CLEMSON — Earlier this week, it was revealed that Dietrick Pennington was taking on a new role at Clemson.

After spending his first five seasons working extensively along the offensive line, Pennington is now going to play both ways.

Along with his duties as a reserve offensive lineman, which include serving on the field goal team, Pennington will now get some work at defensive tackle, as Dabo Swinney looks to add some size to that room, along with a little more depth. The sixth-year senior will now wear No. 91.

“Just adding girth. A big ole body, a big ole butt in there,” the head coach said after Thursday’s scrimmage. “He is going to play both ways.”

While Swinney readily admitted Pennington isn’t likely to take on a large role on the defensive side of the ball, he did not rule out possibly seeing Pennington in some run-down situations. The 6-foot-5, 355-pounder could also get some opportunities in goal-line situations.

“He is a backup on the OL,” Swinney added. “He is a really smart kid. He knows what to do over there. He is just a 350-pound dude. We don’t need him to play more than two plays and get out. Probably won’t ever see him on third down, but he could probably play first or second run down situtations and goal-line.”

Coming out of high school, Pennington was a four-star talent, with multiple recruiting services ranking him among the Top 215 players in the 2021 class. 247 Sports slotted him No. 135 overall and No. 8 among all offensive linemen. He was even named Mr. Football for D2-AA in Tennessee in 2020 after being the runner-up for the honor in 2019.

Pennington comes into the 2026 season having logged 121 offensive snaps across 27 games. While he’s never been a starter, he has carved out a role for himself, and this move marks the Tigers giving the veteran an opportunity to expand that role.

“He can play OL in his sleep. He’s got it. For the role that we need him,” Swinney said. “He will still be a short-yardage, goal-line guy, field goal guy. It is really just about trying to expand his role a little bit and take advantage of his size.”