Young Tigers tight end knows challenge of 'putting people in the dirt'

Josh Sapp will see his role increase in the Clemson offense down the stretch.

by Ariana Pensy - Correspondent - Tue Nov 14 07:00:06 GMT-04:00 2023

CLEMSON - Redshirt freshman Josh Sapp is prepared to step up with some increased playing time ahead, and he knows he must bring the physicality.

Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney announced that fellow tight end Sage Ennis, who had increased his role in the offense in recent games, suffered a torn ACL in Saturday’s game versus Georgia Tech.

“The main thing Sage brought was being physical, coming in on those blocks, putting people in the dirt,” Sapp said. “So, I know I have to step up and replace those footsteps and bring the same physicality and just putting people in the dirt.”

Sapp has had a bit of a unique journey to the tight end position. While his father, Patrick, played two positions - quarterback and linebacker - during his time at Clemson, Josh Sapp played in even more positions in high school. He gained experience on both sides of the ball and did spend some time at tight end. As a result, he has needed a bit more time perfecting his craft when it comes to blocking. However, he does have a greater understanding of running routes from his time as a wide receiver.

“I played everything growing up. High school, I started out playing quarterback,” Sapp said. “Then I played a little bit of defense, D-end, linebacker, and then I ended up just moving to wide receiver, and they started putting me at that tight end and kind of the H-back position in high school. So, it just came to me, and I take it serious, worked at it, the blocking part, route running part and take advantage of it.”

Last season was Sapp’s freshman year, and it was a bit of a difficult transition for him. This is not surprising given his lack of experience as a blocking tight end. However, his teammates, including Ennis, and other coaches have continued to help him. This helped him to get his second touchdown of the season Saturday in Clemson’s dominant victory against Georgia Tech.

“Last year, it was challenging at first just transitioning from high school and coming to a high level because, of course, everyone is big and strong,” Sapp said. “So, I adjusted, though, getting better and better as the weeks went on. Again, learning from Sage and those guys and coaches coaching me up. So I’ve been getting better and better with that blocking part.”

According to Sapp, through all of the adversity this season, Clemson starting quarterback Cade Klubnik has continued to be a leader for everyone on the team.

“He’s a great leader through all the bad and all the good, he’s just been saying the same, leading us, keeping our heads up, keeping his head up as well,” Sapp said. “He’s just a great leader.”