Clemson redshirt junior offensive guard Matt Bockhorst sees a lot of potential in Tayquon Johnson and believes the sky is the limit for the redshirt freshman after his switch from the defensive line to the O-line.

Johnson came to Clemson in the summer of 2019 as a defensive tackle and played in three games while redshirting last season before making the transition to offensive guard in the spring.

The Williamsport, Md., native missed some time in fall camp while dealing with migraines but returned to practice last week, and Bockhorst says Johnson “can be as good as he wants to be” moving forward thanks in large part to his sheer physical strength.

“He’s been limited because of injury and he’s kind of a year behind because he was on defense, but (there’s no reason) to panic at all,” Bockhorst told reporters following the Tigers’ practice Monday. “I think we’ve got opportunity to play for young guys, and he’s the type of guy, physically, who is just unreal. His weight room numbers are probably the highest on the team.”

Bockhorst says Johnson’s physical ability is unquestionable, but it’s the mental part of the game that he must learn and work to improve upon as a young offensive lineman with little experience at the position.

“His biggest hurdle right now is going to be the mental aspect, and it’s tough,” Bockhorst said. “Especially coming from defense, you’re not used to the calls, you don’t know the certain footwork, but it will come with time. So, that’s a guy that I have a lot of confidence in moving forward because there’s no questioning the physical ability of Tayquon. So, it’s a work in progress, but he’s a guy that I have high hopes for.”

In addition to being a standout on the gridiron at Williamsport High School, Johnson was also an outstanding wrestler who finished third in the heavyweight division as a junior, his first year of competition.

Bockhorst can see how Johnson’s wrestling background has benefited him on the football field, similar to other guys like former Clemson offensive linemen Gage Cervenka and John Simpson, and current offensive lineman Will Putnam, all of whom wrestled in high school as well.

Bockhorst himself wrestled a bit before calling it quits because of injury.

“I personally had a short stint wrestling — we’ll call it a month as a freshman. They put me on varsity, and I got humbled rather quickly with some injuries,” he said. “However, I have a lot of respect for the wrestling guys. Gage was a wrestling guy, John was a wrestling guy, Will Putnam, Florida state champion, and Tayquon as well. So, I know that we’ve had a bunch of guys come through here with great success with wrestling backgrounds. So, there’s a lot that can be said of the crossover between the two sports and the benefits of that.

“So, like I said, Tayquon is physically very gifted, and I’m sure the wrestling background has something to do with that. So now, he’s just got to put it all together.”

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