Best SEC football players this century – 5. Jadeveon Clowney, South Carolina, Defensive End (2011-2013)
Jadeveon Clowney was one of the scariest players in the history of college football. The hit he had on Michigan’s Vincent Smith is still seeing cartoon birds flying around his head after the hit Clowney laid on him at the 2013 Outback Bowl. The hit laid the groundwork for Clowney’s legend. He was looking to be a superstar for a South Carolina team that wasn’t known for having the biggest stars of this era.
So how did such a dominant defensive player end up at South Carolina? Clowney played high school in South Carolina and twice he was able to play at USC’s stadium when he made it to the state finals. He was the number one prospect in the nation and he could have gone to any of the powerhouses in Alabama, Clemson, Florida State, or LSU. However, he chose to go the route of other players who won “Mr. Football South Carolina” and go to USC. He followed his high school teammate Stephon Gilmore to play for the Gamecocks.
Clowney started immediately, taking a defensive line spot in South Carolina’s first game of the 2011 season. He finished the season with eight sacks and 12 tackles for loss. His talent was special and nothing was more evident. His biggest play came against Georgia where Clowney sacked Aaron Murray and caused him to fumble at the 10-yard line with the Gamecocks holding onto a three-point lead late in the game.
In his sophomore season, Clowney was unstoppable. He had 13 sacks and 23.5 tackles for loss on the year. He sacked Tajh Boyd 4.5 times in a single game, setting the school record. Clowney won the Ted Hendricks Award as the nation’s best defensive end and he was a unanimous All-American. He even finished sixth in Heisman Trophy voting.
In his junior season, many thought he could legitimately make a run at the Heisman Trophy, but gastroenteritis, bone spurs and a muscle strain near his ribs caused him to miss games or play less to his superhuman abilities. His stat line wasn’t nearly as good as it was the season before, but he was still one of the best defensive players in the SEC and ended up as the number-one overall pick in the NFL Draft.