CLEMSON — The future of the tight end position at Clemson is looking pretty bright.

The Tigers have Olsen Patt-Henry, who logged close to 300 snaps backing up Jake Bringinstool last season. Entering his third season, Patt-Henry is expected to play a key role in the offense this season. Josh Sapp is also entering his fourth season.

After redshirting last year, Christian Bentancur looks well-positioned to have a breakout campaign, giving Clemson three players the staff feels really good about at the position.

Then there is Logan Brooking. After the first scrimmage of fall camp, Dabo Swinney is more than pleased with the progress the true freshman has made since enrolling in January, but at the same time, the head coach also hopes to redshirt the young talent.

“Logan has been a guy steadily getting better,” the head coach said. “He is not in that top three, we got a pretty good group right there with OPH, Sapp and Benny. He is a guy, if he is not in that top three, we will probably try to hold him.”

With the depth the Tigers have, Swinney believes it is best to preserve that year of eligibility.

“Let me tell you, he is as good as anybody we got,” Swinney added “He is a lot like Bentancur last year. Knowing that we have Benny, OPH and Sapp, we don’t want to waste a year, but he is probably a guy we will have ready all year.”

Brooking is the son of former first-round NFL Draft pick and former Pro Bowler Keith Brooking, so football is in his blood. Brooking had a stellar 15-year NFL career, and he still holds the Atlanta Falcons’ record for all-time tackles.

Before arriving at Clemson, Brooking played both ways during his high school career at Savannah Christian Prep. He finished up with more than 1,200 receiving yards and six touchdown grabs, with ESPN ranking him as the 14th-best tight end in the class.

On the defensive side, he logged 189 career tackles, 32.5 tackles for loss and 20.5 sacks, showing the same kind of tenacity his father did during his lengthy career.

However, his future is on the offensive side of the ball, and the Tigers believe they have a future star in the making.

“That kid is special, man,” Swinney said. “He is probably as gifted as anybody when it comes to his change of direction and his explosiveness in and out of cuts. He is tough as nails.”

Photo courtesy of Bart Boatwright