Clemson loses starting offensive tackle to NFL Supplemental Draft
Isaiah Battle was supposed to be an experienced anchor on Clemson’s 2015 offensive line and the man charged with protecting quarterback Deshaun Watson’s blindside.
Instead, none of that will happen when the Tigers kick off the season Sept. 5 against Wofford.
Battle, a senior left tackle, announced Thursday that he’s leaving school and entering the NFL Supplemental Draft, which will be held next month.
“I have some family matters to address, with a child due this summer, and I feel it is in my best interest to enter the NFL Supplemental Draft,” Battle said in a statement released by the school. “I want to thank everyone at Clemson, especially Coach (Dabo) Swinney and the assistant coaches, for what they have done for me the last three years. I also want to thank my teammates. They have all had a big impact on my career.”
It’s a huge loss for the offensive front. Battle, who played in 27 career games and made 16 starts, was one of two returning starters from 2014. With his absence, Clemson is over 3,000 snaps lost off from last year's offensive line (3,263).
A top-5 prospect coming out of Fork Union Military Academy, Battle had an up and down Clemson career. The 6-foot-7, 290-pound Brooklyn, N.Y., native missed a game last year against Syracuse for undisclosed disciplinary reasons and sat out a game in 2013 after throwing a punch in a contest against N.C. State.
“We appreciate all that Isaiah has done for the program the last three years,” Swinney said. “He has made great progress in his development and has been a big contributor to our success the last three years, especially in each of the last three bowl games when he had outstanding games against very talented defensive lines from LSU, Ohio State and Oklahoma. We wish him well in his pursuit of a professional career.”
Clemson will now likely turn to a complete newcomer to man one of the most important positions on offense. Swinney's tabbed heralded true freshman Mitch Hyatt as next in line at left tackle. Clemson hasn’t relied on a true frosh up for a significant number of games since Barry Richardson made seven starts in 2004.
“This will create a great opportunity for Mitch as a true freshman,” Swinney said. “We liked what we saw from Mitch in the spring, and look forward to seeing his progress in August. We have other young offensive linemen who will also have a new opportunity for playing time.”
Hyatt was considered one of the top three offensive linemen in the country coming out of Suwannee, Ga. He enrolled in January and went through spring practice, along with three other freshmen who make up one of the top O-line classes in Clemson history.
It’s already been a rough offseason for the Clemson roster. Defensive end Ebenezer Ogundeko was dismissed in May after he was charged by Clemson police with financial transaction fraud.
On Wednesday, kicker Ammon Lakip was suspended indefinitely following a June 6 arrest for DUI refusal and possession of cocaine.
This story was originally published June 25, 2015 at 10:43 AM.