Clemson's Will Putnam to Make Center Debut Against Georgia Tech

Will Putnam's first game snapping the ball comes Monday night at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta with all of college football watching, but the senior feels ready for the challenge.

Will Putnam's debut at the center position comes Monday night against Georgia Tech at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta with all of college football watching. 

It's a heck of a time for the Clemson senior to make his first snap, but Putnam feels more than prepared to take on a major role in 2022 for the No. 4 Tigers. 

"It'll be a little bit more of a challenge, communicating in front of live fans but when it comes to playing the position...I feel like I get the best preparation week in and week out with the guys I play against," Putnam said. "I don't think there are many guys better than that. So when it comes to playing center, I feel prepared and I'm not too worried about it all. I feel great."

Being the only game on television and it being the opener of the season for the Tigers might add a little bit of pressure, but Putnam, who has never played center in a game that counts, spent the offseason making sure he felt comfortable snapping the ball. He worked every day with the help of fellow centers Ryan Linthicum and Trent Howard as well as starting quarterback DJ Uiagalelei. 

"It was very time-consuming but it's worked out well," Putnam said. "A lot of hours snapping."

An offensive lineman who's made played 33 games (22 starts) at guard for Clemson, Putnam made the move out of necessity. The Tigers lost returning center Hunter Rayburn to a medical issue that ended his career while backup Mason Trotter is out of the season with a non-injury situation. Dabo Swinney also tried the NCAA transfer portal but was unable to find center help there.

So Putnam, one of the most veteran players on the team, took on the opportunity to help his team. Luckily for him, his position coach, Thomas Austin, played center at Clemson and was able to teach him how to snap. 

Then it was about repetition and communication. 

"It was pretty natural for the most part," Putnam said. "There's just some things, kind of thinking keep the ball centered in front of you. I'm right-handed so when I step right, not letting my release point differ from when I'm not stepping. I didn't have too many issues." 

The hardest part of the position can be playing QB of the offensive line. Putnam is in charge of making calls and adjustments based on the defensive front and communicating those changes to the other linemen. 

It just so happened he got a head start on that last season after veteran Matt Bockhorst was lost for the year with an injury. Putnam helped the entire line by making some of those calls in games, so that experience is there when the Tigers take the field against the Yellow Jackets on Labor Day. 

"Learning the calls and what to do didn't really take much time at all because I've played guard since I've been here and to try to be the best at guard you should know who you're playing next to and what they're doing," Putnam said. "I already knew every play what the center is doing. I know what the guard is doing. I know pretty much every play what the tackles are doing as well so that helps a lot too."

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