The loss of Hunter Rayburn adds urgency to Tigers' search for a center

Ryan Linthicum played just seven snaps last season but could get a bigger opportunity in 2022.

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Fri Feb 18 08:00:06 GMT-04:00 2022

Attrition started early for the Clemson Tigers this spring, adding a little more urgency to Thomas Austin’s first year as offensive line coach.

We found out Thursday that center Hunter Rayburn, in and out of the starting lineup last season, has to retire from the game football due to recurring issues with neck pain. Rayburn dealt with stingers and the decision was made to medically disqualify him. He will now transition to a student coaching role.

The loss of Rayburn leaves a glaring hole in the middle of Clemson’s offensive line.

Rayburn played 603 career snaps over 19 games with six starts from 2019-21, starting each of his final five games with the Tigers. He became a key interior piece of Clemson’s offensive line down the stretch as he played 506 snaps over nine games with six starts, and was a major part of the resurgence of the Clemson run game.

He played 69 snaps vs. No. 13 Wake Forest as Clemson’s offensive line shared team offensive players of the game honors with Kobe Pace after the Tigers produced season highs in total yards (543) and rushing yards (333) while allowing zero sacks. He then played 64 snaps at South Carolina in helping Clemson both exceed 250 rushing yards and allow zero sacks in a second straight game. He then played every snap (74) in the bowl win over Iowa St.

Much of Rayburn’s work was at left guard while Mason Trotter started at center for five of the last seven games. Trotter, who enters 2022 having played 643 career snaps over 20 games (seven starts), missed the bowl game with what was termed a violation of team rules, and his status for the spring and the upcoming season has yet to be commented on by head coach Dabo Swinney.

That leaves Trent Howard, who's played 74 snaps over seven games, and redshirt freshman Ryan Linthicum.

Linthicum is the player the coaches will want to fast track – he has played just seven snaps (four against UConn and three against SC State) over the last two years and is in need of game action. COVID canceled his 2020 high school season, and he redshirted last year.

He was ranked as the No. 120 overall player in the nation by Rivals.com, which listed him as the best center in the nation and the fifth-best player from Maryland, while 247Sports ranked him as the eighth-best center in the nation and 21st-best player from Maryland. ESPN.com ranked him among its top 300 prospects nationally as well as the fourth-best center in the nation and 14th-best player from Maryland. He was a PrepStar Top 150 Dream Team selection and four-star recruit who ranked as the nation’s No. 2 center and the No. 4 player in Maryland.

The coaches signed two scholarship offensive linemen in the 2022 recruiting class – Collin Sadler and Blake Miller – but both project as tackles at the next level.

Clemson has been sniffing around the transfer portal for an offensive lineman but has hedged its bets when it comes to the portal. However, with Rayburn out, now would appear to be the perfect time to see who is out there who can play center.