Defensive tackle Tyler Davis made his return to the playing field for Clemson last Saturday in its convincing victory over Miami. Davis, who had to miss Clemson’s last two games due to an MCL sprain, was excited to be back in action versus the Hurricanes’ fast paced offense.

“It was tough, you know,” he said. “I always want to play, but I was very excited to get out and play against Miami and play football again.”

While it was hard for Davis to sit back and watch his teammates take the field without him in wins over The Citadel and Virginia, his two games on the sideline did give freshman Bryan Bresee the opportunity to earn more experience at defensive tackle.

“It’s been great, you know, just having fun out there playing with him,” Davis said. “He brings a lot of energy. He’s a great player and it’s been fun playing with him.”

Davis knows what it is like to make an immediate impact on the field in his first year. The Florida native was in the same shoes as Bresee this time last year and knows what it takes to be successful on the field early on in his career. The sophomore is now ready to pass on the wealth of knowledge given to him to new guys who could potentially be immediate difference-makers on defense too.

“I just think it’s very important for all the young guys to learn what to do, so they can get on the field faster,” he said.

Now that he is back on the field, Davis will continue making an impact for the Tigers in his sophomore campaign, bringing younger guys with him along the way. He wants to see it continue on Saturday when top-ranked Clemson visits Georgia Tech for a noon kick in Atlanta.