’m super proud of Putnam because he’s solid as they come,” Swinney said.

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Nothing has changed with this plan along Clemson’s offensive line

What was strongly trending in a particular direction for Clemson’s offensive line coming out of the spring is now official. Clemson will have a new starting center to begin the 2022 season, though it won’t be an addition from the transfer portal. …

What was strongly trending in a particular direction for Clemson’s offensive line coming out of the spring is now official.

Clemson will have a new starting center to begin the 2022 season, though it won’t be an addition from the transfer portal. Instead, Clemson coach Dabo Swinney confirmed senior Will Putnam is “definitely our starter” heading into fall camp, which will begin for the Tigers on Aug. 5.

“There’s no question about that,” Swinney said. “He had a great spring and did a heck of a job.”

It doesn’t come as much of a surprise after Putnam, who’s started 22 games at guard for the Tigers, made the move at the beginning of the spring. Putnam spent most of the spring as the No. 1 option at a position that’s been fluid since the beginning of last season.

Veteran Matt Bockhorst also made the move from guard to center last season but had his season cut short because of injury and has moved on from football. Hunter Rayburn stepped in to start a handful of games there but was dealt a medical disqualification earlier this offseason after dealing with head and neck injuries. And Swinney reiterated he didn’t know how many games Mason Trotter, who’s practicing but not playing for undisclosed reasons, would miss this fall.

With his top three centers from last season no longer available, Swinney said during the spring the position was one he would look to bolster through the portal with a newcomer who was capable of stepping in immediately as a starter, and the Tigers swung and missed on at least a couple of transfer targets there. But Swinney changed his tune coming out of the spring after watching Putnam in action at his new position, noting not only Putnam’s command of the offense but also his ability to keep the errant snaps to a minimum.

“I’m in a whole different state of mind right now than I was going into spring ball,” Swinney said of the position in the weeks following the conclusion of spring practices.

Swinney said he also feels as good as he can about the depth behind Putnam. Redshirt freshman Ryan Linthicum, a former blue-chip recruit, is in a “totally different place” in his development after missing his senior year of high school because of the coronavirus pandemic, Swinney said. Swinney added Trent Howard is entering his third year in the program as a more functional option on the interior of the line after the sophomore dealt with various illnesses last season.

“Linthicum, Trent and Putnam, all of those guys can play center and guard,” Swinney said. “So we like that group right there, and we’ll see if we can add somebody in there. But there’s no question on who the starter is. It was certainly good confirmation in the spring of what we thought we’d see out of (Putnam).”

Swinney makes strong statement about development of offensive line

The offensive line wasn’t the most stable position for Clemson a season ago, and there are still some lingering uncertainty about the group coming out of the spring. But after watching the unit as a whole over the Tigers’ 15 spring practices, …

The offensive line wasn’t the most stable position for Clemson a season ago, and there are still some lingering uncertainty about the group coming out of the spring.

But after watching the unit as a whole over the Tigers’ 15 spring practices, Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said recently that he feels good about the development of the line. To the point that he has reached a different level of conviction about the short-term and long-term futures of the position with the personnel in place.

“We love the kids that we have,” Swinney said. “All 14 of the guys that we have on scholarship have the ability to be a starter for us or very significant contributors. I haven’t always been able to say that, but I’m very, very encouraged about the personnel that we have there.”

Clemson is set on the edges with veteran left tackle Jordan McFadden and rising junior Walker Parks on the right side, but the interior is where things are still in some limbo along a line that had eight different starting combinations a season ago. The Tigers have had more attrition than they expected at center, so Will Putnam moved over to rep there this spring and, as of now, would likely be the starter if Clemson had to play a game this week.

Clemson is also in the market for a transfer interior lineman if the fit is right, though Swinney has cooled on just how much of a necessity he initially thought that would be for his team given what transpired this spring. With Putnam specifically, grabbing a plug-and-play center would allow him to move back to right guard, where he’s started the last two seasons. But Swinney said he feels better about keeping Putnam at center if necessary after watching the rising senior make a largely smooth transition.

“It was rare that we had a bad snap,” Swinney said. “It was about one a day, and you’re talking about a guy that’s never snapped. It’s not like he snapped in high school. He’s never snapped.”

McFadden will exhaust his eligibility after next season. Putnam and Parks (draft-eligible next year) could also move on, potentially leaving more questions for the unit in 2023. But Swinney said he was equally as impressed with what he saw from the Tigers’ younger linemen this spring, particularly the third-year players – Mitchell Mayes, Trent Howard, Bryn Tucker and John Williams – that “all made a move,” he said.

That group competed at right guard in case Putnam remains at center while true sophomore Marcus Tate remains at the top of the depth chart at left guard for now, though he could move to tackle, where he’s been cross-training, in the future. Swinney is also high on true freshmen Blake Miller and Collin Sadler as well as redshirt freshmen Ryan Linthicum, Tristan Leigh and Dietrick Pennington, whom Swinney said might have started as a first-year player last season if not for an injury that sidelined the Memphis native.

