CLEMSON — Following last Saturday’s two-hour scrimmage at Memorial Stadium, Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney said the competition at left guard between Collin Sadler and Harris Sewell has been a battle.

On Monday, it appears the fourth-ranked Tigers have their guy at left guard. Sadler appears to have taken control of the spot on the offensive line, which he confirmed following practice.

“I am spending most of my time at starting left guard for the first team,” he said. “I am working a little bit at tackle too, being just a reserve guy.”

Sadler (6-6, 310) says he is crossing training as much as he can because if something happens, he wants to be ready to play wherever he can.

“Ideally, something I pride myself on, is that I am a four-to-five position guy,” he said. “I am trying to learn center right now, maximize my versatility and do whatever I can to help the team.”

The redshirt junior understands that if he wants to be successful at this level, and then the next, he has to be versatile and be willing to play any position on the line.

“That is the name of the game,” Sadler said. “The more you do, the better you can serve your team. That is going to keep you on a roster. So, that is my main focus. That has been a huge amount of my time in the off-season, empathizing versatility.

“I have worked anywhere from left tackle to right tackle, just being ready for whatever the team needs.”

Sadler, who played in just two games last season due to injuries, says playing different positions allows him to pick up tendencies and different looks from the defensive front.

“From playing and competing against different guys, you see a lot of different looks,” he said. “You get good at a whole lot of different things, and as you know, you have to cater to every look, to weaknesses. That also helps your mental game.

“You pick up on different cues where it can help you read people better. It has been a huge blessing to showcase myself in different positions and get better that way.”

And now it has him in position to start at left guard against No. 9 LSU on Aug. 30 at Death Valley.