The Clemson football team is finishing up spring practice and it is just a matter of days before we get to see the Tigers take the field one last time for the annual Orange & White Spring Game.
Clemson is considered one of the top competitors for a National Championship during this 2021 season, but it all begins with the work built and established starting in the spring.
One of the positions most concerning coming into the season has been the offensive line.
No one who watched that offensive line during the 2020 season will say that the unit had a good season overall. There were flashes of greatness and times where they played in sync, but all too often they were at the very least a liability as the Tigers took the field offensively and had it not been for a historically-great running back in Travis Etienne and a mobile QB in Trevor Lawrence, Clemson may have been in trouble.
We’ve heard all spring from offensive linemen who said they weren’t happy with their performance during the 2020 season and they’ve come into this spring hoping to get better and completely focused on the task at hand.
So what would the Clemson football starting offensive line look like if the season started today?
- LT: Jordan McFadden
- LG: Matt Bockhorst
- C: Hunter Rayburn
- RG: Will Putnam
- RT: Walker Parks
If the season started today, this would be your starting lineup along the offensive line.
Jordan McFadden has moved over to left tackle and it seems he has that spot locked down.
Walker Parks is manning the right tackle spot- and many thought he’d be the starting left tackle- and there’s reason to believe he’s pretty much locked in there.
If we were to guess, the major competition left will be at center.
Hunter Rayburn has received the majority of first-team reps at the center, while a couple of others like Mason Trotter have also been involved. Look for freshman Ryan Linthicum to make strides in the coming months, though, and it will be interesting to see what happens this fall as the Tigers continue to hold position competitions.