Top 25: Clemson's most important players in 2025 - Ryan Linthicum

Ryan Linthicum anchors the middle of a veteran Clemson O-line.

Grayson Mann · Staff Writer · Friday, July 04 2025

2025 will prove to be a transformative season for Clemson, and moving further down our list of the most important to those stakes is a lineman who got his chance to shine in 2024.

Ryan Linthicum's career at Clemson is a shining example of how patience can be an asset, long forgotten in a world dominated by the portal.

22. Center Ryan Linthicum

David Hood: Score one for the crock pot.

Linthicum arrived on campus in 2021 as the No. 1-ranked center in the nation. The high school teammate of former Clemson defensive tackle Bryan Bresee, Linthicum arrived with plenty of fanfare but wasn’t quite ready to play and had Will Putnam ahead of him on the depth chart.

In this day and time, that means a player is looking elsewhere, looking to transfer and see if he can playing time at another school. Not Linthicum. He stayed in head coach Dabo Swinney’s crock pot, slow cooking and making himself a better player.

“Yeah, it was a blessing with Will Putnam there. I knew the wait in those three years was good to get under him because I wasn't ready my freshman year, mentally, with COVID. I don't have a senior year (in high school), so to learn from him and get in that crockpot. Swinney kept pushing me and kept believing in me,” Linthicum said.

He then said that leaving never crossed his mind.

“It's just awesome to see the guys, it’s been a great process to stay here,” he said, “and a lot of people like to leave, but you know, I knew here was the place…Coming here every day working, if you don't see the light at the end of the tunnel, and like three years, it was tough, but it made me a better man.

“I thank Swinney for that, just kept pushing me and believing in me. So, just simply like transfer-wise, something you never considered a lot of people…(Transferring) never crossed my mind. I'm loyal, loyal to Clemson. They're loyal to me. So that never crossed my mind.”

Score one for the crock pot.

Grayson Mann: Patience is a virtue.

For both Linthicum and Clemson, that paid off massively.

As David wrote above, Linthicum wasn't ready to suit up on day one and needed time to develop before taking over the reins on the offensive line. During the 2024 season, Linthicum was one of only 12 players to start all 14 games, regardless of whether it was due to injury or the rotation being shuffled as the season progressed.

Still, in a year where the story was all about the improvement of the offensive line, Linthicum was also a big part of being one of the stable pieces for that group.

Tristan Leigh missed time in November. Marcus Tate suffered a season-ending injury. In his first year of full-time duty, Linthicum was up to the challenge and proved he belonged.

He also proved he may be able to win a Post Malone look-alike contest when his playing days are over. All jokes aside, his career is an example of how shocking it may be now to see players in his position decide to wait it out instead of transferring.

With all the accolades and top rankings he received on his way into campus, Linthicum embraced the development, and ultimately in Clemson's push back to the College Football Playoff, the Tigers were better for it.

Now, the stakes are much higher for Linthicum and the Tigers, and if his development continues to trend in a positive direction, the offensive line should only get stronger as a whole.