Clemson Tigers Former Star Safety Had Memorable Freshman Season for the Ages

A former Clemson Tigers defensive star had one of the most dominant true freshman seasons in college football history.

Oct 12, 2024; Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA; A battle scarred Clemson Tigers helmet during the second half against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Allegacy Federal Credit Union Stadium. | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

Under head coach Dabo Swinney, the Clemson Tigers have regularly sported one of the best defensive units in college football.

They stifle opponents on a weekly basis as he churns out star players year in and year out. Some of them turn into high-level NFL performers as well, as there are currently 22 defensive players in the league who hail from Clemson.

Of course, not every standout performer in college is going to reach the next level, but the impact they can have on a program is still a memorable one.

A player who would fall into that category is former Tigers safety Robert O’Neal.

He played only two games in the NFL with the Indianapolis Colts in the 1994 season after being selected by the Miami Dolphins in the sixth round, No. 164 overall in the 1993 NFL Draft.

But, he will always be remembered fondly by Clemson fans because of the incredible true freshman campaign that he put together. A highly-touted high school recruit, he hit the ground running right out of the gate.

That is why Bill Connelly of ESPN has placed O’Neal on his list of the 60 greatest true freshman seasons in college football history. He came in at No. 21 for what he accomplished in 1989.

“Big things were expected of the blue-chipper from Clarkston, Georgia, but it was still a surprise when he commanded a spot in the lineup and just ... kept ... picking off ... passes. He had eight interceptions by the end of his first year, and the Tigers finished fourth in scoring defense, holding eight opponents to 10 or fewer points in a 10-2 campaign.”

The star safety led the ACC in interceptions that season. Unfortunately, his playmaking prowess was never at that level again with the Tigers, as he had zero interceptions in 1990 and then recorded two in each of the 1991 and 1992 campaigns.

In addition to his work as a defensive back, O’Neal was a good punt returner as well. Across four years at Clemson, he had 44 punt returns, gaining 400 yards for an average of 9.1 per return.

He was a part of some very good Tigers teams, as they won double-digit games in each of his first two years on campus. They were ranked in the top 10 at some point each season in the first three years before a disappointing 1992 when the team went 5-6 and missed out on a bowl game for the first time since 1984.