Saturday marks an emotional day for some Clemson Tiger seniors, as they will run down the hill for the final time wearing orange and white. Senior Day is always an incredible day to remember what these players have contributed to the team over the last couple of years, with plenty of memories to remember these players for years to come.
The final two remnants of the 2018 National Championship roster will be playing their final game in Death Valley: Justin Mascoll and Xavier Thomas. The two have been anchors on Clemson’s defensive ends throughout their seasons playing under defensive coordinators Brent Venables and Wes Goodwin. However, their careers were elongated due to struggles with injuries. Thomas struggled in the 2020 and 2022 seasons with injuries that limited his starts. On the other side, Mascoll broke into the defensive line this season, starting every game this season after featuring in 10+ games for Clemson the last four years.
The two have been serving as mentors for a young and hungry Clemson defensive line, with both planning to test the NFL Draft waters in the offseason.
Two others seeming to head to the draft as well are defensive tackles Tyler Davis and Ruke Orhorhoro. The two have been a dominant, unstoppable force in the middle of the defensive line, where they decided to return in their final year of eligibility in the last offseason.
Davis will start in his 50th game this season, the most by a Clemson defender, and has had another season to remember that could give the Apopka, Florida, native his fourth All-ACC honor. He’s started in all ten games for Clemson this season, with 3.5 tackles for a loss and 0.5 sacks.
Orhorhoro is another name that Clemson fans could hear on Sundays for years to come. Despite a quiet first two seasons, Orhorhoro made most of his opportunities in 2021 with injuries to key players, and he earned himself starts in that season as well as 2022 before starting in all games for the Tigers this season. After earning himself an All-ACC Third Team spot last season, the Lagos, Nigeria, native will have a great chance to earn another honor.
It’s not just the defensive line who will be playing their final game, but there are key pieces in the secondary who will be playing their final games at Memorial Stadium. These two are Sheridan Jones and Jalyn Phillips.
Jones’s appearance against North Carolina will be his 59th in a Clemson uniform, being a stable in the Tigers’ secondary for the last five years. Tallying three career interceptions and eight pass deflections, he has always been a reliant player on the defensive side of the ball and will hope to get an NFL roster spot come the offseason.
Phillips has been a standout corner for the Tigers over the years, joining the group that decided to play their fifth year with hopes of returning to the top of college football. Like Jones, Phillips has appeared in almost every game for Clemson in the past five years, with his leadership earning him the permanent team captain spot in 2022. The safety has two interceptions, a forced fumble and a sack across his five seasons. Phillips should be playing for a NFL team in the preseason after his time is over with the Tigers.
On the offensive and special teams side, Will Putnam and Aidan Swanson will make their final runs down the hill before the game.
Putnam has been a staple in Thomas Austin’s offensive line, being a consistent starter at right guard and center since the 2020-2021 season. The Tigers will hope to find some consistency in the line that Putnam gave across his five-year career.
The same goes for Swanson, who has been the consistent punter for the past two seasons. He has done a great job, especially down the stretch this season, with a vital performance against Notre Dame earlier this month.
The Tigers will have some seniors who have enough eligibility to return for one more season. Two of those are Tyler Venables and Walker Parks. The two missed a majority of the season with recent injuries and will provide experience to a young Clemson team on both sides of the ball.
Venables missed all of the season so far as he recovered from hip surgery, but should play against North Carolina on Saturday. Regardless, the senior will use his medical redshirt to return to Death Valley for his fifth year.
The same goes for Parks, an offensive lineman who was a huge loss in the middle of the season. Parks struggled with a foot injury and announced he was going to return for his fifth year. Especially with a younger offensive line, Parks will serve as the leader in the 2024-2025 season.
No matter if some of these Tigers return for next season, or move on to bigger and better things, Saturday’s game will be emotional for this group of seniors.
