Really nice write up on OL John Simpson

CLEMSON — Dabo Swinney paused for a brief moment to think about the question, then decided there were entirely too many things he liked about his huge offensive lineman from North Charleston to possibly cover them all.

"Everything," Swinney began. "I love everything about John Simpson."

Then, gathering his thoughts, he elaborated:

"Who he is as a person, his character, his family, — he has a great family — how hard he's worked, the type of student he is. He's very conscientious.

"And I love the fact that he's 6-5, 320 pounds and strong as an ox. He can bend, move and likes it. He likes to play the game. He's a guy that I think is going to have a special year."

It appears that way.

Indeed, 2018 is set to be a defining season for the Simpson, who played at Fort Dorchester High School with South Carolina quarterback Dakereon Joyner, as he moves into the starting lineup for the first time.

With the departure of offensive lineman Taylor Hearn, Simpson is next in line to step up for the Tigers at the left guard slot. The junior appears more than ready for his new role, having played 300 snaps in 2017 and 460 career snaps over 21 games since 2016.

Now, the protection of quarterbacks Kelly Bryant, Trevor Lawrence and Chase Brice is partially in Simpson's hands. And for a Clemson season that will perhaps have more eyes on it than ever at the quarterback position, the weight of Simpson's role speaks for itself.

"John's going to be fantastic. I think he's got a chance to be probably the best in the league at his position," Clemson offensive line coach Robbie Caldwell said. "He has size, he has strength, he's learning the system."

What separates Simpson the junior from Simpson the freshman or sophomore is how much he has mastered the system. As Caldwell elaborated, it became clear that Simpson has always had the strength and the ability, but the knowledge has been more of a steady process, as is the case with most underclassmen. At 6-5, Simpson has had to learn how to "uncoil a little bit" and he is becoming more comfortable with knowing what to do in certain situations, according to Caldwell.

Caldwell noted that Simpson's versatility (he plays tackle and guard) will bode well for him when it comes time for NFL scouts to conduct their evaluations.

It also doesn't hurt that Simpson is among the most personable and approachable members of the team. He and Caldwell like to joke about Caldwell's dream to open a barber shop some day.

"He's the sweetest guy," Caldwell said. "You just want to hug him every time you see him.

"He's got a great personality, a great smile."

A smile he hopes to be wearing all the way to the College Football Playoff.

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Re: Would love to read the article

Jul 22, 2018, 11:24 AM [ in reply to Would love to read the article ]

Here you go!

CLEMSON — Dabo Swinney paused for a brief moment to think about the question, then decided there were entirely too many things he liked about his huge offensive lineman from North Charleston to possibly cover them all.

"Everything," Swinney began. "I love everything about John Simpson."

Then, gathering his thoughts, he elaborated:

"Who he is as a person, his character, his family, — he has a great family — how hard he's worked, the type of student he is. He's very conscientious.

"And I love the fact that he's 6-5, 320 pounds and strong as an ox. He can bend, move and likes it. He likes to play the game. He's a guy that I think is going to have a special year."

It appears that way.

Indeed, 2018 is set to be a defining season for the Simpson, who played at Fort Dorchester High School with South Carolina quarterback Dakereon Joyner, as he moves into the starting lineup for the first time.

With the departure of offensive lineman Taylor Hearn, Simpson is next in line to step up for the Tigers at the left guard slot. The junior appears more than ready for his new role, having played 300 snaps in 2017 and 460 career snaps over 21 games since 2016.

Now, the protection of quarterbacks Kelly Bryant, Trevor Lawrence and Chase Brice is partially in Simpson's hands. And for a Clemson season that will perhaps have more eyes on it than ever at the quarterback position, the weight of Simpson's role speaks for itself.

"John's going to be fantastic. I think he's got a chance to be probably the best in the league at his position," Clemson offensive line coach Robbie Caldwell said. "He has size, he has strength, he's learning the system."

What separates Simpson the junior from Simpson the freshman or sophomore is how much he has mastered the system. As Caldwell elaborated, it became clear that Simpson has always had the strength and the ability, but the knowledge has been more of a steady process, as is the case with most underclassmen. At 6-5, Simpson has had to learn how to "uncoil a little bit" and he is becoming more comfortable with knowing what to do in certain situations, according to Caldwell.

+1
National Signing Day
Fort Dorchester's John Simpson (center) is surrounded by teammates and family members after choosing Clemson over LSU and Florida on National Signing Day, Feb. 3, 2016. File/Staff

Caldwell noted that Simpson's versatility (he plays tackle and guard) will bode well for him when it comes time for NFL scouts to conduct their evaluations.

It also doesn't hurt that Simpson is among the most personable and approachable members of the team. He and Caldwell like to joke about Caldwell's dream to open a barber shop some day.

"He's the sweetest guy," Caldwell said. "You just want to hug him every time you see him.

"He's got a great personality, a great smile."

A smile he hopes to be wearing all the way to the College Football Playoff.

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Re: Really nice write up on OL John Simpson

Re: Really nice write up on OL John Simpson

Re: Really nice write up on OL John Simpson

One of my favorite gets over the years.

Would love to read the article

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Right-click open in private window***

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Re: Would love to read the article

great article, thanks for sharing

Which makes Mitch Hyatt's journey so remarkable.

My son and I met him Wednesday. He is huge and such a

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