Sixth-Year Clemson Offensive Lineman Now Rostered on Both Sides of the Ball

After five quiet years at offensive guard for the Tigers, a veteran lineman is now listed as a two-way player.

Sixth-year Clemson OL Dietrick Pennington is now also listed as a defensive tackle for the Tigers ahead of his final season. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

There have been a handful of position changes over the past few years within Clemson's football program, notable ones being Adam Randall's move to running back and Ronan Hanafin's shift to defensive back, among others.

Now, there's been another that's taken place over the course of this offseason: sixth-year Dietrick Pennington, who's listed as both an offensive lineman and a defensive tackle. He has also changed his number, going from No. 59 to No. 91, according to the Clemson Tigers' website.

There hasn't been any comment from head coach Dabo Swinney on the position change yet, but it doesn't come as all too big of a surprise considering Pennington was once recruited as a defensive tackle, and he hasn't been given too many in-game reps at offensive guard since entering Clemson.

Rewinding to 2020, the 6-foot-5, 326-pound (at the time) lineman attended Evangelical Christian in Cordova, Tennessee. As mentioned, he was recruited on both sides of the ball while playing defensive tackle and offensive guard for the Eagles.

The Tigers ultimately signed the four-star prospect with the intent of playing on the offensive line, and that's what he's done over the past five years. However, he's barely seen the field whatsoever in the span, logging just 117 offensive snaps from 2021 to 2025. Injuries certainly haven't helped, either, as he suffered a season-ending knee injury in both 2021 and 2024.

Nevertheless, the transition is likely the best move for both sides, as Pennington hasn't necessarily worked his way into the offensive line rotation, and the Tigers need all the depth they can get on the defensive side ahead of the 2026 season. Not to mention, the sixth-year is 6-foot-5 and 355 pounds, with a scout even saying he was "stout against the run and immovable on defense" coming out of high school.

Now, he enters a room that's filled with multiple transfers and returners, including sophomore Amare Adams — a former five-star recruit — Oklahoma transfer Markus Strong, JUCO transfer Andy Burburija, junior Champ Thompson, sophomore Makhi Williams-Lee and walk-on Patrick Swygert, among others.

The help is even more needed when you consider the injuries within the position group. 

West Georgia transfer Kourtney Kelly tore his ACL in the spring, but is estimated to return sometime this season, according to Dabo Swinney. Third-year Hevin Brown-Shuler will miss the entirety of the season due to a Hodgkin's Lymphoma diagnosis back in May. Most recently, senior Vic Burley has been absent from fall camp due to an undisclosed injury. 

Heading into Pennington's final year, he's unlikely to start, but he'll look to prove himself once more as an immovable object, seeing the field in rotation while potentially logging some snaps on the offensive side, too.