Where Clemson stands at tight end heading into 2025

Olsen Patt-Henry will look to lead the tight end room in 2025

Grayson Mann - Staff Writer - Thursday, December 26 2024

One of Clemson’s mainstays on offense is set for departure.

The Clemson offense is loaded with talent and experience in 2025, with four starting offensive linemen returning along with quarterback Cade Klubnik and a bevy of talented receivers.

But there are jobs open where seniors have departed, at left guard (Marcus Tate), tight end (Jake Briningstool), and running back (Phil Mafah).

We are focusing on tight end and the race for who will replace Briningstool's services.

The Tigers will say goodbye to Briningstool, who continued to produce at a position that has seen consistency for quite some time, with the likes of Jordan Leggett and Davis Allen recently creating that spark.

In his final year at Clemson, the senior tight end cemented himself in history, breaking Leggett’s all-time receptions record at the position, with 127 catches being the new number for someone to break.

His 49 catches, 530 yards, and seven touchdowns were the final tallies of his senior season, setting career highs in yards, touchdowns, and yards per game (40.8).

Where there was once production is now a spot that will be filled, and there are some suitable contenders.

The likely front-runner entering the spring is Olsen Patt-Henry, who did himself plenty of favors in 2024.

Patt-Henry caught nine balls for 121 yards for three scores behind Briningstool, with the sophomore's best action coming against Virginia, setting career highs in yards (51) and touchdowns (2) against the Cavaliers. It wasn’t his stats that caught the coaches' attention as the second tight end on the depth chart.

His willingness to do the little things, such as growth as a blocker, impressed Garrett Riley the most, having boasted about his growth in September.

“Olsen’s really come on,” Riley said. “I've been proud of him, and his role is just continuing to grow, and he's been a guy that, I don't want to say I'm surprised by it, but coming here is more of a skilled kind of receiver type from high school, and now you're inserted into the tight end position and what that requires. There's a lot of learning the way he came in, but he's attacked it. He's one of those guys with a great mindset, so he's certainly given us a lot of production here the last couple of weeks.”

Patt-Henry is the leader of the clubhouse in replacing Briningstool, but players like Christian Bentancur and Markus Dixon will have opportunities to challenge the rising junior tight end’s standing.

Dabo Swinney has been throwing fuel into the Bentancur hype train since the freshman arrived on campus, adding he’s one of the “purest athletes” Clemson has ever signed.

If that type of label is to stand, it is hard to imagine he will be kept off of the field for much longer.

Regardless, the options for this offense in 2025 will continue to grow when it comes to its pass catches. Tight end should be no different as a long lineage of production at the position should continue to grow.

Projected 2025 Clemson TE room (from current scholarship group)

Jr. - Josh Sapp, Olsen Patt-Henry; So. - Markus Dixon; RS Fr. - Christian Bentancur; Fr. - Logan Brooking