Linthicum and Leigh, the top-ranked signee in Clemson’s 2021 recruiting class who could be McFadden’s successor next year, were among the players that showed the most improvement this spring, Swinney said. It’s all given Swinney a different level of confidence in the linemen already on the roster.

“If I felt like the kids we had, we missed on some of them, it would be different. But we haven’t missed on any of those guys,” Swinney said. “Every single guy that we’ve signed — all 14 guys that we have on scholarship — they’re all at different stages. But unless they get hurt, they’re going to be starters for us or really significant contributors. And that is a really good spot to be in in that offensive line.”

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Swinney in ‘whole different state of mind’ on potential addition of transfer linemen

Dabo Swinney put the word out before the spring that Clemson would be actively looking to add offensive line reinforcements from outside the program before next season. Now? “I’m in a whole different state of mind right now than I was going into …

Dabo Swinney put the word out before the spring that Clemson would be actively looking to add offensive line reinforcements from outside the program before next season.

Now?

“I’m in a whole different state of mind right now than I was going into spring ball,” Swinney told The Clemson Insider this week.

Specifically, Swinney has been monitoring the transfer portal for interior linemen following Hunter Rayburn’s abrupt medical disqualification and Mason Trotter’s unavailability for at least part of next season. With Matt Bockhorst having exhausted his eligibility last season, that left Clemson without its top three centers from a season ago heading into the spring.

So far, Swinney said Clemson has only extended scholarship offers to two portal linemen, both of whom ended up elsewhere. NCAA rules prevent coaches from publicly discussing specific recruits that haven’t signed with their programs, but the Tigers were heavily involved with former Virginia standout Olusegun Oluwatimi before the All-American center transferred to Michigan in late December. Former all-Sun Belt guard O’Cyrus Torrence, a three-year starter for Louisiana, announced an offer from Clemson in January before choosing Florida.

But Swinney said he feels much more comfortable about the center position after what he saw from rising senior Will Putnam and the rest of the players at that position this spring. The attrition there before the spring forced Clemson to move Putnam over from right guard, where he’s been the starter the last two seasons.

“He’s so knowledgeable, first of all,” Swinney said of Putnam. “He’s got complete ownership of the offense. He can make all the calls, and he’s got great command of the protections. He’s just played a lot of football, but the biggest thing we saw was the ability to make the snaps consistently. It was rare that we had a bad snap. It was about one a day, and you’re talking about a guy that’s never snapped. It’s not like he snapped in high school. He’s never snapped.

“He’s an unbelievably committed guy, and you just know whatever Will Putnam does, he’s going to go above and beyond. And so what we saw out of him, what we saw out of (redshirt freshman Ryan) Linthicum, what we saw out of Trent (Howard), those three guys have the ability to do it.”

That doesn’t mean adding a lineman from the portal is no longer a possibility for the Tigers, who only have 14 offensive linemen on scholarship — one fewer than Swinney would like for the ideal depth at the position. And while Clemson would prefer to get a center if it does end up bringing in someone from the outside, Swinney said the Tigers are open to potentially taking a lineman that can play anywhere on the interior.

But it’s not just the center position that has Swinney feeling better about the unit if the right portal fit doesn’t come along. Should the Tigers have to keep Putnam there, Swinney said he’s seen the kinds of strides he needed to see from some of his younger, less experienced interior linemen to feel good about moving forward with the current personnel.

“The biggest comfort we have is what we saw out of those five sophomores and five freshmen,” Swinney said. “Marcus Tate and the experience he got (last season), and then that group of redshirt sophomores all made a move. This time last year, I really didn’t see that going into their redshirt freshman year. But now Mitchell Mayes, Trent Howard, Bryn Tucker and big John Williams, those guys all made a move. And then the five freshmen, we hit on all of those guys. Tristan Leigh, Linthicum, Dietrick Pennington, Blake Miller and Collin Sadler, all of those guys can play. Coming out of spring, I can say that now.”

Swinney also has certain criteria that any potential targets that enter the portal in the future must meet to get serious consideration for a scholarship offer.

“We’re looking for a guy that’s a senior that’s exactly like what we offered, that’s the right fit, that’s got starter experience and those types of things that fit our program and fit our locker room. Then we’d consider that,” Swinney said. “But that’s not out there right now for us outside of the two we offered and didn’t get. You never know what’s going to happen between now and May, but, again, we’re not just going to take a kid to take a kid.

“We know specifically what we’re looking for, and if that’s not available, then we’re going to roll with what we’ve got.”

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How is Putnam doing in his transition to center?

