CLEMSON – While Clemson’s Pro Day serves as a culmination of years of training and dedication, it held a little extra emotional weight for one Tiger football alum this year.

Ryan Linthicum, a former offensive lineman for Clemson, was one of 17 athletes to participate in the annual showcase for NFL scouts at the Allen Reeves Indoor Football Facility this March. Unlike the other 16 players, however, Linthicum had another priority in mind during his workout– honoring the life of Ella Bresee, the late sister of his former high school and Clemson teammate Bryan Bresee.

“It’s actually Ella’s birthday today, so I had a special angel looking over me today,” Linthicum said after Pro Day on March 12. “I had a really really good day. There’s always good, there’s always bad, but I knew Ella was watching over me and it got me a little teary eyed, but I’m just so blessed to carry her legacy on.”

Linthicum grew up in Damascus, Md., alongside Bryan Bresee, a former All-ACC defensive lineman for the Tigers, his sister Ella, and the rest of the Bresee clan. The pair played high school football together for two seasons, both becoming highly-touted recruits on the way to postseason success. 

After Linthicum decided to join his “best friend” at Clemson with a commitment in 2019, the bond grew even closer after tragedy struck the Bresee family. 

In 2022, Ella passed away after a fight with a rare form of brain cancer at the age of 15. Since then, Linthicum has made sure to prioritize carrying on his “little sister’s” legacy at every possible turn. Before every game in the last three seasons, he entered each locker room wearing an “Ella Strong” tie, always making sure to send a corresponding selfie to her parents.

 “She’s like my little sister,” Linthicum said of Ella. “There’s not a day that goes by we don’t celebrate her life. She was so amazing, so kindhearted and you know, I get emotional talking about it. But I know one thing I can do is glorify God in everything I do and talk about and carry on Ella’s legacy because she was so wonderful.”

To help celebrate Ella’s birthday this year, and to support his friend, Bryan made the trip back to Clemson to watch Linthicum lift, run, and jump in front of scouts from every NFL team. Bresee, now awaiting his fourth season with the New Orleans Saints, provided encouragement– and welcomed comfort– on several levels.

“Having (Bresee) here, he’s a great mentor,” Linthicum said. “He’s a brother to me, my best friend. We talk literally every day. And just having him here to support me, it just means a lot. You don’t see a lot of people, have friendships like that nowadays. And we’ve been friends for a decade now. and just him, you know, being there was just a true blessing and especially being Ella’s birthday, it was just so surreal, just so blessed.” 

The familiar mentorship came in handy for Linthicum midway through his workout, when he tweaked a muscle while bench pressing to start the day. After a short respite, the veteran went on to record a 1.85-second 10-yard dash, a personal best, along with an impressive 5.58 40-yard dash split.

His Pro Day resilience, in part, was attributed to Bresee.

“I tweaked my pec a little, but it was totally fine,” Linthicum said. “(Bresee) kind of just was like, ‘Yo, just go finish strong and have a great finish.’”

The strong finish also resulted in several successful reps of offensive line drills alongside fellow veteran linemen Blake Miller, Tristan Leigh, and Walker Parks. While Linthicum is not currently projected as an early-round selection like Miller, he already had contact with NFL teams ahead of his Pro Day performance and told media members he believed more conversations were on the horizon. 

Linthicum will have a chance to hear his name read, alongside the 16 other Tiger Draft-hopefuls from April 23-25, when the NFL Draft will be held in Pittsburgh, Penn– just 200 miles away from his hometown. 

For the Tigers’ former center, the opportunity still feels surreal.

“If you asked me and when I was in fourth, fifth grade if I would have the opportunity to have a Pro Day and have the chance to play in the NFL, I would have thought you were crazy,” he said. “So you know, all glory to God through the ups and downs. I’m just so thankful to be here.”

With a friendship reunion, a birthday celebration, and personal bests notched, Linthicum may have been the overall winner at Clemson’s Pro Day.