CLEMSON — Expectations are high for Christian Bentancur as he enters his second season at Clemson.

After taking a redshirt last year, Bentancur is poised to play a pivotal role in the Tigers’ offense, and with Jake Bringinstool having now moved on, the timing couldn’t be better.

At 6-foot-4 and close to 250 pounds, Bentancur is extremely long, while also bringing a lot of athleticism to the field. On top of that, he is putting in the work off the field, and it hasn’t gone unnoticed.

“He is a stud. He is tough,” head coach Dabo Swinney said after Saturday’s scrimmage. “He is a great route runner. He has great ball skills. He loves it, gym rat. He studies the game.”

Coming out of high school, Bentancur was a four-star recruit and a consensus Top 125 player overall. Multiple services ranked him as one of the five best tight ends in his class. His 3,687 receiving yards rank him second in Illinois high school history. He also ranks third in receiving touchdowns (51) and fifth in total receptions (231).

A lot of that production came with him playing out wide, so there was an adjustment period after arriving at Clemson. However, after a year in the program, it is readily apparent that period is behind him and he is now ready to contribute at a high level.

“He is just a really good player,” Swinney said. “He is going to be a great player for us.”