For 4th straight season, Clemson Will Have New Center
CLEMSON, S.C. — Without hesitation, Thomas Austin let it be known how good he feels about Will Putnam as Clemson’s starting center this season, barring injury.
Putnam moved to center from right guard in the spring after Hunter Rayburn retired from football due to a neck issue and Mason Trotter’s eligibility status.
“We feel good about Putt, where he is. We have all we need right now,” Clemson’s new offensive line coach said recently.
Putnam’s ability to take control at center, plus the development of Ryan Linthicum and Trent Howard in the spring, eased the coaching staff’s mind on the position. Thomas confirmed the Tigers were looking at offering an offensive lineman from the transfer portal to possibly come in and compete this fall, but that is no longer the case.
“We had a very specific criteria we were looking for and we really felt like one or two guys fit those criteria,” Austin said. “At the end of the day, we knew we had fourteen guys, plus some really good walk-ons that will give us the depth that we need.”
Putnam’s ability to grasp the center position as well as he did, aided in the coaches’ decision to go with who they already have on the roster.
“I think I was probably surprised how well Putman took over the center job,” Austin said. “It was also good to see Ryan Linthicum and Trent Howard start to take that next step. That is the other part of it, the depth behind him is what you are concerned about.”
The number one concern for Putnam, early on, was his ability to snap the football. Clemson keeps the quarterback in the shotgun or pistol in the majority of its offensive formations, and snapping a football in those situations was something Putnam had no experience with.
“We tracked it every day,” Austin said. “We call it ‘Ball in Jeopardy.’ Anytime a guy puts the ball on the ground, whether it is the quarterback or running back, we track it. So, from a center standpoint, he averaged about one a day for the first ten days of practice. When you think about the number of snaps he has taken, is really good.
“Like I said, maybe early in the spring when he missed early on, it was low. It is not ideal, but you can deal with that, you know? When I had issues as a (center), I snapped it over the head, which is a problem, right? But in the spring game, he did not have a single bad snap. So, he knows it and he feels it, which is always a good sign.”
This is the fourth straight season Clemson will open the year with a new center. Sean Pollard was the starting center in 2019. Cade Stewart, who was a former walk-on, got the nod in 2020 and Matt Bockhorst was the first of three different centers the Tigers used in 2021.
The last time Clemson came into a season with same starting center it had the previous season was Justin Falcinelli in 2018.
Austin is confident Putnam’s move to center will be easier than Bockhorst’s due to the fact he played the entire spring at the position where Bockhorst had only preseason camp to get ready due to Rayburn and Trotter injuries.
“Bock kind of dabbled in it through the spring, but he did not get many competitive reps in the spring. So, to have fifteen extra practices, plus the entire summer with the mindset that ‘I am going to be the starting center’ is a big difference,” Austin said. “Bock, you can’t thank Bockhorst enough for what he did. He was very unselfish. But he was in a tough position. Mason Trotter broke his hand in camp and some of those things. So, he did what the team needed him to do.”
Clemson will begin fall camp on Friday at the Allen Reeves Football Complex in Clemson.
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