Eason Knows What a Great Defensive Line Looks Like, Clemson has it
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CLEMSON, S.C. — Back in his playing days, Nick Eason played on some very good football teams. In fact, a couple of them might be considered great.
Clemson’s new defensive tackles coach played on the 2008 Pittsburgh Steelers defense, one that led the NFL in almost every category on its way to winning Super XLIII. He was also a member of the Steelers’ run to Super Bowl XLV in 2010, another defense that dominated the league.
“The great teams that I have been a part of and played with, always had depth (on the defensive line). We have some of the best depth in the country,” Eason recently said.
Clemson’s defensive line might be the best in the country in 2022. The Tigers are loaded with talent and experienced players.
In the interior of the line, the Tigers have two of the best defensive tackles in the country in Bryan Bresee and Tyler Davis, while Ruke Orhorhoro, Etinosa Reuben and Tre Williams played like all-conference candidates after Bresee went down with an ACL injury in Week 4 of last season.
In the spring, Eason raved about DeMonte Capehart’s progression, while saying Payton Page had the best spring of any of his defensive tackles. Throw in freshman Caden Story, and the Tigers are literally eight-deep at the defensive tackle positions.
“Everybody in the room can play,” Eason said. “Talk about Bryan Bresee, Ruke Orhorhoro, Tyler Davis, Payton Page, ET Reuben, Capehart, Tre Williams, they all bring something to the table. It is really a good situation to be in, as long as we stay healthy.”
Even without its best player in 2021, the Clemson defensive line helped the Tigers yield just 96.3 rushing yards per game, which ranked sixth nationally.
“They can all do it all. Each one of them has their own set of skills that they are really good at and do well,” Eason said. “It is going to make us a really great defensive line. If the guys put in the hard work, we will be the best in the country.
“It is just my job to make sure that I am demanding, but not demeaning and I challenge those guys every day. But we have all the tools, all the tools you are looking for on a defensive line and all the guys in our room, we have it.”
As Clemson begins preseason camp this Friday, Eason said he is just concentrating on helping his players stay healthy and continuing to develop the talent in the defensive tackles room.
“I really truly feel that you will always be developing talent, whether you are coaching in high school, whether you are coaching at the college level or even in the pros. It is about developing the talent that you have,” Eason said. “These guys have the skillset to do it, so we are going to move forward and continue to work.”
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