Why Clemson's Offensive Line Will Be Different Compared to Recent Seasons

National and conference championships start in the trenches, and the Clemson Tigers see a change in how this group performs compared to years past.

Matt Luke’s group lost four of its starters last season, either to eligibility or the NFL Draft. However, head coach Dabo Swinney raved about the group that he has this season, which feature both rotational pieces with plenty of snaps and standout freshmen.

First, there are just a large number of players at the position. Swinney will have 22 lineman this season, and with plenty of positions to fill, he’s excited for the competition over the next few months.

“I love the group,” he said. “We got a lot of bodies. It’s going to be really competitive.”

It’s already had positive reviews in spring practice. Just ask defensive ends Darien Mayo and Ari Watford, who went up against them on the first day of spring practice on Wednesday.

“They’re very intact. They really know what they’re doing,” Mayo said. “I’m surprised at how, like, even and just how matched up they were. So they’ll do a really good job with them.”

Watford spoke about the group’s size.

“Those guys big, our tackles are big, strong, sturdy down there in the trenches, and we’re going to be good,” he said. “We’re going to be great.”

Swinney’s biggest takeaway from the group this season is how many different players can play on the ends of the line. It’s handy after the departures of longtime starters Tristan Leigh and Blake Miller, who played on the left and right tackle spots, respectively.

“I think we’re going to have more tackles than we’ve had in quite a while, which is huge,” Swinney said. “I think we got eight guys that can play tackle for us, as we see it going into the spring.”

Obviously, a lot can change between now and September, but that amount is promising to begin the new season.

Speaking of promising, Clemson brought in six freshmen into the program from this year’s 2026 class. While one will enter during the summer, the other five have already had Swinney impressed in specific drills, and it’s not even March yet.

The Tigers’ head coach is excited to see the potential once they all take the field throughout this spring.

“These five dudes that have shown up here, well, this is an impressive group of people,” Swinney said. “Unbelievable watching them go through matt drills, so we’ll see where they are on the field, and then, obviouslty, we got Adam Guthrie coming this summer to go with it, but I love this group.”

Mayo went up against Carter Scruggs at practice on Wednesday, and had nothing but good things to say after the session.

“I think he has really good potential,” the edge rusher said. “Just really good player, really strong, but the whole offensive line just really good players.”

Another aspect to note will be how Clemson crosstrains its linemen. Players like Elyjah Thurmon, Harris Sewell and Collin Sadler bring experience nearly everywhere and have the capabilities to play across the line, which will be beneficial to the Tigers.

Especially with plenty of departures, that’s going to end up being a vital help as the offseason continues in 2026.

“When you have guys like that. . .that’s a big plus for you,” Swinney said, “because again, you want your best five and it’s hard. It’s hard to take true guys and say ‘go play tackle.”

As the team will continues to ramp up spring practice, Clemson does have a takeaway from the group: it’s been put together in one of the best ways possible.

Swinney credits that to the position coach, Matt Luke.

“I’ll say this, man, and Matt’s done an amazing job putting it together.”