Note: The following appears in the Georgia Southern football digital gameday guide, available HERE.
Some football careers are defined by the position someone plays or the statistics he accumulates. For Dietrick Pennington, the Clemson journey has been defined by his willingness to embrace whatever role his team has needed.
“I love playing football,” said Pennington. “So any opportunity I can get to contribute to the team’s success, I’m for it.”
That mentality has defined Pennington’s Tiger career.
His journey playing football began when he was six years old. Football was not necessarily his first love, as basketball initially held that distinction, but the more Pennington played, the more he found himself drawn to the sport.
That love eventually led Pennington to Clemson, where he found a program that offered him much more than an opportunity to play football.
His faith was the foundation.
“My grandparents instilled that early into me, and when I saw them love it, it just drew me closer to it."
From there, it was the people surrounding the Clemson football program that made the difference.
Pennington arrived at Clemson in 2021 alongside fellow offensive lineman Tristan Leigh. The two young players were entering a new environment with little understanding of what was ahead of them.
Fortunately, they had someone to help show them the way.
Former Offensive Line Coach Robbie Caldwell placed veteran Jordan McFadden in a leadership role with the newcomers, asking him to help Pennington and Leigh learn the expectations and ins and outs of the program.
McFadden did exactly that.
“When I first got here, it was Jordan McFadden,” said Pennington. “It was Tristan Leigh and me coming in late summer. We had no idea what we were getting into. We didn’t know anything. We were young guys.”
But Pennington's first season also introduced him to one of the hardest realities of college football…plans can change in an instant.
After suffering an ankle injury during his first fall camp, Pennington returned to action before another setback changed the trajectory of his freshman season. In the second game of his Clemson career against South Carolina State, he suffered an ACL injury.
“Sometimes when you hear that someone has torn their ACL, especially at that time, it’s like, ‘Oh, that’s their career.’ But we still had Danny Poole, and we had a lot of great trainers around me that got me back to where I needed to be.”
Pennington eventually returned to the field, but his Clemson career would continue to take shape in unconventional ways.
After the 2022 season, Pennington embraced a role on Clemson’s field-goal protection unit. As a big-bodied offensive lineman, he found a way to make himself valuable in an area that does not always receive the same attention as an offensive or defensive snap.
For Pennington, that did not matter.
He embraced it.
“I believed I could contribute something to the team, even if I wasn’t that guy or in the two-deep. And honestly, I loved it.”
What began as simply being a big body in front of the placekicker developed into a role Pennington took pride in. He learned the nuances of field-goal protection and found a way to turn an unconventional role into an opportunity to help Clemson win.
That willingness to embrace his role became even more important as his Clemson career continued.
Pennington’s team-first mentality once again came into play when Head Coach Dabo Swinney approached him about a potential position switch.
Pennington, who wore #59 during his first five seasons, had been recruited as an offensive lineman, but his football background included experience on both sides of the ball.
With Clemson needing depth along the defensive front heading into the 2026 season, Swinney reached out to Pennington.
At first, Pennington was concerned.
“When he texted me, I thought I was in trouble,” he admitted.
Upon learning the actual reason for the call, Pennington loved the idea. He even switched his jersey number to 91.
Pennington’s most fond memory during his time as a Tiger is the 2021 Cheez-It Bowl, his first season donning a Clemson uniform.
The season had been filled with adversity, and Clemson entered the bowl game dealing with numerous absences. Yet Pennington remembered the way the team responded.
That lesson has stayed with him throughout his Clemson career.
Now in his sixth year, Pennington has one final season to leave his mark on the program. His individual goals are simple.
“Leave it better than I found it,” he said.
Pennington has been an offensive lineman. He has been a field-goal protector. Now, he is learning to be a defensive tackle, a position he played during last weekend's season opener at LSU. He has battled through injuries, adapted to change and continued finding ways to contribute.
And through it all, he has remained committed to the people around him.
Swinney often encourages his players to use someone else's “rear lights” as their headlights, learning from the people who came before them and allowing those examples to guide their own journeys.
Pennington has experienced that philosophy firsthand.
From McFadden showing him the ropes as a freshman to the coaches who have guided him through multiple positions, he has been shaped by the people who have surrounded him.
“I don’t know what it is, but they do a great job of putting people in place that make sure those rear lights that you’re following are good rear lights.”
In his final season, he is not focused on what his legacy might say about him. He is focused on what he can give back.
“I’d be doing everybody a disservice if I didn’t be the best that I could be, offering as much as I can.”
For six years, Pennington has done exactly that.
Whatever Clemson has asked of him, he has answered the call. He has always been willing to do whatever it takes to help his team.