Clemson football: Projecting DT with Pinckney, Williams transfers

Projecting the Clemson football defensive tackle position following transfers

The Clemson football program has already seen two players- both defensive tackles- enter the NCAA Transfer Portal following the 2020 season.

It was reported earlier this week that DT Jordan Williams and DT Nyles Pinckney were both entering the NCAA Transfer Portal and won’t be with the Clemson football program moving forward.

Williams had played four years at Clemson and still has two years of eligibility remaining while Pinckney had been with the program for five years and has one more year of eligibility as a grad-transfer.

The two veterans had been surpassed on the depth chart this season, but still saw time in backup roles over the course of the fall.

What does Clemson football look like at defensive tackle next year?

It’s certainly not ideal to lose two players who have had so much experience and have been quality depth pieces over the course of a few years, but neither Pinckney nor Williams were going to work themselves into a starting role.

Assuming everyone stays healthy, Bryan Bresee and Tyler Davis will still be your starters at defensive tackle in 2021.

After Bresee and Davis is where it gets interesting. Here’s a look at the returning players on the roster:

• Darnell Jefferies
• Ruke Orhorhoro
• Etinosa Reuben
• Demonte Capehart
• Tre Williams

In addition to those, you’ve also got an incoming 4-star in Payton Page who is an early enrollee and is arriving on campus standing at 6-foot-4 and more than 320 pounds.

That’s quite the amount of depth at a single position.

It’s going to be interesting to see how the depth behind Bresee and Davis develops. Will Jefferies finally have his break? What will Orhorhoro and Reuben- two development projects- look like as they enter year three with the program? What about Capehart and Williams who both looked like monsters coming in as freshmen, but were held back because of the current depth?

The Tigers need to grow up the position, but there’s certainly enough bodies and talent to make that happen.

In the end, no one wants to lose anybody, but Clemson football fans should wish Pinckney and Williams the best moving forward and understand that the Tigers have more than enough talent at the position to be successful.