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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