Nick Black Class: Senior Hometown: Maryville, Tenn. High School: Maryville Height / Weight: 6-5 / 280 Position: OT Experience: 2VL

Black Fact: Named Most Improved offensive lineman of spring practice 2002.

Fall 2002 Depth Chart Position: First-team right guard

Year Lettered: 2000, 2001

Bowl Experience: Played special teams against Virginia Tech in 2001 Gator Bowl and played 15 snaps from scrimmage against Louisiana Tech in the Humanitarian Bowl.

Overview: Junior guard who has first-team offensive guard slot heading into the fall...made strides in the spring, he was named the most improved offensive lineman for the 2002 spring practice...will be in a battle with graduate student Nate Gillespie for starting slot when fall practice begins... has earned two letters, but mostly as a member of the special teams...played in all 12 games last year, but just 36 plays from scrimmage ...22 of the 36 snaps came in wins over Duke and Louisiana Tech to end the season... has played in 24 straight games over his first two years...came back from injury in 2001, he had arthroscopic surgery on both knees in January of 2001, then suffered dislocated kneecap in a March 10, 2001 scrimmage...that kept him out of the rest of the spring...made the ACC Academic Honor Roll for the Spring semester of 2001... has experience at tackle during his Clemson career, and gives the Tigers some versatility on the offensive line...ranked in the top 10 on the team in the power clean (330) and the hang clean (360)....strong student who has been on ACC Academic honor roll each of the last two years.

In 2000: Played in four games on offense and in every game on special teams in 2000...played a season high 17 snaps against Duke...also played 15 against Wake Forest, 12 against Missouri and eight against The Citadel...played backup to Theo Mougros at a guard position most of 2000 season... joined Greg Walker and Jermyn Chester as freshmen offensive linemen who lettered in 2000.

In 1999: Red-shirted the 1999 season, he was listed as second-team player most of the year... considered the best of the first-year freshmen offensive linemen during the fall of 1999...was on the two-deep most of the fall and would have been taken off the red-shirt list and activated had an injury occurred...got plenty of work with the first team in the spring of 2000 due to the injury to Theo Mougros...listed as second team heading into the fall of 2000 behind Mougros.

In High School: Led the Maryville High Rebels to a 15-0 4A state championship season as a senior; team was the only squad in Tennessee (at any classification) to go unbeaten...first-team all-state selection by Associated Press and the Tennessee Sportswriters Association...All-Eastern Tennessee and first-team all-region selection as well...also played on team that made it to the state championship game as a junior...started both ways as a junior and senior, as Maryville High was 28-2 combined those seasons...had 32 tackles, seven tackles-for-loss, and three sacks as a defensive lineman as a senior...one of three Division I signees on team and the 21st Division I player in the last six seasons from Maryville High...originally from Loudon, TN, home of Clemson's career tackle leader Bubba Brown...coached by Tim Hammondtree at Maryville High School...chose Clemson over Duke...born Nicholas A. Black on Jan. 31, 1981....majoring in speech and communication studies.