Clemson HC Dabo Swinney Praises OL Elyjah Thurmon: ‘He’s Going to Play This Game a Long Time’

One of the biggest questions surrounding the Clemson Tigers heading into the 2026 season is the capabilities of the team’s offensive line.

But according to head coach Dabo Swinney, there’s one member of the group that is flying under the radar and trending upward in a major way: redshirt sophomore guard Elyjah Thurmon.

“Elyjah’s in amazing shape,” Swinney said after the team’s fall scrimmage on Saturday. “He’s probably the best he’s been. He’s strong. He can play five positions. Elyjah Thurmon is one of the smartest kids we’ve got on this team. He’s going to play this game a long time.

You don't find many football players that can play five positions on the [offensive line], and he can do it. He’s had a great camp. We got him some live reps [today] at center. Elyjah gives us a lot of versatility. He and [Collin] Sadler, those two guys, they are very valuable players.”

Clemson’s starting OL:

Jacobs-Thurmon-Sewell-O’Connell-Ware
— Grayson Mann (@gray_mann21) August 10, 2026

Thurmon played 146 snaps over eight games in 2024 before suffering a season-ending ankle injury on the first play of the game against Pittsburgh in November. The 6-foot-4, 325-pound guard appeared in three games for the Tigers last season, including a start against Troy. In those three games, the offense posted respectable averages of 263 pass yards, 97 rush yards, and 360 total yards per game.

In 2025, the former four-star prospect suffered a shoulder injury in practice leading up to the North Carolina game, which ended his season.

“We didn’t want to shut him down, but it’s Mother Nature,” Swinney said last November. He’s gotta have surgery. They were hoping that maybe he could come back, but [his shoulder] keeps slipping out. They tried to go through the protocol to get him back to play, but he can’t do what he needs to do. We didn’t want to. It’s just where we are.”

After using that season as a redshirt year, he projects as one of the key pieces of an offensive line that will be pivotal to Clemson’s success in 2026.

The Tigers added a new offensive coordinator to the fold and will feature new starters at quarterback, running back, and the 3rd wide receiver spot. With so much newness to the operation, each member of the offensive line taking a step forward will be critical to improving from a disappointing 2025 campaign where the offense averaged 27.2 points per game, the fewest since 2021.

But the offensive line will play a critical role in the floor of next season's offense, and Thurmon will play a vital role in that.

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