Clemson’s reshuffled offensive line is about to ask a lot of true freshman Grant Wise, and the early reviews from inside the building are loud and clear: the Tigers believe he’s ready.
Wise is set for his first career start at center with senior Harris Sewell sidelined for the next several weeks after undergoing tightrope surgery on his ankle. The move comes as Clemson continues to juggle injuries coming out of last weekend’s win over Florida State, forcing changes across the lineup on both sides of the ball.
For left tackle Brayden Jacobs, Wise has already shown he can handle the mental side of the job, which is often the hardest part for a young center to master.
“Grant’s been a phenomenal help for us this year, especially at the center position,” the sophomore said. “He’s been able to understand a lot of our concepts really, really fast, which I couldn’t necessarily even do last year because centers have a lot more responsibility than offensive tackles, obviously."
“But I think Grant has done a great job of stepping up and learning, and I think he’s doing a pretty good job of keeping the game slow and not letting it speed him up, either.”
Wise didn’t start the year at center. He spent time bouncing between right guard spots with Ronan O’Connell, who has since been benched for sophomore Easton Ware.
Against North Carolina and Cal, Wise logged nearly 50 offensive snaps and held up well, giving up only two pressures and one sack while helping create running room for Gideon Davidson. The next week against Miami, though, he took a step back, allowing four pressures and two sacks in just 30 snaps.
Since then, Clemson has shifted him to center in games against Charleston Southern and Florida State, and that appears to be where he has settled in best so far.
Jacobs also pointed to Wise’s family background as part of the reason the freshman has picked things up so quickly. Wise’s father, Ty, was the starting center at Miami from 1995-99 and blocked for Edgerrin James and Clinton Portis.
“It did kind of shock me with how much raw knowledge he had and how easy it was for him to understand, but I think it’s an awesome thing that he can do,” Jacobs finished.
Quarterback Tait Reynolds has seen the same thing from his fellow member of Clemson’s 2026 class. The freshman starter has watched Wise grow up close, and he didn’t hold back when describing what the center brings to the offense.
“He’s just a monster, man. He’s a beast.
I love that kid. He gets after it and, shoot, you guys should see him in the weight room.
He throws around some weight, and he’s always just super focused and locked in,” Reynolds praised on Wednesday. “Sometimes we got to get him to laugh a little bit every once in a while.”
“He’s always-he’s just locked in, man. He gets after it.
He’s just ready to compete and ready for the competition every day. He’s been training like he’s going to play every single day, too.
I’m excited for him.”
Reynolds said Wise has the kind of understanding that’s unusual for a first-year player, and he’s especially familiar with the challenge of growing into a starting role as a true freshman quarterback.
“He’s trying to be his best self, too. Like he’s always working, always growing,” he finished.
“Every time I see him, man, he’s just working all the time. It’s super encouraging, and I have 100% confidence in him, and he has it in himself.”
Clemson and Wise return to action this weekend against Syracuse at the JMA Wireless Dome. Kickoff is set for Noon, with the game on ESPN2.
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