Swinney says Tigers will "actively pursue" a lineman in transfer portal

Clemson's offensive line is down two players heading into the spring.

by Nikki Hood - Staff Writer - Thu Mar 03 13:03:09 GMT-04:00 2022

CLEMSON – Clemson’s offensive line is already down two centers with the season still six months away, and head coach Dabo Swinney said the Tigers will look to the transfer portal for another offensive lineman.

The two players who started at center the most last season – Hunter Rayburn and Mason Trotter – are not available. Rayburn suffered a career-ending injury and Trotter won’t play until possibly December.

“Y'all all know about Hunter Rayburn. We knew that was a possibility. He really wanted to play one more year and we was really just coming into his own and really becoming a heck of a player,” Swinney said Wednesday. “I'm really proud of what he was able to do for us last year and how he finished. The re-scan of his neck area, he and his family made the decision that it was time to shut it down. He's going to be here every day. He's going to be coaching and stepping into a different role. That's definitely a loss for us, for sure. We're going to miss him.

“Mason Trotter missed the bowl. He's with the team and in good standing. He's a great kid. Unfortunately, he probably won't be available for us for the majority of the season. It's not a legal issue or a university issue or anything like that. Looks like he's probably going to be out for most of the season. Out of respect for Mason, I'm really not going to get into any more details on that. The good news is he has a couple of years left.”

Swinney said the Tigers are down a scholarship spot with the loss of Rayburn and he knows there is a possibility there could be more after the spring.

“Our number is 15 (offensive line scholarships). That's what we try to operate with on the offensive line. We're at 15 but we went to 14 with Rayburn. It's a fluid situation,” Swinney said. “Someone could pack up and leave after spring. Hope not. We really like our roster. We like the guys we've recruited here. We don't have any remorse on any of them. They're all at different stages and some you wish would come a little quicker than others, but these are really good players. What we went through last year with some of them will really pay dividends.

“I don't see anybody coming in here and beating out JMac (Jordan McFadden) or (Walker) Parks. I feel great about the young talent we have and we're committed to those guys, but we do have a little gap. I can't go sign 20 linemen. We have a number. We get 85 scholarships and that's all you get. We'll see what happens. There are a few guys out there that we're evaluating and really looking at. In college football, I'm sure there will be somebody next week, the next week and the next week. It's fluid and we make those decisions. Anything can happen. Someone can have a season-ending injury in spring ball or something. We'd like to get one but anything can change it.”

Swinney said the Tigers will actively pursue another lineman.

“Because of that and the situation with Rayburn, we're going to very actively pursue somebody in the portal between now and May,” he said. “It's got be the right fit - somebody who fits us, fits our program, fits our locker room and not just a guy. Somebody who is an all-conference, multi-year starter type of a guy that's a veteran. There's a little bit of a gap. We love the roster that we have. In that offensive line room, we have a lot of guys that we're super excited about but this is one of those. Sometimes you can get a gap that we need to look at all measures to get at least a guy that can come in here and help us. If not, we'll be fine either way, but would like to add another number to that position between now and the season, so we'll see how that all works out.”