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Healthy Tyler Davis can be dominant force for Tigers

Matt Connollyby:Matt Connolly08/04/21

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Tyler Davis
Tyler Davis is elite at rushing the passer when healthy. (John Byrum/Getty Images)

CLEMSON — Clemson football’s season opener against Georgia is right around the corner. College football season will be here before we know it, and ClemsonSports.com is helping you get ready by counting down the 25 most important players for Clemson in 2021. Up next: No. 7 Tyler Davis.

Tyler Davis had a solid sophomore season for Clemson, but after a standout freshman campaign, it wasn’t the year many were expecting.

The Florida native finished with 17 tackles, 5 tackles for loss and a pair of sacks, but he was bothered by injuries all year and was only able to play in seven games.

Look for Davis to get back to being dominant this fall.

The leader of Clemson’s defensive tackles group has the potential to be one of the best interior defensive lineman in the country this fall. He was named second-team All-ACC as a freshman in 2019, finishing with 51 stops, including 9 tackles for loss. Davis led all true freshmen defensive tackles in the country in sacks with 5.5 his freshman year and could challenge for the national lead in sacks by a defensive tackle this season.

“I’ve just been really pleased with Tyler Davis. He took it to another level,” defensive tackles coach Todd Bates said at Clemson Media Day.

Davis became the first true freshman to start at defensive tackle for Clemson since 1974 during his freshman year in 2019 and immediately showed why the staff was so excited about his potential.

He shared Clemson Defensive Player of the Week honors after his first career college game and continued to impress throughout 2019. But then came the setbacks last fall.

Brent Venables-Clemson-Tigers-football
Clemson football defensive coordinator Brent Venables expects his defense to be really good this fall. (Mark LoMoglio/Getty Images)

Davis lacked the explosiveness and pass rushing ability that was on full display during his freshman season last year due to injuries.

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He should have that back now, and alongside Bryan Bresee the two have the potential to be the best defensive tackle tandem in the country.

With plenty of experience returning at defensive end and veteran linebackers behind them, Davis, Bresee and the rest of the Clemson defense should give opposing offenses fits this season.

The Tigers struggled defensively the last time out against Ohio State. Don’t expect that to be the case this fall.

“We’re excited about this year. We’ve got a great looking team coming back. We have 20-plus guys that have started games a year ago [on defense], which is an all-time high for us,” defensive coordinator Brent Venables said. “We have tremendous experience coming back… really feel like we have a great chance to have a great football team and a really, really strong defense.”

Tyler Davis will be a big part of that.

Photo courtesy John Byrum/Getty Images

Clemson football most important players

No. 25 B.T. Potter

No. 24. K.J. Henry

No. 23 Mario Goodrich

No. 22 Lannden Zanders

No. 21 Will Putnam

No. 20 E.J. Williams

No. 19 Xavier Thomas

No. 18 Hunter Rayburn

No. 17 Baylon Spector

No. 16 Braden Galloway

No. 15 Walker Parks

No. 14 Nolan Turner

No. 13 Sheridan Jones

No. 12 Joseph Ngata

No. 11 Matt Bockhorst

No. 10 Lyn-J Dixon

No. 9 Trenton Simpson

No. 8 Jordan McFadden

No. 7 Tyler Davis