Breaking Down the Board: Clemson's Offensive Line Offers

With the 2026 recruiting season in full swing and offers going out rapidly, here's an overview of where Clemson stands on the offensive line after focusing our attention on the skill position offers yesterday.

Let’s begin with the obvious: adding Matt Luke was a major upgrade from Thomas Austin, and I mean no disrespect to Austin. It’s just the facts based on the totality of experience that Luke brings to the table. Luke’s resume aligns much more with Clemson’s previous o-line coach, Robbie Caldwell, and in this business, experience is a major part of the game.

It’s not to say that Austin cannot have a better career than both Caldwell and Luke, but sometimes you have to move backward before you can move forward, and Austin has time on his side as a young coach.

As for Luke’s approach, it certainly seems, based on the 2025 class, that there is a premium placed on the size and length of the offensive lineman the Tigers are targeting. When Luke was at Ole Miss and Georgia, the Rebels and Dawgs did a nice job landing NFL-caliber talent up front. What’s probably obvious to Tiger fans today is how much elite skill position players can mask offensive lines that aren’t loaded with next-level talent. 

During the Tigers' elite run from 2015-2020, only John Simpson, Tremayne Anchrum in 2020, and Jackson Carman in 2021 were drafted into the NFL. For that matter, through the most recent draft class, the only name you can add to that list is Jordan McFadden, who was drafted in the 5th round of the 2023 Draft. Contrast that with what the Tigers desire upfront moving forward with Luke running things, and the emphasis is now on the right syllable, so to speak.

As Clemson continues to fill out its 2025 class, most people hope for a surprise like five-star David Sanders‍. I can tell you I don’t think he fits Swinney’s culture as much as some would hope. The Tigers currently have three players committed on the offensive line, and the odds favor landing at least one, if not two, more prospects. 

As I mentioned earlier, the attributes you will see with all three 2025 commits are length and size. Four-star prospect Brayden Jacobs‍ checks in at 6’7, 318 pounds, and four-star Rowan Byrne‍ and three-star Easton Ware‍ both are around 6’5, 285—big boys, to say the least.

Looking down the line, the other key aspect of Swinney’s program has become versatility. In some respects, I think Clemson’s desire to land versatile players is twofold: to protect against injury and mitigate attrition when it comes their way. Nonetheless, we will keep OT and IOL apart as we look at the prospects on the board. 

If the players you land can only play one position, they are less valuable. Being versatile means you are able to help in more ways than one-- and Clemson values that as much as almost anything, in my opinion.

So, let’s examine the current offers in the 2026 class and consider some of the prospects who now have a coveted opportunity in Tiger Town. Let's start with two offensive tackles.

It’s notable that the Tigers have offered four-star Leo Delaney‍ a teammate of the aforementioned five-star Sanders. Delaney told ClemsonSportsTalk.com this after his visit in March, “What stood out to me is how Clemson is with their culture and how they focus on developing the man and student, as well as the athlete.”

We will soon have more from our extensive interview with Delaney available for our PREMIUM subscribers. Join today and get THREE months of CST+ for just $1.00. Get one year for just $63.17!! 

As for other players on the offer list, four-star Ekene Ogboko‍ is in the backyard of NC State, Duke, and North Carolina, but the Wolfpack are in the best position of those three schools. Clemson recently had Ogboko on campus, but many believe Georgia is the frontrunner as his older brother, three-star defensive lineman Nnamdi Ogboko‍, is already on the team in Athens.

OFFENSIVE TACKLES

Ekene Ogboko‍ (⭐⭐⭐⭐)

• On3 Rating: 94.43
• Height/Weight: 6'6", 285 lbs
• High School: South Garner, Durham, NC

Leo Delaney‍ (⭐⭐⭐⭐)

• On3 Rating: 92.09
• Height/Weight: 6'5", 275 lbs
• High School: Providence Day School, Charlotte, NC

Tyler Merrill‍ (⭐⭐⭐⭐)

• On3 Rating: 92.63
• Height/Weight: 6'5", 330 lbs
• High School: Cumberland Valley, Mechanicsburg, PA

Max Riley‍ (⭐⭐⭐⭐)

• On3 Rating: 92.81
• Height/Weight: 6'3", 265 lbs
• High School: Avon Lake, OH

On the interior, we recently spoke with an unheralded offensive lineman in Carvers Bay’s Zyon Guiles‍. Guiles seems to be blossoming before everyone’s eyes and told us that he didn’t have an issue being underrated, saying, “Honestly, I don't pay any attention to that. There have been a few coaches tell me stars and rankings are for the fans," said Guiles. "They said they like to see what's on the field and not on a website.” The full interview with Guiles can be found here.

Another in-state name to watch is Desmond Green‍ as the Tigers attempt to reach back into the Lowcountry for more talent. Green, like Guiles, is another player making his name known, and it’s likely he will move up in the ratings in the near future. Green is 6’4 and easily pushes every bit of his 335-pound frame.

INTERIOR OFFENSIVE LINE

Darius Gray‍ (⭐⭐⭐⭐)

• On3 Rating: 92.76
• Height/Weight: 6'3", 285 lbs
• High School: St. Christopher's, Richmond, VA

Carter Scruggs‍ (⭐⭐⭐⭐)

• On3 Rating: 91.5
• Height/Weight: 6'5", 275 lbs
• High School: Loudoun County, Leesburg, VA

Grant Wise‍ (⭐⭐⭐⭐)

• On3 Rating: 90.33
• Height/Weight: 6'3", 300 lbs
• High School: Pace, Milton, FL

Chancellor Barclay‍ (⭐⭐⭐)

• On3 Rating: 85.89
• Height/Weight: 6'4", 280 lbs
• High School: Lake Minneola, FL

Desmond Green‍ (⭐⭐⭐)

• On3 Rating: 87.45
• Height/Weight: 6'4", 335 lbs
• High School: Timberland, Saint Stephen, SC

Zyon Guiles‍ (⭐⭐⭐)

• On3 Rating: 84.95
• Height/Weight: 6'5", 280 lbs
• High School: Carvers Bay, Hemingway, SC

Stay tuned as we’ve got more coming as our Board Breakdown Series continues next week, looking at the defensive side of the ball.