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When Tristan Leigh arrived at Clemson in 2021, the expectations were sky-high. A five-star recruit with the size and athleticism to be a cornerstone left tackle, many assumed he’d step in and dominate from day one. But the reality was far different.
“I came here in 2021 and quickly found out I was not where I needed to be — physically, mentally,” Leigh admitted in Clemson’s Brotherhood in the Trenches documentary. “I was a scout team guy. My job was to get Myles Murphy ready for the game each week. I told myself, ‘If I’m going to be the scout team left tackle, I’m going to be the best scout team left tackle in America.’”
That mindset defined Leigh’s early years. While others might have sulked under the weight of expectations, he kept his head down, determined to improve. Each season, each spring, each month, he measured himself not by hype but by progress. Slowly, the gap between promise and performance began to close.
Still, the journey was far from easy. Leigh recalls one low point in practice his freshman year, when defensive end Reagan Upshaw overpowered him snap after snap. Exhausted, frustrated, and fighting back tears as he ran sprints, Leigh wondered if he truly belonged.
That’s when a veteran voice changed everything.
“Andrew Booth — he was a dude, you know what I’m saying? He came up to me and just told me, ‘Just keep going. You don’t know when, but there’s going to be a time where we’re going to need you,” Leigh remembered. “That kept me going for the rest of the season. This was a guy about to be a high draft pick, and he’s telling me I’m important to the team. That made me feel so special.”
Those words stayed with him. Now, as an upperclassman and leader, Leigh makes sure to pass along the same encouragement. He remembers pulling aside center Ryan Linthicum during a rough stretch and speaking truth into him.
“I told him, ‘We all believe in you. You’re a true center. You’re smart, athletic, personable. Your teammates love you. You’re tough. I’ll go to war with Ryan any day,” Leigh said. “Life’s too short not to give people their flowers. You never know when that one word of encouragement can keep somebody going.”
The transformation has been remarkable. The quiet freshman once doubted by teammates is now not just a starter but the heartbeat of Clemson’s offensive line — and by many accounts, the best left tackle in college football.
“Looking at him now, he’s the best left tackle in the country,” Walker Parks said. “He’s a natural leader. God put him in a position to lead people. He had to go through the fire his first couple years, but now he’s probably the best leader I’ve ever been around. What Tristan says always comes from his heart.”
And what Leigh says often carries a simple, powerful message — toughness, unity, confidence.
“When we step on the field, it’s about having the confidence that we are the baddest dudes on the field,” he said. “The DNA of this football team is the offensive line. I want people to fear us.”
For Leigh, that’s more than bravado. It’s the standard he and his fellow linemen have built together — forged through early struggles, sharpened by years of persistence, and sealed by love for one another.
Because if there’s one thing Tristan Leigh has learned — from Andrew Booth, from his own journey, and from the brothers beside him in the trenches, it’s that belief has power. Now, as the leader of Clemson’s line, he’s the one passing that belief forward.
