Clemson offensive guard Matt Bockhorst spoke to the media after practice on Monday at the Allen N. Reeves Football Complex in Clemson.
The sophomore spoke on the differences he has seen since Mitch Hyatt moved on to the NFL.
Bockhorst on last year’s experience
“Having a year of experience under my belt, going through my second spring practice, I feel a lot more comfortable from a details perspective. It’s a huge difference in one year. There is definitely some opportunity for a leadership role. Mitch (Hyatt) and Justin (Falcinelli) were really steady players for us on the offensive line. They were unbelievable players obviously, but they were really great guys off the field too. There is definitely some opportunity to grow in that aspect.”
Bockhorst on life without Mitch Hyatt
“In general, the team is a lot younger. Obviously, we were a very veteran group last year, not just for the offensive line, but as a team we had an excellent group of seniors. Now we are so much younger, it’s interesting to see a guy like Gage Cervenka step into a leadership role. He’s one guy that I’ve really noticed from a vocal stand point. He has stepped into those shoes well. You always want to find a couple vocal leaders on the team. Not everybody is going to be a vocal leader. There are always guys that do the right thing, but they aren’t going to say as much, kind of like Mitch.”
Bockhorst on Jackson Carmen
“I was pleasantly surprised how well he came out this spring. Obviously, he has so much talent. He’s got more talent than I could ever think of having. There are just certain things you have to work on being a younger guy. Yeah, I was here six months before him…but we have been on a journey together.”
Bockhorst on the White House publicity
“Wow. It was a hectic couple of days for sure. I’m not quite sure I expected that. I felt like I had to defend myself a little bit, but I wanted to choose my words wisely. I hear about it every now and again. There are some people are like yeah you look really familiar, and I say ‘I’m the Big Mac guy.’ I don’t even eat Big Macs that often, which is kinda funny. It was certainly a crazy experience going viral.”
Bockhorst on his role during spring practice
“Obviously, having John (Simpson) ahead of me. He’s a really solid player and not an open competition. There is always room for improvement. That’s important. You want to have an open mind. You can’t come out here and think, well the depth chart is set, and I’m going to be a second team guy, so I don’t really have to try that hard. They are always going to be evaluating you. This past week or so, I have been taking reps with the first team group to get that experience.”