Clemson Tight End is 'not being baby fed'

CLEMSON — The tight end room is one of immense growth and talent heading into 2024, and all the puzzle pieces are coming together.

One piece of the talented unit comes from second-year tight end Marcus Dixon. After being redshirted last year, Dixon took his time with the program to grow mentally and train to become a more precise and more vital piece to be used in the offense. He feels, 2024 is the time for him to show his stuff.

“The mentality going on in the room right now is competition, but at the same time, we are just trying to support our brothers,” Dixon said of the mentality of the tight end competition and room. “It’s great to compete but also great to just support your brother.”

While competition among the tight ends is high, with other players like Josh Sapp, Olsen Patt-Henry, and freshman Christian Bentancur fighting to earn roles and grow in their skills by All-ACC candidate Jake Briningstool, the importance of brotherly support is huge in an offense that needs a united and committed front.

“Great toughness within the group, and a competitive edge to go out there and key in on being a whole unit… putting ourselves together and becoming an all-around great tight end,” Dixon said.

Dixon also spoke on how his time as a redshirt helped him develop into what he is now and the meaning of that time.

“I think it was the whole experience of becoming a college football player,” he said. “Not everyone is ready to come in and ready to play tight end at the college level. That’s something that’s completely challenging, and I took that year to mentally get better. That is one of the biggest things I’ve done and something I’m most grateful for.”

An important part of the tight end situation is how it is being led and the state of the leadership and mentality thereof. Dixon made sure to set the record straight of the nature of their unit and what they are bringing into the new season.

“Coach [Garrett] Riley is doing a phenomenal job, gathering his offense and getting the confidence that we needed, because we have the players at every position,” Dixon said. “Tight end is a hard position. When you come here, you aren’t being baby fed anything. You’re here to work and get better all around.”