Looks can be deceiving.

While some offensive linemen might look like a bunch of big, bearded oafs, generally speaking, they’re the brightest guys on the team.

Clemson offensive line coach Robbie Caldwell searches for prospects with a sound mind. That’s first and foremost when he evaluates potential blockers for the Tigers’ hurry-up, no-huddle system.

“I don’t want to worry about (them) going to class. Offensive linemen have to be a very disciplined group, on and off the field,” Caldwell said. “Not telling you we won’t mess up, obviously, we all do. That’s critical, because this has to be a functioning unit together. There are no individuals in there now. Everything gels together. What one does ties together with another and so forth, so that’s critical.

“Having the right character, the right student and they don’t have to be a Rhodes Scholar, but academics have to be important to them. They’ve got to get the job done. Don’t want to have to worry about eligibility. That’s all part of our job. Yes, we stay on top of it, but you’ve got more to do.

“You’ve got to have to be able to think and analyze while playing there. Every time a guy moves a little bit, then our assignment changes. You’ve got to communicate that stuff.”

The mind has to work in sync with the rest of the body.

“Having good feet and good hands and a good mind, being able to think. But nowadays, you’ve got to be able to use your hands,” Caldwell said. “You used to be — when we first started playing, it was all blocking circles, so it was all about your feet. You need to be skilled with your hands now, as well.”

Brutes are certainly welcomed, but it’s a thinking man’s position group.

“It’s very rare that you find one like Kalon Davis, understands everything, sees everything you see and you teach him and he’s got it, and it’s important to him,” Caldwell said. “If you’re smart and you understand the techniques and do what you’re asked to do, you don’t have to be as great a player, where defensive linemen and skill positions, they have to be better athletes.

“We can be great in there by being a little less of an athlete, but more disciplined. Attitude, effort — that’s the key.”

The highest profile position along the offensive line is left tackle. Despite Sandra Bullock’s contributions, Caldwell doesn’t see a whole lot of difference between the left and right bookends.

“You’d like for them to both be the same, but everybody talks about the left tackle. That came about because the NFL narrowed hashes. Everything is right-handed, they don’t have to worry about hashmarks,” Caldwell said “But, if we’re on the left hash all day, that right tackle better be pretty darn good, so it’s important that both of them are equally as well.

“It’s got to be a very dependable guy (at left tackle). To me, one ought to be as dependable as the other. That’s my goal, to try to teach them to do that. To me, it seems relatively easy, but right foot, it’s according to how dominant you are, right foot, left foot, being able to step with them. That’s why we work at both.”

Cross-training has been the calling card for Caldwell since he arrived to Clemson in 2011, so the line between left tackle and right tackle tends to blur. The same can be said for the two guards.

“We’re going to learn the steps equally well with both feet, hopefully. You have to set your stance accordingly, so you can do that. That’s part of coaching. You’ve got to see that in your guys,” Caldwell said.

At the heart of it all is the center.

“In a lot of systems, the center has to be one of your smarter players. He’s got to direct some traffic. Sometimes, it doesn’t mean a hill of beans. It’s a decoy. But, other times, it’s very important, particularly if he’s setting the defense for your quarterback,” Caldwell said. “Everybody has to be on the same page, whether the quarterback does it or the center does it. You see it a lot in the NFL. The quarterbacks do it. Well, our center does it.

“Very, very difficult when you go fast. Very difficult, because my head is between my legs. That’s the tough part.”