Clemson DE Regan Upshaw's Journey to Breakout Performance Has Been a Long One
Regan Upshaw's breakout performance Saturday at Wake Forest was unlikely.
The Clemson senior defensive end, who grew up in a football family but played rugby and hockey growing up, feels like fate brought him to that very moment in Winston-Salem, where he had four tackles and a sack in the No. 1 Tigers' 37-13 victory.
"I just think it was destined," Upshaw said. "I'm thankful that I got the opportunity for sure."
Upshaw, who's played mostly special teams in his previous three seasons, had just 12 tackles in 26 career games before Saturday. He spent last season, his fourth year in the program, without a depth-chart role.
"I was playing scout team last year as a senior in school," Upshaw said. "I saw that vision. I'm still putting in that work, and I'm not necessarily getting what I want right away. So yeah, it definitely tests you to keep that vision, going forward. I never stopped working. I'm thankful that I can contribute at a higher ability. And I just want to keep working and get better."
Upshaw's father, Regan Upshaw Sr., was drafted out of the University of California in the first round of the 1996 NFL Draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
He played eight seasons as a pro for five different teams, but football wasn't a big part of his family's life.
"Football is not really talked about a lot in my household," the younger Upshaw said. "Growing up, no one was like making us play football. In fact, they weren't letting us play football. I do remember going to the locker rooms, but it's so funny. I didn't really go to games or anything like that. My dad would handle business and come back, so football wasn't huge in my house."
It wasn't that his family wasn't athletic. Upshaw and his siblings were into sports, including his brother Taylor, who plays defensive line at Michigan. But Upshaw's path to Clemson was anything but typical.
The Bradenton, Fla., native traveling with his parents to take his sister to a camp in Brevard, N.C., when his dad asked if he wanted to stop to see Clemson's campus. Upshaw said yes, and he that's where he decided he wanted to go, but Upshaw had to walk onto the football team as a rugby player.
"He hadn’t played football until he got here," Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables said. "It’s been a total transformation. High motor, can really run. He’s got concrete in his helmet. A really good leader for us."
Under strength coach Joey Batson, he's become one of the strongest players on the roster. Upshaw, who graduated in May with an economics degree, has taken full advantage of his opportunities.
"I've been here grinding for a long time," Upshaw said. "It's hard to keep that same mind state that you have when you first get here because you have all the excitement, but to continue to put in work year in and year out, and not necessarily get the results right away, I think it builds a toughness and my brain's built a will.
"More importantly in this whole journey, I've found out who I am and I'll continue to keep coming. Even if I'm not getting what I necessarily want, I hold on to my vision that's been there in the beginning so this journey doesn't feel like a surprise. I got a lot of big goals I want to accomplish this year. And it's a good start."
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