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CLEMSON — There is a reason why Dabo Swinney and Clemson did not try and grab a center from the transfer portal after the spring game.
They like who they already have.
In the spring, Ryan Linthicum, Harris Sewell and Trent Howard battled it out to see who will replace two-time All-CC center Will Putnam. Linthicum came out of the spring listed as the starter for fall camp and he has done nothing to lose that title, though Clemson has not listed an official depth chart for the Georgia game.
“We looked at a guy in January because we were not sure and then a couple of others that did not work out, so we said, ‘Let’s see how it goes this spring and then we can go from there in May.’ Then at the end of spring we felt different, especially with Matt [Luke] being able to get a full spring with those guys,” Swinney said. “So, we are confident.”
Linthicum is the guy the Tigers had hoped would win the job. He is specialized at the position, where Sewell and Howard cross train at other offensive line positions.
Linthicum, a redshirt junior, is entering his fourth season in the Clemson program.
“Ryan has done a great job,” Swinney said. “He is very smart, and he is in the best shape he has ever been in. He did a great job getting his body where it needs to be.”
Linthicum, who is 6-foot-3, weighed in at 302 pounds at the start of fall camp. It’s the lowest his weight has been since he arrived at Clemson in 2021.
Swinney said Sewell has gotten better through the course of the summer and camp with his snaps, while Howard has been “Steady Eddie” in the spring and in camp.
“Harris and Trent are playing a lot of guard, too. Ryan is just playing center, but we feel good about the group,” Clemson’s head coach said. “I am proud of those guys. They have been very consistent.”
Clemson, the 14 team in the AP Poll, will begin game prep for top-ranked Georgia on Sunday. The Tigers and Bulldogs play on Aug. 31 (Noon/ABC) at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
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