With Mason Trotter out for most of the 2022 season due to an undisclosed reason, Hunter Rayburn having been medically disqualified because of neck/stinger issues, and Matt Bockhorst’s eligibility exhausted, Clemson is down its top three centers from …

With Mason Trotter out for most of the 2022 season due to an undisclosed reason, Hunter Rayburn having been medically disqualified because of neck/stinger issues, and Matt Bockhorst’s eligibility exhausted, Clemson is down its top three centers from last season.

Thus, the center position is currently a big question mark for the Tigers along the offensive line. Head coach Dabo Swinney said Clemson will actively monitor the transfer portal for an interior lineman, but in the meantime, Will Putnam, who started at guard last season, has moved to center this spring and perhaps beyond.

Following Wednesday’s practice, Swinney provided an update on how Putnam’s transition to the position is working out so far, particularly with his snaps.

“He’s doing great,” Swinney said. “In fact, I just told the team that I only noticed him one time today, and that is a great thing. He had one bad snap. Again, this guy’s never snapped, and now all of a sudden – it’s one thing to be in shorts, thud practice, it’s another thing when you’re going live and you’re running outside zone and you’ve got to snap and you’ve got to climb and step. It’s a different animal, and he’s really doing a good job. Really proud of him. But again, he had one low snap all day, and I think he had 30 reps live. So, he’s really doing a good job.”

Putnam, a multi-year starter at guard who has reclassified and will be a junior this season, has played 1,615 career snaps over 33 games (22 starts) in his career — but none at center.

However, Swinney has been pleased with how Putnam, a third-team all-ACC pick by Phil Steele in 2021, has taken to playing center.

“He’s worked hard at it, which doesn’t shock me,” Swinney said. “That’s just how he’s wired. That’s his DNA, and when he commits to something, he’s going to be to the extreme of it. Again, he’s reclassified, so he’s just going to be a junior. He’s played a lot of football. So, that’s been really, really good.”

Swinney also likes what he’s seen from redshirt sophomore Trent Howard at center this spring, and said redshirt freshman center Ryan Linthicum is coming along in his development as well.

“Trent Howard’s done a nice job,” Swinney said. “I’m pleased with where he is, and Linthicum’s still coming. So, we’re developing the type of depth there that we need.”

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Clemson’s offensive line starts spring still in need of solidifying

Clemson’s offensive line is set on the edges, but the interior is still in flux as the Tigers begin spring practice. The next five weeks will give Dabo Swinney and his staff a chance to start solidifying a unit that featured eight different starting …

Clemson’s offensive line is set on the edges, but the interior is still in flux as the Tigers begin spring practice.

The next five weeks will give Dabo Swinney and his staff a chance to start solidifying a unit that featured eight different starting lineups this past season primarily because of injuries and performance on the inside. There’s still a lot of work to do to get there for a line that’s experienced more attrition than expected this offseason.

Where the Tigers turn at center is the most pressing question after Swinney revealed Mason Trotter (unspecified) will miss the majority of the 2022 season, which comes on the heels of Hunter Rayburn’s medical disqualification. With Matt Bockhorst’s eligibility exhausted, the Tigers are down their top three centers from last season.

Third-year sophomore Trent Howard and freshman Ryan Linthicum suddenly find themselves at or near the top of the depth chart at the position this spring, but Will Putnam will join the competition, at least for now. Swinney said Clemson will actively monitor the transfer portal for an interior lineman. In the meantime, Putnam, who started at guard last season, is moving to center this spring and perhaps beyond.

Howard and Linthicum have combined to play just 81 snaps so far. Linthicum was one of the nation’s top center recruits coming out of Damascus (Maryland) High last year but redshirted after he “came in here just not ready and just a little overwhelmed,” Swinney said.

“Anxious to see him grow this spring and hopefully be ready by the time we play in September,” Swinney added.

As for Howard, Swinney said he would have been next in line at center last season if needed. The 6-foot-3, 290-pounder has played in just seven games his first two years with the program as a reserve, but Swinney said Howard provides flexibility up front.

“He’s a very smart, savvy football player that can play guard and center,” Swinney said. “He’s very athletic and knows the game. He’s a guy that nobody really talks much about here, but he’s a good football player.”

Putnam’s move leaves a vacancy at right guard. Swinney said Mitchell Mayes, a backup tackle this past season, will slide over to rep there during team periods this spring. Redshirt freshman Dietrick Pennington, who missed last season with a torn ACL, will also “get a bunch of reps” at guard.

“I know he’s excited about it and will do a good job for us,” Swinney said of Mayes, who’s played in 12 games for the Tigers.

Beyond a need for it, Swinney said repping Mayes inside this spring will allow true freshmen Collin Sadler and Blake Miller to stay at tackle for now. Clemson’s lone linemen signees in the 2022 recruiting class, Sadler and Miller are both mid-year enrollees who are helping with depth behind Jordan McFadden and Walker Parks, who are firmly entrenched as the Tigers’ starting tackles.

