By William Qualkinbush.

Because of the nature of the business, it is not often that a college athlete can walk into a film session and watch tape with someone he admired as a player. For the past few days, however, Clemson center Jay Guillermo has lived that dream.

The sophomore lineman still remembers whose face donned the home screen on his phone during a couple of years in middle and high school: Clemson’s Thomas Austin, who recently joined the Tigers’ staff as a graduate assistant after bouncing around with several organizations in the NFL.

“He was like my idol,” Guillermo said of the former Clemson center.

Guillermo will be getting guidance from his childhood hero for the foreseeable future, which is fine with him. The native Tennessean says he has already picked up some valuable information from one of Clemson’s newest staff additions, even though bowl practice is merely days old.

“He’s such a good coach,” Guillermo said. “He’s already taught me so much stuff. It’s awesome.”

Guillermo considers himself fortunate to learn football in an environment where his concerns are at the forefront of the staff’s collective mind. Before Austin’s arrival, his shoes were filled by Dustin Fry, another former Clemson center who left to join Chad Morris’ coaching staff at SMU.

Having players who played his position at a high level has proved valuable to a young player like Guillermo, who says he has soaked up as much information as possible from Fry and Austin like a sponge. He also appreciates the opportunity to see the proud legacy of the center position at Clemson every day.

“They can come back and fill in that role,” Guillermo said of centers past. “You don’t even know who’s gone.”

Guillermo says Austin’s demeanor is reminiscent of offensive line coach Robbie Caldwell’s. Caldwell—also a center during his playing days—prefers a calm, cool, and collected approach to teaching. Guillermo says he likes being taught that way, another reason why he has grown to enjoy having Austin help mold him.

“I’ve not seen him get upset yet,” Guillermo said of Austin. “He’s always calm and he can walk you through everything.”

As he enters his first bowl season as a starter up front for the Tigers, Guillermo says he has tried to maintain the same approach that allowed him to climb the depth chart in the first place.

“Last year, I was trying to prepare like I was the starter,” he said. “This year, it’s the same thing. There’s not a whole lot of change.”

Perhaps the only thing different is the opponent. Oklahoma presents a physical challenge on both lines of scrimmage and should provide a stiff test to Clemson’s patchwork offensive front that has gone through more than a little shuffling throughout the 2014 season.

Guillermo understands the challenge, and he knows Austin and Caldwell do too. Clemson is a place where tradition reigns, particularly for a center looking to make his mark. Growing up, Guillermo watched Austin play well on big stages, and now he gets to duplicate some of his coaches’ great achievements facing a prominent national program in the final game of his season.

“It’s going to be a dogfight,” Guillermo said. “We’re going to have to really try and dominate up front as best as we can.”