Young Tight End Poised for Expanded Role in Clemson’s Offense

As the Clemson Tigers prepare to roll out a new-look offense for the 2026 college football season, one underclassman could be poised to carve out an expanded role.

Over the final two games of the season, redshirt freshman tight end Christian Bentancur emerged as one of the Tigers’ most reliable pass-catchers, a sign he could be in line for more consistent targets moving forward.

Starting tight end Olson Patt-Henry suffered a season-ending leg injury during Clemson’s loss to Furman, which opened the door for the 6-foot-4, 245-pound backup to take advantage of the increased opportunity.

Bentancur made his first career start during Clemson’s 28–14 win over South Carolina, finishing as the Tigers’ third-leading receiver after hauling in five passes for 51 yards. During Saturday’s loss to Penn State, he caught two passes for 29 yards.

The numbers won’t make you fall out of your chair, but they did show encouraging progress from a position group that was rarely factored into Clemson’s limited aerial attack.

While receivers like T.J. Moore and Bryant Wesco Jr. stretch defenses vertically, Bentancur could provide a reliable presence over the middle by using his size and coordination to catch passes in traffic and bounce off of defensive backs while fighting for extra yards.

Clemson needs to get Christian Bentancur the ball more.

Here's another look at the Tigers' third TD of the day.pic.twitter.com/TPThoSSIyU
— Grayson Mann (@gray_mann21) October 4, 2025

He flashed some potential earlier in the season before going on a quiet stretch, catching a pair of touchdowns against North Carolina and then snagging four passes against SMU two weeks later.

Shortly after the win over the Tar Heels, Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney showed some love to the young tight end.

“Christian’s a complete player,” Swinney said. “He’s big, he’s strong, he can run. He’s learned what to do. He doesn’t make a lot of mistakes.

Aside from Bentancur’s progress on the field, Swinney has also been impressed by his work ethic.

He’s just a worker,” Swinney said. “I come in here today at 1:30, and he’s out there jamming to music, running 100-yard sprints and walk-backs by himself. That’s just who Christian is. Definitely glad he’s a Tiger.”

As a recruit, he was a consensus top-100 prospect and was ranked as the No.4 prospect in the country according to 247Sports. The Illinois native played wide receiver in high school, finishing his prep career ranked among the state’s top five in career receptions, yards, and touchdowns.

While the Tigers are still in search of a new offensive coordinator, expect Bentancur to be viewed as a foundational piece of the offense moving forward.

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