Clemson football: Briningstool’s potential off the charts

Many Clemson football fans long for the days of Dwayne Allen or Jordan Leggett at the tight end position, a time when the position was more than an occasional afterthought in the offense, perhaps even a threat.

Davis Allen is a solid tight end that caught 28 passes for 208 yards (7.4) and 3 touchdowns in a down year for the offense, while Jake Briningstool had 3 receptions for 67 yards and Sage Ennis and Luke Price had a catch each.

While Allen is the more established player with 49 career catches for 508 yards and seven touchdowns in 1,141 career snaps, Briningstool offers the most upside at the position.

Coming out of Ravenwood High in Brentwood, Tennessee, Briningstool was the 61st ranked player in the nation by 247sports.com and the number 1 tight end and top player in the state of Tennessee in the class of 2021.

When he’s on the field, Briningstool oozes talent and looks to be a tough cover given his size and athleticism, but his limited snap counts showed good grades from PFF, much better than the other tight ends on the roster.

Jake Briningstool flashed potential in limited 2021 snaps, but has potential to make the tight end position a force once again

Briningstool’s overall grade was 75.3 to 59.6 for Allen and he also accumulated higher grades across the board in receiving, pass blocking and run blocking.

So why didn’t he see the field more?

According to tight ends coach Kyle Richardson consistency is the key:

"“Briningstool, the biggest thing with him is just consistency,” tight ends coach Kyle Richardson said. “He’s a young guy that, again, got thrown in the fire at times because of injuries and probably was not ready at times. But his potential is through the roof. His athleticism and what he brings to us in that tight end run and what he brings to the opposing defense and match up problems is through the roof."

Sometimes the light comes on in the second year in the program as players have adjusted to the college game and know more of what to expect and how to prepare.

If the light does indeed come on for Jake Briningstool in 2022 the tight end position for Clemson could become more than an occasional thought for a Tigers offense in desperate need of playmakers.