Clemson Football: Hunter Rayburn has potential for development
The 2019 Clemson football freshman class is one of the largest in school history. Today, let’s take a look at offensive lineman Hunter Rayburn.
The 2019 Clemson football recruiting cycle saw the Tigers bring in a total of 29 prospects.
Out of the 29 prospects, 17 were mid-year enrollees and took part in spring camp. One of those mid-year enrollees was offensive lineman Hunter Rayburn.
Rayburn is a 247 Sports Composite 3-star, but is also considered a 4-star depending on which service you look at.
He is listed at 6-foot-4 and 320 pounds, which is good size and weight for an incoming freshman. As we continue our series analyzing each Clemson football freshman, let’s take a look at Hunter Rayburn and his ability to make an impact on the Tiger program.
Talent Analysis:
Before William Putnam committed, Rayburn was the most talented offensive lineman in the 2019 Clemson football class.
Rayburn is big and has great measurables. He is versatile and could project inside or outside, depending on where the coaches want to develop him.
For now, though, we’re going to say that he likely will play along the interior of the offensive line. Though he played right tackle for the majority of his high school career, I think the coaches like him better as an interior lineman.
Rayburn hasn’t shown the foot speed necessary to effectively play the tackle position. He has power and he’s not slow, but there’s a difference in the speed of the games.
He is especially effective in rushing situations. Rayburn is able to get out ahead of his block and open up a hole for the runner. That could be a valuable asset for the Tigers on the interior of the offensive line.
Typically, Florida offensive linemen have not proven to be physical enough for the collegiate level early on, so it will be interesting to see how Rayburn performs and if that is an issue for him during the first couple of years in his career.
Next. ESPN ranks future Clemson offense No. 1. dark
Immediate Impact?
Rayburn is a moldable guy that could develop into a starting offensive lineman. I expect him to redshirt this season and continue to work on his versatility.