Clemson defensive lineman Bryan Bresee, the reigning ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year, helped lead Ryan Linthicum, the top-ranked offensive center in the 2021 recruiting class, to Clemson as well.

Linthicum and Bresee were teammates at Damascus (Md.) High School, and their relationship was certainly a factor in Linthicum’s decision to join the Tigers and play with Bresee again at the next level.

“It definitely played a role because I trust Bryan,” Linthicum said during a video posted by Clemson. “I trust his words, and he told me that Clemson is unmatched.”

Linthicum enrolled early at Clemson in January after signing with the program during the early signing period in December.

Bresee, now a rising sophomore in college, transferred to Damascus when he was a high school sophomore in 2017 and immediately formed a friendship with Linthicum, who was a freshman at the time.

After Linthicum picked up an offer from Clemson at the Dabo Swinney Football Camp in the summer of 2019, Bresee helped the Tigers recruit Linthicum but didn’t put any pressure on Linthicum to follow him to Clemson.

“Bryan moved to my high school my freshman year, his sophomore year, and from there he really took me under his wing, just showing me the ropes in high school,” Linthicum said. “When I got an offer from Clemson when I came to camp here, he showed me the ropes, but he ultimately left it up to me. He told me it was my recruitment, and he was like, ‘I’m not going to force anything on you.’ He said, ‘It’s your decision.’”

Linthicum made his decision to commit to Clemson on Sept. 23, 2019, choosing the Tigers over offers from schools such as Maryland, Ohio State, Michigan, LSU, Virginia Tech, Virginia and North Carolina.

Just as Bresee recruited Linthicum, Linthicum became a leading recruiter for Clemson once he jumped on board and did his part to help the Tigers build up their 2021 class.

“I was I think the third or fourth commit, so I was committed early,” Linthicum said. “I made my decision, and a lot of other commits here were between a couple schools. So, I really took that role and made sure I let the guys know that Clemson is home and made sure they won’t regret this decision.”

Linthicum is ranked as the No. 1 center in the 2021 class by Rivals, which considers him the fourth-best prospect from the state of Maryland and No. 120 overall prospect in the class regardless of position.