Clemson linebackers ranked No. 1 in nation |
Athlon Sports became the latest national outlet to
rank Clemson's linebacker unit as the nation's best.
"Trenton Simpson is off to the NFL, but the Tigers still return the best one-two pairing at linebacker with Jeremiah Trotter Jr. (89 tackles) and Barrett Carter (73) returning for '23," Athlon's Steven Lassan said. "Sophomore Wade Woodaz tallied 20 tackles as a freshman last year and should solidify the third spot in Clemson's starting group for '23." The Tigers' group leads a Top 5 of Clemson, Georgia, LSU, Penn State and Michigan. The Clemson linebackers are also No. 1 for Pro Football Focus. "With two of the top five linebackers in the country, Clemson is the easy choice to top this list," said PFF's Max Chadwick. "Jeremiah Trotter Jr. is the best linebacker in college football, which shouldn’t be too surprising considering his bloodlines. His father, Jeremiah Trotter Sr., was a former All-Pro linebacker for the Philadelphia Eagles. The younger Trotter was the only Power Five linebacker this past season to earn 80.0-plus grades both in coverage and as a pass rusher. He’s the No. 2 linebacker in the 2024 NFL Draft, according to PFF lead draft analyst Trevor Sikkema. "The only prospect above him is Barrett Carter, his teammate. Carter was one of only three Power Five linebackers in 2022 who earned 75.0-plus grades as a run defender, as a pass rusher and in coverage. He recorded seven combined interceptions and forced incompletions last season, tied for the most among linebackers." Trotter is PFF's pick to win the Butkus Award for the nation's top linebacker. Looking to the future, Clemson 5-star 2024 class linebacker commit Sammy Brown was named as the No. 1 "freak" at the high school level this week by 247Sports: A player like Brown is why we wanted to create this list. He's a one-of-a-kind athlete with one-of-a-kind athletic markers, including: * A 405-pound power clean * A 600-pound back squat * A 395-pound bench press * A 10.70-second 100-meter dash * A 23-foot, 3-inch long jump * A 39.5-inch vertical jump * A perfect 5.0 PAI score from Tracking Football The kicker? Brown, who is also 88-5 on the wrestling mat and has won back-to-back state titles, did all of that north of 230 pounds.
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