Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney comments on Tigers’ latest position change

Clemsonfootball is finding a new way to use one of the biggest players on its roster.

Sixth-year senior Dietrick Pennington has started working at defensive tackle after spending his Clemson career on the offensive line. The 6-foot-5, 355-pounder will still serve as a reserve offensive lineman and work on the field goal unit, but he could now see occasional snaps on defense while wearing No. 91.

“Just adding girth. A big ole body, a big ole butt in there,” Dabo Swinney said after Thursday’s scrimmage. “He is going to play both ways.”

Clemson is not expecting Pennington to become a regular part of the defensive tackle rotation. Instead, his size could make him useful against the run or near the goal line.

“He is a backup on the OL,” Swinney added. “He is a really smart kid. He knows what to do over there. He is just a 350-pound dude. We don’t need him to play more than two plays and get out. Probably won’t ever see him on third down, but he could probably play first or second run down situtations and goal-line.”

Pennington arrived at Clemson as a four-star prospect in the 2021 class. 247Sports ranked him No. 135 nationally and No. 8 among offensive linemen. He also won Tennessee’s D2-AA Mr. Football award in 2020.

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📸 Bob Donnan, USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Con https://t.co/hXKxVesM36pic.twitter.com/eaCqIuFbBM

He enters 2026 with 121 offensive snaps across 27 games, mostly in a reserve role. With Pennington already comfortable on offense, Swinney believes Clemson can expand how it uses the veteran.

“He can play OL in his sleep. He’s got it. For the role that we need him,” Swinney said. “He will still be a short-yardage, goal-line guy, field goal guy. It is really just about trying to expand his role a little bit and take advantage of his size.”

Pennington may only see a few defensive snaps at a time, but Clemson now has another massive option to turn to when the situation calls for it.

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This article originally appeared on Clemson Wire: Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney comments on Tigers’ latest position change