Though second-ranked Clemson has been in preseason camp just five days, head coach Dabo Swinney has been pleased, for the most part, with what he has seen out of his defense.

It’s no surprise the defensive tackles and the linebackers are playing well, but coming into preseason camp the coaching staff was anxious to see how the defensive ends and the secondary would do.

Led by seniors Cordrea Tankersley and Jadar Johnson, the secondary has shown some fight, especially with the emergence of freshman Trayvon Mullen at cornerback. The Fort Lauderdale, Florida native had a really good first week of practice.

However, at defensive end, the youngest position on the team in terms of experience and age, Swinney was not sure what to expect. He knew what he had in sophomore Austin Bryant, who recorded eight tackles and a half sack, while filling in for an injured Shaq Lawson in the Orange Bowl. He kind of knows what they have in redshirt freshman Clelin Ferrell, who was great in camp last year until a broken hand forced him to be redshirted.

The Tigers know what they have in redshirt sophomore Richard Yeargin, an athletic defensive end with speed that showed promise when he did get his brief opportunities last season. But Swinney admitted, earlier this week, they did not know what they were going to get out of freshman Xavier Kelly or redshirt sophomore Chris Register, who moved over to defensive end from linebacker a year ago.

“Yeargin, I really expected him to be a factor. Austin Bryant definitely, and with Clelin the same thing, even though Clelin had not played, but it was from what I saw in the spring,” Swinney said. “I was hopeful with Xavier and I was hopeful Register would take that next step, and it appears both of those guys are going to be able to help us some so I’m excited about that.”

Swinney is especially excited about Register, who is still the size of an outside linebacker more than a defensive end. Though he is undersized, a lot like Vic Beasley was in his first couple of years at the position, Register is starting to show signs he is turning the corner.

“I saw him making some strides in the spring. I’m very, very pleased with where he is,” Swinney said. “You knew he was talented, but the talent was not shining through because he had so much to learn. He had not played the position physically, yet. He was in the process of changing. Maybe he had not quite bought in hundred percent.”

Register has now, according to his head coach. He worked hard this off-season to get his body closer to that of a defensive end’s. At 6-foot-2, he is shorter compared to his counterparts who are 6-3 (Yeargin), 6-4 (Bryant), 6-5 (Ferrell) and 6-5 (Kelly), but he gained 11 pounds of muscle weight and weighed in at 256 pounds last Monday.

“He looks like a different person out there. He is flying around,” Swinney said. “He looks like an end with a year of coaching. Then physically, he is the best he has ever been. He had his best summer.”