All-Modern Era Team: Offensive Guard
By: will-vandervort July 6, 2015

In this series we will pick the best players from Clemson’s Modern Era (1990-present). This is the era following the Tigers’ great teams of the Danny Ford and Charlie Pell era. Some of the players on this list might be considered among Clemson’s all-time greats and you are sure to recognize a few if not all of the names on our list.

We continue our series today by looking at the offensive guards on Clemson’s All-Modern Era Team.

After reviewing our picks each day, please feel free to tell us if you agree with them or not by going to The Rock on our forums page. All of our forum pages are free to view and register, just like all of our content.

First Team

Stacy Seegars (1990-’93): Seegars is one of the most decorated linemen in Clemson history. He was a First-Team All-America selection by The Associated Press, and was a Walter Camp, Scripps-Howard, and Football News All-American in 1993. He was a second-team choice of the AP and UPI in 1992. Seegars was selected to the 1993 Academic All-ACC football squad, and was the fourth Tiger to reach 200 knockdown blocks in his career. He finished his career with 213. He averaged five knockdowns per game for his career. He was also a two-time All-ACC performer, and tied the Tigers’ single-season record for knockdown blocks (103) in 1992.

https://vimeo.com/51089904

Jeb Flesch (1988-’91): Flesch was a First-Team All-American on Clemson’s ACC Championship team in 1991, garnering honors from the AP, UPI, Football News and Walter Camp. He was also a first-team All-ACC choice and was the leader of the offensive line that led the Tigers to the ACC in total offense in 1991. He led the team in knockdown blocks during the 1991 regular season with 72, as he led the team in that category in six different games. He had 262 knockdown blocks for his career, just 10 shy of tying the Clemson record. He started 45 straight games, and he ended his career ranked second in Clemson history in career starts by an offensive lineman. He was also second in starts by any player regardless of position.

Second Team

Nathan Bennett (2003-’06): Bennett is best known for his nasty streak that allowed the Tigers to rush for an ACC best 217.8 yards a game in 2006, which ranked fifth in the nation. Bennett helped pave the way for Thunder & Lightning as James Davis rushed for 1,187 yards and scored 17 touchdowns, while C.J. Spiller rushed for 938 yards and scored 10 touchdowns. Bennett was named a Third-Team AP All-American for his performance. He was a First-Team All-ACC selection as well, as he led the team in knockdown blocks (100) and intimidation blocks (22). He allowed just one sack in 2006, a big reason Clemson was fifth in the nation in that category, too. He played in 47 games with 38 career starts during his career. He had 100 knockdown blocks in 2006 and 263.5 in his career.

Chris McDuffie (2004-’07): McDuffie had a softer side to him than Bennett, but he still earned second-team All-American honors from The Sporting News. He was an honorable mention All-American by CollegeFootballNews.com and Pro Football Weekly. He was also a First-Team All-ACC selection by AP/ACSMA, CollegeFootballNews.com and Rivals.com. His honors were quite an accomplishment considering 2007 was his first year as a full-time starter. He led Clemson in knockdown blocks in each of the first four games, including 9.5 in the win over No. 19 Florida State to open the season.

Third Team

Thomas Austin (2006-’09): Austin was one of the first-team leaders in the Dabo Swinney era. He was a third-team All-American by Sporting News in 2009. He was a Second-Team All-ACC in 2009, and was the Second-Team All-ACC center in 2008. He had 316 career knockdown blocks, including a team-best 112 as a senior in 2009 when he helped the Tigers to the ACC Atlantic Division title and a No. 24 final ranking in the AP poll. He started each of the last 38 games and was a veteran of 39 starts in his four years. He led Clemson in film grade in 13 games as a senior and led the team in knockdown blocks in all but three games. He is tied for fourth in total player of the week selections in Clemson history regardless of position and tied for the most among offensive linemen. He was a three-time ACC Offensive Lineman of the Week in 2008, the first Tiger offensive lineman to win it three times in a year since 1990 when Stacy Long accomplished the same feat.

Glenn Rountree (1994-’97): Rountree earned First-team All-ACC honors in 1997 after earning second-team honors in 1996. He started in all 47 games of his four-year career at Clemson, tied for the most consecutive starts by a Clemson offensive lineman in Clemson history. His blocking played a major role in why running back Raymond Priester set 18 Clemson records during their four years together, including single-season and career rushing marks.