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Clemson Tigers Cornerback Named Jim Thorpe Award Semifinalist

Once overlooked, Clemson’s top corner has risen into the national spotlight as one of college football’s best defensive backs.
Angelo Feliberty|
Clemson’s Avieon Terrell earns national recognition as a Jim Thorpe Award semifinalist for his junior season.
Clemson’s Avieon Terrell earns national recognition as a Jim Thorpe Award semifinalist for his junior season. | Alex Martin/Greenville News / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Each year, the Jim Thorpe Award honors the best defensive back in college football, a title reserved for the nation’s most complete players at the position.

Entering 2025, the watch list boasted 35 different names, including the Clemson Tigers’ Avieon Terrell. The selection committee trimmed the list down to just 15 semifinalists nationwide this past Tuesday, with Terrell playing his way into the conversation. 

The junior becomes the first Clemson defensive back to earn a Thorpe Award semifinalist nod since safety Tanner Muse in 2019, and the first cornerback to do so since Cordrea Tankersley in 2016. 

Terrell has shown immense growth throughout his three-year tenure at Clemson, leading to his national honor of being named amongst the best defensive backs in the country.

The 5-foot-11 corner flew under the radar in the 2023 class, rating as a three-star prospect. Coming into Tigertown, Terrell had a chip on his shoulder and something to prove. He showed promise as a freshman, recording 19 tackles, four pass deflections and an interception.

Terrell broke out as a sophomore, solidifying his role as the No. 1 cornerback on the Tigers by the end of the season as he racked up 58 tackles, 4.5 for a loss, 12 pass deflections, three forced fumbles, two interceptions and one sack.

Ahead of the 2025 season, Terrell was projected as a first-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, according to ESPN’s Preseason Mock Draft.

While Clemson and Dabo Swinney have had a down year as a whole, the versatile corner has stuck out on defense, flying around the backfield while still being a magnet in coverage. Through seven games, Terrell has 28 tackles, 2.5 for a loss, seven pass deflections, three forced fumbles and one sack. In coverage, he’s allowed just 17 catches for 160 yards and one touchdown, according to PFF.

According to CBS Sports’ recent mock drafts, Terrell is still considered a first-round selection, with all four analysts having him in the mid to late first-round in this year’s upcoming draft. 

There is only one other semi-finalist for the Jim Thorpe Award within the same conference as Terrell and Clemson: Miami senior cornerback Keionte Scott. The list is almost evenly split with safety and cornerback talent, with Terrell being one of eight corners selected as a semi-finalist.

With five more games remaining in the 2025 regular season, Terrell has plenty of time to prove why he deserves the prestigious award.

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Angelo Feliberty
ANGELO FELIBERTY

Angelo Feliberty is a Sports Communication major who got his start with The Tiger newspaper at Clemson University starting as a contributor and working his way up to senior reporter covering multiple sports for the Clemson Tigers. A native of Myrtle Beach, S.C., Feliberty was a three-year letterman in track at Myrtle Beach High School.

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