Jaguars lineman, Clemson alum Tyler Shatley speaks with Tigers before Christmas Day Gator Bowl practice

The Clemson Tigers are spending their Christmas getting ready for the Gator Bowl against Kentucky, which will be played on Friday.

As they do so, they were greeted by a familiar face at their Christmas Day practice. Former offensive lineman Tyler Shatley stopped by with two of his children to take in the practice and offer a word of encouragement or two to the current players.

“What’s up guys, Tyler Shatley here. First of all Merry Christmas,” Shatley said in a video posted to the Clemson football team’s official Twitter account.

“I played offensive line here back in ’09-13. It’s good to be back out here with the Jacksonville Jaguars now, so I was able to come out and see practice, take the two older kids. Want to say good luck to all the guys out there today and Merry Christmas.”

Grateful to have former Tiger and current member of the @Jaguars, Tyler Shatley stop by to talk to the guys ahead of today’s practice! pic.twitter.com/2vgGs2pAOD

— Clemson Football (@ClemsonFB) December 25, 2023

Shatley was a two-way player for Clemson while suiting up for the Tigers.

He started off on defense and recorded 41 tackles, 1.5 tackles for a loss, a sack, three quarterback pressures and one pass breakup in 26 games on that side of the ball.

Shatley then moved over to the offensive side of the ball, where he became a starter on the offensive line at guard as one of the team’s strongest players. He made 26 starts on the offensive line.

Following his career at Clemson, Shatley went undrafted in 2014. He caught on with the Jacksonville Jaguars and has been with that organization ever since. He has played in 113 NFL games now.

Clemson, then, will certainly benefit from hearing from someone who has made a living playing football professionally. Many of the players who suit up in the Gator Bowl will be looking to take the next step and enter the NFL ranks afterward.

The Tigers earned their bid in the Gator Bowl by going 8-4 during the regular season, finishing on a four-game winning streak that included wins over ranked Notre Dame and North Carolina squads, as well as in-state rival South Carolina.

Clemson and Kentucky are set to square off on Friday in a game that kicks off at noon ET on ESPN.