By Ed McGranahan.

After three seasons as mortar on the Clemson offensive line, filling the occasional gap in the wall, Reid Webster emerged this year as a rock on a unit under construction.

His has been a utility role. In baseball or theater that equates to limited value, useful but not quite good enough. Long considered a candidate to start at center or guard, Webster played now and again, rarely in critical roles. He persevered and even expanded his versatility by learning tackle.

In his fifth year with the program, Webster blossomed. Not only has he played more in five games than he did the entirety of the first three seasons Webster has started at left guard in two games, right guard in three and played all five positions – in one game.

“I wouldn’t say it’s easy,” said Webster, the starter at right guard and backup at center, left tackle and right tackle on this week’s depth chart. “I’ve had a lot of practice over the years. I’ve been moved around a lot.

“I’ve never been at one position for a long period of time. I’ve always had to move somewhere. Now that I’m out there at multiple positions, I feel comfortable at all of them.”

At 6-foot-4 and 300 pounds, Webster became the poster child for Clemson offensive linemen where versatility isn’t a luxury but a necessity.

Injuries pocked the line again this week with center Jay Guillermo out for awhile after sustaining a fractured foot in the N.C. State game and right tackle Joe Gore out for at least two more games after undergoing an appendectomy. Coaches combed the roster for help giving redshirt freshman Tyrone Crowder, a promising guard-tackle, an audition at center
this week, and moving defensive lineman Rod Byers to offense.

The perception of Webster as a late bloomer may be a bit unfair because of the difficulty every offensive lineman faces. Dabo Swinney says it’s the “hardest position to play.”

“It’s not rocket science, but it takes a little time to put it all together.”

In August he and his coaches were heady over the potential depth along the line. Entering today’s game with Louisville it’s thin, which could be troubling against one of the nation’s most frugal defenses, one that swarms like bees.

With Webster at right guard for the fourth straight game, Clemson can count on one, maybe two competent substitutes. Another injury would be painful.

“We are thin,” said offensive coordinator Chad Morris. “We are thinner than we have ever been.”

Practice has been a problem. Ideally the principle players on an offensive line need time together. Their assignments must be executed with precision. Choreography and timing are critical, so it helps to understand the nuances of the players next to you.

Webster is the backup center, it would be reasonable to practice him there but there’s no easy swap with starter Ryan Norton, so it requires introducing a sixth, less experienced player to the mix.

“I think practice is where we really dread it,” Webster said. “Normally you have two full offensive lines.

“You’ve just got to do what you got to do and hopefully your legs are fine on Saturday.”

Then there’s the need for a seamless transition if Webster moves to another spot on the line during the game. If he flips to the other side of the line there are all manner of details he needs to remember but it has to be as natural as breathing because everything happens in split seconds. No time to ponder.

“That takes a while,” he said. “It’s instinctive now, but there have been times in the when I’ve had to think, ‘I’m on the left side now so I have to step with this foot instead of this foot.’

“Now that we’re getting later into the season it’s about the right steps and the right place, pointing out the right guy.”

If learning can be second nature, it would be another of Webster’s assets. A native of Woodstock, Ga., first-team all-Georgia at Etowah High School, he holds bachelor degrees in marketing and management and three times was honored as a member of the ACC Academic Honor Roll.

Webster said he’s not sure how intends to transfer that academic knowledge, though like every kid who offered a football scholarship by Clemson he’s thought about the NFL but receiving a degree from a top public university was his priority, and he has two.

In high school he played basketball and both offensive and defense in football, so he’d already begun to see the merit of versatility before being thrust into it at Clemson. Modest about his role, Webster said he doesn’t prefer one position over the others.

“I guess that gives me a lot of value,” he said. “I guess I’m a pretty valuable guy out there. Where ever they tell me to go that’s where I go.”