Ask any cliché-dropping football coach in the country. Skill players get butts in seats and eyes on TV screens, but games are still won in the trenches.

Clemson’s magical run to the College Football Playoff and narrow loss to Alabama in the national title game probably doesn’t happen without Deshaun Watson. The Heisman Trophy finalist was every bit the MVP on the Tigers’ 2015 team that finished 14-1.

Watson did, however, need a supporting cast. Wayne Gallman, Artavis Scott, Jordan Leggett and the rest of the rushers and pass catchers each played critical roles in last season’s success. The big guys up front were every bit as important. After all, Watson needed some time to throw for 4,104 yards and 35 touchdown passes; Gallman needed holes.

“We don’t make the run last year without Mitch Hyatt,” said Clemson’s co-offensive coordinator Tony Elliott, who was in his first season as the play-caller. “He was a guy that came in, got his nose bloodied in the spring, and by the time he was ready to kick off that first game, he was tired of blocking Shaq Lawson, so he was ready for the show as a freshman.

“Now, he was a guy that was a little more advanced to some of your freshmen, but getting those guys here and getting them acclimated to class …”

It’s a big deal. Clemson signed five offensive linemen in the 2016 haul. Two of them — Tremayne Anchrum Jr. and Sean Pollard — enrolled at Clemson in January. Both are on track to play tackle for the Tigers, and Anchrum exited spring ball as Hyatt’s backup at left tackle.

“You can tell that they come from very good high school programs, very well-coached, very fundamentally sound. … (We’re) very excited with their athleticism and the way that they move and showing competitive toughness,” Elliott said. “They jumped in (during) mat drills and didn’t look like freshmen.”

Pollard was the first offensive lineman to commit to Clemson’s 2016 haul. A four-star

from Southern Pines, N.C., he pulled the trigger in December of 2014, six days before Christmas. Anchrum, a three-star from Powder Springs, Ga., made his declaration 11 months later. Three-star Chandler Reeves (McDonough, Ga.) pulled the trigger last June. Three-star Cade Stewart (Central, S.C.) made the call just before Signing Day when North Charleston four-star John Simpson announced he would sign.

According to Dabo Swinney, the quintet “solidified what we were trying to do” along the offensive line. The 247 rankings list Simpson as the top-rated offensive lineman in Clemson’s 2016 haul.

“He’s got the size. He’s got the speed. He bends really well. That’s his thing, as far as recruiting goes, that’s what those guys see,” said Fort Dorchester coach Steve LaPrad. “He’s just special. He bends so well. He’s not stiff. He’s got the long arms, big hands, he’s a wrestler. He runs very well. Really, work ethic is just amazing … he’s just a great kid.”

Simpson was named to the South Carolina Shrine Bowl team, where he paired up with Stewart, to work under former Clemson offensive lineman Will Young, who coached the position in the annual all-star game.

“Cade is just a big old nasty country boy,” Young said. “Typical offensive guard that does a good job. Very physical kid. Runs really well. He does a good job on his pulls. Typical Daniel lineman, a nasty country boy.”

A year ago, Clemson also needed immediate help on the defensive line after losing virtual ton of talent to the NFL, and Christian Wilkins played a major role in helping the team to the national final.

The transition continued with this year’s class led by Dexter Lawrence, a five-star from Wake Forest, N.C. Lawrence enrolled early and let it be known he was ready to make an early impact.

“Dex is in a pretty good spot. For 15 practices, he’s in a great position,” Wilkins said. “He’s been competing, working hard every day. He’s a grown man. It’s just great to see that we’ve recruited that well, to get him here. I’m happy he’s on the team, and I hope he’ll be a contributor for us this year.”

Three-star defensive tackle Nyles Pinckney, also on the Shrine Bowl team, enrolled early. Wilkins knows what it takes to get on the field early and sees Pinckney in that light.

“Nyles is going to be a great player. He’s made a lot of progress. He’s only 17-years-old, and he’s coming out here and looking really good,” Wilkins said. “He’s willing to learn. He’s willing to come in and compete with a lot of the older guys in front of him. He still knows he has to earn a spot, and he’s working hard every day to make sure that he does that.”

Three-star defensive end LaSamuel Davis (Bamberg) also enrolled in January. This summer, he’ll be joined by four-star Xavier Kelly (Wichita).

“LaSamuel was a guy that was a holdover from last year that had to get a little bit more work done,” Swinney said. “So we focused on trying to get one great defensive end, and I thought we were able to do that with Xavier.”

If Clemson continues to recruit linemen at this rate, their next trip to the NCAA title game won’t take another 30-something years.

—This is an insert from TCI’s preseason magazine “Unfinished Business — An insider look at Clemson’s 2016 season.” If you did not get an issue of “Unfinished Business”  you  can order one here.