By Heath Bradley.

By Heath Bradley

With the regular season wrapped up we will take a look at the current depth chart. We will look at who played, who redshirted, who will or will not return, and how this will determine how the Clemson coaching staff finishes its recruiting class for 2013. In this installment, we will take a look at the offensive tackle position.

While the offensive line was a major point of concern heading into 2012, it became one of the strong points of the offense as the season went on. The unit anchored by First-Team All-American center Dalton Freeman, grew up around him and will return every player who logged a snap on the line outside of Freeman. The offensive tackle position was one that was a particular bright spot for the Tigers. Three players played the majority of snaps at the tackle position, with two others also playing sparingly.

Brandon Thomas made the transition from guard to tackle and was a big reason why Tajh Boyd was so successful in 2012. While struggling at times having to play tackle in 2011, Thomas looked much quicker and stronger this season, protecting Boyd’s blindside while also improving his run blocking technique. Thomas is expected to return for his senior season, a year where he can improve on what is now a First Team All-ACC resume.

Across the line at right tackle, Gifford Timothy played the majority of the snaps. Timothy battled a knee injury that forced him to miss a portion of pre-season camp as well as the entire Ball State game and part of the Furman game. While out, Timothy worked hard to study the playbook to better understand what was expected of him inside of the offense. Once returning from injury, Timothy put this knowledge into play, becoming one of Clemson’s most consistent offensive linemen in 2012.

At TCI we only expect Timothy to improve as a junior in 2013, look for Timothy to anchor the right side of the line for the next two years.

The player who stepped in for the injured Timothy was local product Shaq Anthony. The freshman, still a little undersized at tackle, filled Timothy’s shoes admirably, earning valuable experience that will help him in the future. Anthony should definitely be in the mix as the backup at both the left and right tackle positions in 2013.

As Anthony gets stronger his run blocking will improve, his one struggle coming out of a spread high school system.

Isaiah Battle was able to avoid a redshirt as a true freshman; the coaches chose to play him and not redshirt him due to depth issues, but it also allowed him practice time with the actual offense. The coaches felt this kind practice would be more beneficial than him spending the season on the scout team.

While Battle did not log a great number of snaps in 2012, the amount of work he received in practice should help him be prepared and ready to contribute more as a backup in 2013. With the perfect frame for a tackle, Battle is still learning the position. He spent much of his youth as a basketball player. When Battle learns the game, the coaches fill he could be the best offensive lineman on the roster due to his size, speed, and physical nature.

Joe Gore saw some playing time this year and the coaches expect him to be a major force.  Gore has all the physical tools to be a great one in the future.

Clemson redshirted two future offensive tackles in 2012. Oliver Jones from Ninety-Six High School and Patrick DeStefano from Dorman High School will be available for the 2013 season. They will join Eric Mac Lain who made the conversion from tight end to tackle during the regular season. It will be very interesting to see how these three Tigers impact the depth chart heading into 2013.

The coaching staff is not currently involved with any offensive tackles in the 2013 class as they will currently have seven on the roster heading into next season.