Clemson Football: Who’s joining the offensive line starting lineup?

Ryan Linthicum

Linthicum is another guy that Clemson fans have been eager to see contribute. Early in his recruiting cycle, he was rated very high by some of the recruiting services. He was also a natural center, and Clemson was struggling with converting other linemen to center.

With the cancellation of his senior high school season due to COVID, his stock dropped. Most fans didn’t worry too much about that, including yours truly. Linthicum still finished as a Top 247 prospect as a 4-star. I expected him to compete for the starting center position right away.

Like Leigh, Linthicum just hasn’t made an impact so far. He redshirted as a freshman and saw only 37 snaps in 2022.

On the surface, Will Putnam is locked in at center. He had the best season of any Tiger center in years. There is a mindset that if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

Then again, if Austin takes the “best five on the field” perspective, and Linthicum makes a solid case that he is next up, there are options. Putnam began his career at guard. If Linthicum is going to be the center, then Austin can move Parks or Tate to tackle and slide Putnam back over to guard.

This seems like the least likely of the scenarios so far, but it’s possible.