Clemson offensive line ranked #1 in the nation

Tony Crumpton by Assoc. Editor -

Fox Sports has released its latest article that ranked the top college offensive lineman in the country and Clemson was ranked #1 overall.

"Freshman LT Mitch Hyatt was a revelation," Fox Spots.com said. "The Tigers' first true freshman to start the opener on the O-line in 35 years, he was often at his best against the toughest teams. He's also worked hard to get stronger and has bulked up 15 pounds from the 285 he played at in 2015. Center Jay Guillermo had a terrific season as well, making the coaches' second-team All-ACC squad. Junior Tyrone Crowder, at 6-2, 330, is a beast in the run game. The ACC coaches picked him for third-team all-league last fall. One of the new starters will be RT Jake Fruhmorgen, a second-year sophomore, who started one game in 2015. He, too, has added some good size and is up to 302 pounds, from 282 last fall. The other new starter is expected to be 320-pound sophomore guard Taylor Hearn. Highly regarded Justin Falcinelli will push him for playing time."

Swinney knows that he has recruited well in the offensive line and the fruits of his labor are currently being shown with the "big uglies" up front.

“Not a lot of baloney going on with those guys,” Swinney said recently to reporters. “They want to be a special group. They understand that they have a great quarterback back there, a bunch of great backs and a bunch of Frisbee-catching dogs on the outside that they’ve got a chance to run (and) chase them chains. If they do their job (their teammates do the rest), and man, they take pride in that.”

The full Top 10 list of offensive lines included Clemson, LSU, Alabama, Michigan, West Virginia, Florida State, USC, Notre Dame, Iowa, and Oklahoma.