Over the years, Clemson has produced 23 All-Americans from its offensive line, more than any other position group in the program’s history. A surprising statistic considering how that success has related to the NFL Draft.
John Simpson was selected in the fourth round of the NFL Draft by the Las Vegas Raiders last month. He was the first Clemson offensive lineman taken in the draft in six years.
Later that day, Tremayne Anchrum was picked in the seventh round by the Los Angeles Rams. It marked the first time two Clemson offensive linemen were selected in the same draft since Glenn Roundtree and Jim Bundren did it in the sixth and seventh rounds of the 1998 NFL Draft.
Overall, 55 former Clemson linemen have been drafted through the years, but none of have been selected in the first round. Despite the lack of first-round success, several former Clemson linemen have gone on to have great careers in the NFL.
Jeff Bostic won three Super Bowls as the starting center for the Washington Redskins. His three Super Bowl titles are the most by a former Tiger regardless of position. Bostic, who was an All-Pro center, played 14 years in the NFL and in 184 games.
Joe Bostic, Jeff’s older brother, played for 10 years in the league. The former third-round pick was named to the All-Rookie team in 1979 for the St. Louis Cardinals. Joe, who played at Clemson from 1975-’78, was the only Clemson offensive lineman named to the ACC’s 50th Anniversary Team in 2003.
Harold Olson was an All-Pro tackle for Buffalo in 1962 and Curtis Whitley was named All-Pro at center for the Carolina Panthers in 1995.
Stacy Long, a tackle, was a finalist for the Outland Trophy in 1990, while Kyle Young and Dalton Freeman, both former centers, were multi-year finalist for the Rimington Trophy, which goes to the nation’s best center. Young was a finalist in 2000 and ’01, while Freeman was a finalist in 2011 and ’12.
In all, seven former Tigers have won the Jacobs Blocking Trophy, given to the best offensive linemen in the ACC. Tackle Mitch Hyatt won the award twice (2017 and ’18), while Wayne Mass (1966), Harry Olszewski (1967), Joe Bostic (1977), Lee Nanney (1981), James Farr (1983) and John Phillips (1987) are the others.
Clemson offensive linemen By the Numbers:
0: Number of sacks Clemson allowed in five games in 2018.
1: Jeff Bostic, who played at Clemson from 1976-’79, won three Super Bowls as the starting center for the Washington Redskins (1980-’93). He is the only former Clemson offensive lineman to win a Super Bowl. His three Super Bowl titles are the most by a former Tiger regardless of position. Bostic, who was an All-Pro center, played 14 years in the NFL and in 184 games.
2: Number of times Clemson has had three First-Team All-ACC selections in the same season. It happened in 2016 and 2017.
3: Number of years Kyle Young was named a First-Team Academic All-American, just the second three-time selection by an offensive lineman in college football history. Young was also a two-time All-American on the field.
5: Number of Clemson offensive linemen in 2019 that earned first, second and third team All-ACC honors. John Simpson (guard) and Tremayne Anchrum (tackle) were first-team selections, while Gage Cervenka (guard) and Sean Pollard (center) were named to the second team. Jackson Carman (tackle) was named as a third-team selection.
6: Number of multi-year First-Team All-Americans produced from Clemson’s offensive line. The six were Joe Bostic (1977 and ’78), John Phillips (1986 and ’87), Stacy Long (1989 and ’90), Stacy Seegars (1992 and ’93), Kyle Young (2000 and ’01) and Mitch Hyatt (2017 and ’18).
11: Clemson’s offensive line held opponents to one or fewer sacks in 11 of their 15 games in 2018.
3,754: Number of career snaps by former left tackle Mitch Hyatt. It is the most by any Clemson football player in school history. Hyatt was a four-year starter on Clemson’s offensive line from 2015-’18.
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