Clemson TE Room Embraces 'Next Man Up' Mentality

Redshirt freshman Christian Bentancur didn’t arrive to the Clemson Tigers program expecting the spotlight – he came ready to earn everything.

Now, after a year of playing behind veteran tight ends and adjusting to the speed of College Football, the highly touted recruit is showing signs of becoming a key piece in the Tigers’ offensive puzzle.

Coming out of high school, Bentancur stood at 6-foot-4, 235 pounds, ranking as a top-seven tight end prospect and top-80 overall recruit in the 2025 class.

However, former Tiger and now Kansas City Chief Jake Briningstool was the go-ahead starter heading into last season with Olsen Patt-Henry and Josh Sapp backing him up, leaving small wiggle room for Bentancur to produce on the field.

“College is a lot, there’s a lot of new things to learn from high school, it’s a big jump,” Bentancur said. “The offense is a lot bigger, a lot more technicalities to learn, and I learned a lot from the older guys last year – Jake and Olsen – I was really glad that they were able to help me a lot last year.”

Clemson’s projected starter at the position this year, Patt-Henry, had high praises for the young tight end, showing us just how tightly-knitted this group is.

“Christian can run, run-block, pass-block, route-run, he’s 250 [pounds],” Patt-Henry explained. “He’s creative, I think he’s starting to understand the game, and it’s slowing down for him a lot, so I think him being able to apply what coach is teaching him to the game is just a lot, and you can see his growth from freshman year.”

While he only got 17 snaps all of last season, he was still incredibly grateful and ready to play at any time – very telling of the type of teammate and player he is.

“Anywhere they needed me, I was just trying to contribute, whether it was on offense or special teams,” Bentancur told the media. “Got a little bit on kick return last year, but yeah, whatever the coach needed, I tried to contribute and put my best foot forward.”

The team-first mentality hasn’t changed heading into year two as Bentancur has continued to focus on carving out a role wherever he’s needed most.

“We’re all trying to push each other, obviously, there’s competition in the room, but that’s just making us all better. We’re all growing from this,” Bentancur said. “We’re hoping to be a 1A, 1B, 1C [group]. If someone goes in, then they’re just as good as the person that came out. That’s just kind of our mindset, we’re not really worried about whoever the starter is.”

The redshirt freshman isn’t alone in his climb to the top of his position group, as he had a lot of good words for true-freshman Logan Brooking.

“Logan’s been great, he came in the spring and had a lot to learn,” Bentancur said. “He’s learned the offense and really has shown a lot of what he can do, and the more he learns, the better he gets, so he’s just gotta keep pushing and he’s gonna be great.”

With veterans like Patt-Henry and Sapp leading the way, and emerging talents like Bentancur and Brooking rising fast, Clemson’s tight end room is shaping up to be one of the most balanced and competitive units on the roster heading into the 2025 College Football season.

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