After Patiently Waiting, Clemson LB Keith Maguire's Time is Now

With James Skalski and Baylon Spector now having both moved on to the NFL, now is the time for Maguire, Keith Maguire is now the old man of Clemson's linebacker room.

CLEMSON, S.C.- Keith Maguire has very patiently waited his turn.

With James Skalski and Baylon Spector having both moved on, now is the time for Maguire, the redshirt junior who is now the old man of Clemson's linebacker room.

"It's weird," Maguire said of being the veteran of the group. "Felt kind of like a young guy for so long because those guys were here but I was a junior last year and I still kind of felt like I was a freshman. Because Skalski and Spector were here for so long, but when they left, you realize that you gotta step up and take that lead. I like it. It's good. I've been kind of waiting for them, not to leave, but to have an opportunity to help lead the room and I've loved it, man. It's been fun. We got a great group of guys too. So it's pretty easy."

Clemson is losing 11 years of experience at the position. However, while the Tigers may be somewhat lacking in the experience department, the team isn't lacking talent, as players like Trenton Simpson, Jeremiah Trotter Jr. and LaVonta Bentley are competing for time, along with Maguire.

'The first four days have been super competitive across all the linebacker positions," Maguire said. "With Skalski and Spector gone, we got to step up and have some more leaders. Not just for the linebackers but the defense as a whole. And I think a lot of us are trying to do that. We're doing a good job, just competing, it's very competitive right now."

It's also a group that, despite all of the talent, is intent on leaving the egos at the door. When the whistle blows, it's about what's best for the team, and not about individual goals.

"We're obviously calling for everyone to do well," Maguire said. "We're a team so we want everyone to do well. If someone has a good play, we like that, and if someone has a bad play we're coaching 'em up together."

Maguire is currently splitting first-team reps with Bentley at the MIKE. However, both players know that no matter who runs out there first, each will likely see plenty of time on the field, and right now, one of the biggest goals is to be one of the best groups of linebackers in the country. 

"We know there's a lot of playing time around this year, more than years past. So we're all trying to create 100 every practice and if we don't, we all learn from each other's mistakes. It's more so competitive as a group as linebackers, trying to be the best core in the nation, as opposed to really just going against each other. We really just focus on ourselves and as a group trying to improve every day."

Clemson is listed at +800 to win the national championship, according to odds on FanDuel Sportsbook.

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