Gamecock legend Jadeveon Clowney named No. 2 of 30 best during SEC Era
Former Gamecock football defensive lineman Jadeveon Clowney was named to 107.5 the Game’s 30 for 30 list to commemorate the 30 years South Carolina has been in the SEC, checking in at number 2. He follows former Gamecock running back Marcus Lattimore, who was named number three.
The legend of Jadeveon Clowney is a good one. As a freshman in high school measured in at 6’3, 200lbs. Clowney is the highest-ranked recruit in program history. Hailing out of South Pointe high school in Rock Hill South Carolina, he was named the consensus number one overall recruit and the 2010 USA Today national defensive player of the year.
Clowney was a massive factor in putting Gamecock football back on the map. As soon as he stepped on campus he was a face of the program. He recorded 36 tackles and was eighth in the SEC with 8 sacks. The league’s coaches named him the SEC freshman of the year and also the defensive freshman of the year.
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In 2012 Clowney continued his tear through the SEC. He put together his best season at South Carolina as a sophomore. He tallied Not to mention he also finished 6th in Hiesman voting.
2013 was another big year for Clowney. He was named a consensus first-team All American, also a first-team all-SEC player.
Clowney owns the greatest hit and arguably the greatest play in college football history. In the 2013 Outback Bowl, he broke through the line and lowered his shoulder on Michigan running back Vincent Smith and the rest is history. “The hit” was born.
The Gamecocks went on to eventually beat Michigan in the bowl 33-28. ESPN also awarded Clowney with the 2013 ESPY for best play. He finished his Gamecock career with 129 total tackles, 47 of which for a loss, 24 sacks and 9 forced fumbles. The 9 forced fumbles continues to be a South Carolina program record and it ranks 5th all time in SEC history.
The Houston Texans selected Clowney with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2014 NFL draft. He became South Carolina’s second player to be the top draft choice. The first is none other than Heisman-winning running back George Rodgers.
Clowney had an up and down rookie year in Houston. He tore his meniscus which required surgery and later put him on the injured reserved list. After all of the injury recovery, Clowney finally recorded his first NFL sack in 2015. He also tallied 40 tackles and 4.5 sacks on the year.
The NFL named Clowney a 2016 First-Team All-Pro and also named him to the pro bowl. It was his breakout year in the NFL. He finished the season with 52 total tackles and 6.0 sacks.
The NFL named him to two more Pro-Bowls in 2017 and 2018. Between those two seasons he averaged 9.25 sacks and 53 total tackles for the Texans. He has since bounced around to Seattle and the Cleveland Browns. He recently signed a one-year contract to stay with the Browns for the 2022-23 season.
