The forgotten man on Clemson's defensive line is aiming for a big senior season

It was a real possibility that Clemson was going to lose three starters on its defensive line following the 2017 season. Christian Wilkins, Clelin Ferrell and Austin Bryant considered leaving early for the NFL draft.

Instead, the three surprised many by returning for one more season.

There were plenty of people smiling around Clemson’s football facility after the trio of All-Americans decided to return to school, including senior defensive lineman Albert Huggins.

The Orangeburg native likely would have filled Christian Wilkins’ starting role had Wilkins opted to turn pro, but instead, Huggins plans to be a part of a three-headed monster at defensive tackle, alongside Wilkins and Dexter Lawrence.

“It didn’t bother me at all. It just gave me more competition and made me want to work harder. I was happy,” Huggins said.

Some people might have decided to transfer in search of more playing time. But that thought never crossed Huggins’ mind.

He plans to finish what he started at Clemson.

“When I first signed here, I committed here, and I’m committed. There’s a lot of opportunities that’s around here, and I’m going to take advantage of my opportunities,” Huggins said. “I wanted to stay. No matter what happened I wanted to finish my career here and get my degree and play football.”

Huggins has experienced his share of ups and downs at Clemson after arriving in the Upstate as one of the top defensive tackle recruits in the country in 2015.

He appeared in only five games as a freshman before slowly earning more playing time as a sophomore and junior.

Huggins made the first two starts of his career last season when Lawrence missed time with a foot injury, and he finished the year with five tackles for loss, which was tied for fifth on the team.

He credits Clemson’s coaching staff, including defensive line coach Todd Bates, for always being by his side through the good and bad times during his college career. Huggins is now ready to repay the Tigers’ coaching staff by being loyal to them.

“They could have given up on me. They really could have,” Huggins said. “It’s been points where I’ve been low and they really could have given up on me. But they stuck with me. Coach Bates stuck with me and believed in me.”

Even with four starters returning up front, Huggins isn’t ready to pronounce himself a backup. All of the focus is on Clemson's starting four up front, but Huggins believes he is ready to have a big senior season.

Lawrence is limited this spring as he works his way back from a foot injury that bothered him throughout the 2017 season, and Huggins is getting plenty of first-team reps.

“We’re missing the big guy, but it is an opportunity, and I’m going to take advantage of my opportunity,” Huggins said. “I would love to be a starter, but if I don’t start, I’m still going to go out there and get every rep I can get. I’m aiming for being a starter.”

He certainly has impressed Tigers coach Dabo Swinney, who stopped Huggins before a practice last week and praised him for his play through the first two weeks of the spring.

“Albert Huggins has been awesome … I don’t know if the light switch has completely come on. I don’t know if that’s the right term for it, or if he just cares more. I don’t know, but man, he is turning into what we all knew he could be,” Swinney said. “He’s disruptive. He’s playing fast. He’s playing with a high motor. He’s having a great spring.”

Swinney said that Huggins will have a chance to earn a starting job, and even if he doesn’t, he will receive plenty of snaps come this fall.

No matter what role Huggins ultimately plays this season, he is happy to be doing it at Clemson and will give it his all as he looks to help the Tigers to a fourth consecutive College Football Playoff berth and another national title.

“I’ve got to go get it. This is the last hoorah, and I’ve got to make it the best one,” Huggins said. “Just play every rep to the fullest and don’t have a dull moment. It’s been hard these past four years, but it’s just time to have fun… I’m getting a great opportunity and I need to take advantage of it.”

This story was originally published March 19, 2018 at 4:58 PM with the headline "The forgotten man on Clemson's defensive line is aiming for a big senior season."