CLEMSON – Tight end Christian Bentancur fought through some adversity on Tuesday, and not the kind you may expect from a day of Clemson’s fall camp at Jervey Meadows.

After the Tigers wrapped up their final day of practice before starting classes on Wednesday, Bentancur met with media members outside of the Smart Family Media Center. The adversity began as the junior started to answer questions, detailing his thoughts about new offensive coordinator Chad Morris’ offense and the Tigers’ ensuing quarterback battle.

As Bentancur spoke, his teammates rode in on a tram from Jervey Meadows, and began to shout iterations of “Christian!” and “Bentancur!” among other indiscernible cheers.

The veteran, with a smile, continued his answers through the noise, like a savvy point guard finishing a layup with heavy contact for a three-point play opportunity. 

Bentancur was not shocked or annoyed by his teammates. In fact, their wholehearted encouragement echoed the exact point he was making about current camaraderie on the 2026 Clemson roster.

“I love everyone on this team,” Bentancur said, amidst the cheers. “I mean, you just saw it. Everyone’s really connected this year and there’s no separate pods or segments. Everyone’s together and we’re really such a team.”

“We’re all best friends on the team,” the Lakemoor, Ill., native said. “I mean, from the O-line to the receivers, quarterbacks, running backs, everyone’s just connected. We’re just such a connected team and a connected group this year and I feel like that chemistry will really lead us in tough moments.”

The Tigers had their fair share of those tough moments last season. After a No. 4 national preseason ranking, Clemson fell to a 3-5 start, though they salvaged a 7-6 record and Pinstripe bowl appearance to finish the campaign.

Bentancur, however, was a bright spot in 2025, when utilized. The 6-foot-4 athlete, formerly listed as ESPN’s No. 3 tight end in the 2024 high school class, caught 20 passes for 215 yards and three touchdowns in his sophomore year, the most by any tight end in all three categories. 

With Morris’ up-tempo offense heavily prioritizing tight ends, Bentancur and his fellow position group members will be tasked with more responsibilities this season. According to tight ends coach Kevin Richardson, that will come with improved run and blocking abilities from Bentancur, as he looks to become a “complete” tight end.

“For Christian, my challenge with him, is take the next step in the run game,” Richardson said. “Take the next step in protection. He’s a natural route runner. He’s naturally gifted in space, but for him, his next step is how physical can he be, how dominant of a run blocker can he be? And all that’s going to do is open up the pass game, which, in turn, is going to open up the pass game for the tight end room. So, that’s been my biggest challenge with him.”

This fall, to tackle the personal and group-wide challenges from his coaches, Bentancur falls back on the connection he feels with his teammates – specifically with the other tight ends, including senior Olsen Patt-Henry, Logan Anderson and several others listed on Clemson’s roster. 

“I would say I’m biased, but I think the tight end room is the best room on the team,” he said. “I think we’re the closest. I think we got the most chemistry. And Olsson, he can do everything. He can block, he could pass catch, and just him and experience has really helped me a lot myself.”

Last season, Bentancur opened his sophomore year with his best career game at that point, catching two passes for 23 yards against LSU. Though the Tigers suffered a defeat in that contest, they will have a chance at revenge on Sept. 5, when Clemson will head down to Baton Rouge, La., to play the purple-and-gold Tigers once again.

“I mean College Gameday, you come to college for these types of games,” Bentancur said. “So I’m excited. I’m excited to see how it goes. It’s going to be a lot of fun.”

Until then, he will have plenty of time to get back at his teammates for their media antics.