The future of the defensive tackle position at Clemson appears to be in good hands.

On Saturday, the short-term future will get a boost when D.J. Reader joins the team for his first game in 2015. He’ll join fellow senior Roderick Byers, who’s played 79 snaps this season.

Junior Carlos Watkins leads the group with 242. Redshirt sophomore Scott Pagano has started all six games with Watkins and has logged 177 snaps.

Freshman Christian Wilkins is third with 195. Redshirt freshman Jabril Robinson and true freshman Albert Huggins have seen 61 and 42 snaps, respectively.

Gage Cervenka, the third freshman defensive tackle inked in the 2015 class, is taking a redshirt this season.

Clemson secured a commitment from four-star Nyles Pinckney. The Seabrook-Whale Branch prospect picked the Tigers over South Carolina, Georgia and Georgia Tech.

One more spot is available and it’s up for grabs between a pair of five-stars: Dexter Lawrence (Wake Forest, N.C.) and Rashan Gary (Paramus, N.J.).

With Watkins on track as the only senior for the 2016 season, it would see that Clemson in on track to sign one defensive tackle with the 2017 haul. Here are a few prospects worth tracking along the way:

Corey Bolds – Paramus Catholic – Paramus, N.J.
Bolds, who’s teammates with Gary, picked up his Clemson offer in April when he spoke over the phone with Brent Venables. The four-star also has offers from Michigan, Alabama, Georgia, Ohio State and Tennessee.

Breyon Gaddy – Bishop Sullivan – Norfolk, Va.
Clemson scored a visit from Gaddy a couple of weeks ago when he and his brother visited for the Notre Dame. Several other big-time programs have offered, including Alabama, Florida State, Notre Dame, Georgia and Michigan.

Cam Spence – IMG Academy – Bradenton, Fla.
Earlier this year, during the spring evaluation period, Clemson offered Spence. The Baltimore-area native transferred to the IMG Academy. Ohio State, Florida State and Michigan are among his many offers.