CLEMSON — Of course, most of the talk this offseason has been about Clemson’s quarterback position.
Is Christopher Vizzina the guy to really take over the program? What about freshman Tait Reynolds? Is he the next big-shot true freshman to come in and take the job from an upperclassman?
Though these questions are valid, they are not the only pressing concerns for the Tigers as the 2026 season approaches. This year’s Clemson team has question marks at left tackle, right tackle, left guard, both defensive tackle positions and at linebacker.
However, next to the quarterback question, the biggest question mark on this year’s roster is at center. The Tigers are replacing Ryan Linthicum, who started the last 27 games there.
Harris Sewell, who was Linthicum’s backup the last two years, is penciled in as the starter, though he has 17 career starts under his belt at right and left guard.
“All the assignments are different for the position,” Sewell said this past spring. “But going both ways, versus staying on one side or the other is kind of the main difference.”
Sewell primarily played center in the spring, in part so he could grasp the nuances of learning a new offense. Chad Morris took over as Clemson’s new offensive coordinator in January, and he places a lot of burden on his center.
“I have been really pleased with him,” Morris said. “This is a guy who comes to work, and he is ready to go, and everybody rallies around him. That was really good to see. You obviously love guys like that who command that, everybody gravitates to him. And we have to have that. We have to have that from our center position here.”
During his first stint at Clemson, Dalton Freeman played center for Morris in his first two years. Freeman became an All-American and will be inducted into the Clemson Athletic Hall of Fame this coming season.
Ryan Norton took over as the Tigers’ center in 2013 and ’14, and was a two-time All-ACC Academic player.
Now it is Sewell’s turn to lead Clemson’s high-speed offense, which requires the center to set the tone and get everyone to the line as fast as he can.
“We are playing with a lot of speed. We are playing fast,” Sewell said. “I am kind of the leader of that because I touch the ball first. So, that has kind of been the main difference, playing with a bunch of speed.”