“Let them settle in a bit before we overwhelm them too much,” Swinney said.

Swinney said rising sophomore Marcus Tate will stay at left guard for the time being but will continue cross-training at left tackle.

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More attrition at center — and Clemson’s plan to address it

The attrition in the middle of Clemson’s offensive line continues heading into the spring, which will force the Tigers to explore more outside options up front. Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said interior offensive lineman Mason Trotter won’t …

The attrition in the middle of Clemson’s offensive line continues heading into the spring, which will force the Tigers to explore more outside options up front.

Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said interior offensive lineman Mason Trotter won’t participate this spring and is “probably going to be out for most of the season” after missing the Tigers’ bowl game for unspecified reasons. Swinney declined to specify a reason for Trotter’s absence before Clemson’s first spring practice Wednesday, though he said it’s not a legal matter and that Trotter is still with the team.

“In good standing. Great kid,” Swinney said of Trotter. “Unfortunately, probably not going to be available for most of the season.”

The news comes after Clemson lost Hunter Rayburn, who ended the season as the starting center, had his playing career come to an end because of a medical disqualification. Matt Bockhorst, who started games at center and guard last season, also exhausted his eligibility this past season.

Trotter, who started multiple games at center and guard last season, was the only player on the roster heading into the spring with starting experience at center. Swinney said guard Will Putnam will move over this spring to help with the depth at the position.

Redshirt freshman Ryan Linthicum and redshirt sophomore Trent Howard are the only other centers that will go through the spring.

Swinney said it only adds to the importance of those players having a good spring, but the Tigers’ next starter at the position may not be on the roster. Clemson was already active in the transfer portal looking for interior offensive linemen during the offseason, and Swinney admitted that will continue through the spring and into the summer as the Tigers search for at least one more experienced option in the middle of the offensive.

Asked if bringing in multiple transfer linemen is a possibility, Swinney said he wasn’t sure. But he didn’t rule it out.

“We need to probably look at all measures to at least get a guy,” Swinney said.

What the end of Rayburn’s playing career means for Clemson’s offensive line

Clemson appeared to be heading into the spring with four of its five starting offensive linemen from last season back in the fold. That was before news broke Thursday that Hunter Rayburn will be hanging up his cleats after neck stingers resulted in …

Clemson appeared to be heading into the spring with four of its five starting offensive linemen from last season back in the fold.

That was before news broke Thursday that Hunter Rayburn will be hanging up his cleats after neck stingers resulted in a medical disqualification for the redshirt sophomore. Rayburn will remain involved with the program as a student coach, but his unavailability as a player may be the biggest blow for an offensive line that had its issues at times a season ago, particularly on the interior.

Matt Bockhorst’s career as a Tiger is also over, but Clemson got some significant work at left guard for others this past season. Even before the fifth-year senior tore his ACL against Pittsburgh in late October, true freshman Marcus Tate started four games at that spot with Bockhorst starting the season at center. Tate ended the season with eight starts at left guard and is the presumed starter there heading into next season, joining left tackle Jordan McFadden, right tackle Walker Parks and right guard Will Putnam as starters up front.

But with Rayburn’s playing career at Clemson cut short, that means the Tigers are losing their top two centers from last season. Rayburn, who played in 19 games in three seasons, made his first six starts this past season and ended it as the starting center.

It leaves fellow sophomore Mason Trotter as the only player on the roster that’s started a game at center. Trotter started the most games among the trio at the position last season (5), though that was primarily because of injuries and other attrition that kept the door revolving on the interior of the line for much of the season. 

As far as in-house candidates go, the 6-foot-2, 285-pound Trotter finds himself as the most experienced option at the position, though that’s not saying a lot given he’s only got seven career starts to his name. Trent Howard and redshirt freshman Ryan Linthicum, a former blue-chip recruit, figure to factor more prominently into the competition this spring, too.

Clemson could also ratchet up its search for a starting center in the transfer portal, which is where an option currently outside of the program would likely come from at this point given the timing of Rayburn’s departure. Both the early and traditional signing periods for the 2022 recruiting cycle have come and gone without the Tigers inking any interior offensive linemen.

With the majority of high school prospects already signed to their school of choice, the transfer portal is a more viable option if Clemson coach Dabo Swinney isn’t comfortable with what he’s already got on the roster, which, based on the Tigers’ involvement in the portal already, could be the case. Former Clemson and Northwestern quarterback Hunter Johnson is the only transfer the Tigers have signed in the 2022 class, but Clemson has also offered multiple interior offensive linemen in the portal, an indication Swinney may have already known about Rayburn’s situation.

A portal addition would also help bring more experience to a position that’s suddenly a darker shade of green. Decisions, decisions for Swinney and his coaching staff at one of the most important spots up front.

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