3 Things Learned: Offensive Line/ Tight Ends

With a regular spring and, expected summer, a return to the dominant form of previous years is expected for the offensive line and tight ends.

The 2020 season saw the Clemson Tigers battle numerous challenges—especially when it came to developing the offensive line.

"It's hard to get better along the OL virtually. It just is what it is," head coach Dabo Swinney said. "There's a difference between working out and training. There's a big difference. I work out but I ain't training. And so we missed all of April, May, June from being able to train. Unfortunately for us, we had a critical position on our team, the position that needs the most development, and so much of that comes in the offseason in the weight room training properly and skills and drills and in-person meetings, and leaders being able to put their hands on guys and bring them along. We just didn't get that developmental time. Our five starters were pretty much able to play every week, we were fortunate. We just didn't have the type of depth we needed.

"We weren't as good as we needed to be at the end of the season. Thought we did some good things early on, but thought we got worn down a little bit and didn't have the championship type depth we needed."

With a regular spring and, expected summer, a return to the dominant form of previous years is expected. With that in mind, we give you the three things we have learned about the offensive line and tight ends:

1: The OL is out to prove something:  We have heard for years that talk is cheap, but when the talk is a consensus, you have to think there is something to it.

We have heard from Walker Parks and Matt Bockhorst, who have both used the words "pissed", "disappointed" and "upset" when discussing the performance of last year's line. While there is still a ways to go until the Tigers tee the ball up against the Georgia Bulldogs to open the season, one thing we have learned is this offensive line has a different tone.

2: Know who Hunter Rayburn is: "Hunter Rayburn has probably taken the biggest step of all those guys were are counting on there," offensive coordinator Tony Elliott said of the redshirt sophomore.

But he wasn't the only person to sing Rayburn's praises.

"I feel like Hunter didn't get a lot of the opportunity that maybe he deserved last year," Parks said. "Props to him because this spring, you guys will see-- I know everything is hidden right now, but you guys will see during the spring game and this fall-- he's been working his butt off, absolutely working his butt off. He's developed a ton. He is a baller. He is a dude. He is strong, he's one of the strongest dudes we have. He's built like a freaking fridge. I think he's going to surprise a lot of people this season." 

3: Braden Galloway is embracing being a leader: Galloway has had flashes of the threat he can be, and the problem that he can pose for opposing defenses, but until this spring one got the sense that he wasn't fully embarrassing his potential.

That has changed through the first nine practices. Galloway is committed to perfecting his craft and being great on the field, as well as off the field.