Size Matters? Clemson’s heaviest offensive lineman weighs 324 pounds

Smaller, quicker, faster?

It remains to be seen if it’s a one-year anomaly or the beginning of a trend at Clemson, but this week’s official weigh-ins for the Clemson football team revealed that the bulk of the Tigers’ roster isn’t bulky at all.

Officially, the heaviest player was junior center Jay Guillermo, who tipped the scales at relatively modest 324 pounds. Last season, the Tigers had six players who weighed in at 325 pounds or more, led by Kalon Davis at 340 pounds.

In fact, in each of the previous five seasons, Clemson has had at least five players who weighed 324 pounds or more.

Coach Dabo Swinney is convinced that less poundage will translate into a team that’s slightly smaller, but considerably quicker.

“We’ve got a healthy, fast, mentally tough football team,” coach Dabo Swinney said. “Their weight is a big deal with us. We have to hold them accountable as we go through the season.”

So where’s the Tigers’ beef? On the offensive line, of course, which is where four of the team’s heaviest players earn their keep.

Still, one would have to go back 13 years of rosters, to 2002, to find the last time that Clemson’s heaviest player weighed less than Guillermo’s 324 pounds.