The morning of Clemson’s Pro Day, Ryan Linthicum had already decided he wasn’t going to waste a single rep. He did the drills diligently and ran the 40 and the splits like his life depended on it. He showcased extreme physicality, maybe more than he had shown in his years at Clemson. All because he needed that day to count more than anyone would want to. It was because of his best friend’s sister, Ella, who left the world after battling an aggressive form of brain cancer.

Linthicum’s former Clemson teammate, Bryan Bresee, made it to the campus to watch his best friend. That was enough motivation for Ryan to dominate the Pro Day. What made the day even more worth it was the fact that it was Bresee’s late sister Ella’s birthday. Linthicum dedicated his performance to Ella.

“He came to support me today, that’s my best friend. We talk every day, but it’s actually Ella’s birthday today too,” Linthicum said on March 12 to the reporters.

Ryan joined Clemson in 2021, just a year after his high school teammate became a first-team All-ACC in just his freshman season. It didn’t take much time for the duo to bond, although they played on different sides of the ball. Ryan was an up-and-coming offensive lineman still finding his footing with sporadic appearances, and Bresee made it to the All-ACC team again (third team) in 2021 despite playing just four games as a DL in that season.

“During my freshman year of high school, we started hanging out,” Linthicum said about Bresee. “We’re from a small high school, and you don’t really see a lot of people make it out from there. So we were both on the same page and started going on visits together and bonding.”

At Clemson, cheering for Ryan and Bryan from the stands in every game was Bresee’s little sister, Ella. She became a regular sight, wearing that orange and regalia, supporting the Clemson duo.

But neither Bryan nor Ryan knew that one such game would be Ella’s last in Memorial Stadium’s stands before she was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer called medulloblastoma. Headaches, exhaustion, and strange symptoms became common for her. One morning, when Bryan was expecting Ella to visit him, he got a phone call from his older sister, and everything changed that day. He got to know that Ella had cancer. And despite treatments, the tumor continued to relapse, and the 15-year-old tragically left the world on September 15, 2022.

“I had a special angel looking over me today, and I had a really, really good day,” an emotional Ryan Linthicum described to the reporters. “You know, there’s always good, there’s always bad, but I knew Ella was watching over me, and it got me a little teary-eyed. But I’m just so blessed to carry her legacy on, and Brian is here on her birthday. Such a surreal moment, and I’m just so blessed. God is great.”

Throughout the time, Linthicum stayed beside Bryan and helped him navigate his sister’s loss. Bryan finally finished up his 2022 season with another All-ACC selection and was selected 29th overall in the 2023 NFL draft. Just as Ella’s memory helped Bryan to achieve unprecedented heights, Ryan also wants to do the same in this year’s NFL draft and honor Ella’s legacy, whom he called his “little sister.”

Ryan Linthicum might just fuel one of 2026’s underdog rookie stories

After slogging in the depths, working with veterans, Ryan finally became a starter in the 2024 season. He played 982 snaps that year, starting 14 games, and helped Clemson to a top-15 total offense. Coming back in 2025, Ryan upped the ante and tied with Blake Miller for most snaps in the season. In those 13 starts, he contributed 885 offensive snaps and now looks to follow his best friend to the NFL.

Ryan has a 5.05-second 40 time, which is impressive for a 6’3″ and 305 lb beast. He also logged 1,970 collegiate snaps, ticking the experience box. Right from good footwork to extremely perfect technique and mauling the run game, everything lands at the sweet spot for Ryan. He has also shown the ability to be a coordinated blocker and gets off the snap at lightning speed. But some weaknesses still show, and that can affect his draft stock.

Despite his frame, Linthicum’s pass protection needs some sharpening. His ability to play as a lead blocker isn’t excessively sharp yet, and he also struggles to change directions in space. Because of those weaknesses, analysts expect him to go undrafted or fall to the late rounds. But don’t just write him off yet. Ryan may well fuel one of the most interesting underdog rises in the NFL’s 2026 rookie season, just like he did at Clemson. Of course, Ella would be happily beaming down with a ripe smile at him as Ryan joins his brother in the league.