Clemson’s 40-14 win over the Stanford Cardinal last weekend punctuated yet another milestone this season.
In their last three contests, the Tigers have outscored their opponents by almost 100 points, 165-69. This success would have been impossible without contributions from every player, but one player has bought in enough this season to change his spot on the depth chart: Olsen Patt-Henry.
After recording three receptions for 42 yards and zero touchdowns last season, the sophomore tight end saw enough of the sideline to realize change was necessary. In fact, the ground underneath his feet became his greatest motivator.
“Standing on the sideline,” head coach Dabo Swinney said when prompted about Patt-Henry’s development into a well-rounded tight end. “There’s no greater motivator than the sideline. You wanna play? You gotta earn it, and you gotta get better.”
In half as many games this year, Patt-Henry totaled four receptions for 41 yards — just one yard shy of tying his career total — and one touchdown, his first as a Tiger.
“It was an unreal moment,” he said after Stanford. “We ran it all week in practice, so I was kind of expecting it. But it was very surreal.”
His performance this season, particularly his ability to block, has also awarded him a new spot on the roster. Last season Patt-Henry was listed as the third tight end, and is now second to Jake Briningstool.
“After my freshman season, my main focus was to be more dominant in my block game,” he added. “Because I didn’t want to just be a route running tight end.
“I want to play the next level, and I think being a dominant, blocking tight end is going to be the way.”
He is inspired by former Clemson tight ends Jordan Leggett and Davis Allen, both of whom he notes “bought in” to their position.
“Seeing what they did in the previous years, you can see why they were at where they were at because of what they did. Not only the passing game but the blocking game.”
“I think it’s really a will to do it. It’s more of a mindset. People just want to route run, but if you want to be complete, you have to be able to do both blocking and catching.”
Looking ahead, Clemson will next travel to Tallahassee, Florida, to take on the Florida State Seminoles in another ACC matchup, and Patt-Henry is confident in the Tigers’ ability to perform up to standard on the road.
“It comes with our preparation, just what we’ve been doing. Don’t change up our routine, being able to stay consistent with what we’ve been doing. And I think that we, as always, keep preparing how we’ve been preparing. I think we’ll be fine on the road.”
