Clemson LB Trenton Simpson Ready to 'Put On Show' In Front of Family Against Georgia
For Trenton Simpson, Clemson's season opener is special.
Playing in Charlotte means the former five-star recruit gets to go back home and perform in front of his family and friends.
"I'm so excited being close to home and having all my family there and being able to support me," Simpson said. "I am going to go out there and put on a show and make my family and my high school proud and represent Mallard Creek."
As a freshman, Simpson started three games for the Tigers last season and was credited with 6.5 tackles for loss and four sacks. Entering his second season, Simpson is ready to really put his versatility on display and spent the offseason working with some of the defensive backs in an effort to improve his coverage skills.
"Doing individuals with the safeties and learning how they do the footwork, they do a lot of man covers," Simpson said. "I've been doing a lot of individual work with them. We do a lot of seven on seven, so just trying to make sure I am being precise on my footwork, staying on top using my leverage to help me."
With the Tigers facing a Georgia team with so much talent in the season opener, Simpson knows he will spend a lot of time dropping back into coverage.
"They have some speed but all fall camp I've been working on guarding man-to-man and working on my technique and trying to be precise in all my footwork,” Simpson said. “That will take care of everything.”
Now that he's been in the system for more than a year, Simpson is much more confident in what he's doing on the field. He's also bigger and faster, and ready to play at any of the three linebacker spots in Brent Venables' complex defense.
"I've gained some weight, I've gotten faster and now I know in the film book a lot more and the details. Last year, I was just going off a lot of instinct. I now have some confidence in every rep that I've taken so I'm ready to go. I'm prepared to do any position. I'm prepared for SAM, MIKE, WILL, anything they throw at me. I'll be ready to go out there and make it happen."
Want to join in on the discussion? 100% FREE! Interact with fellow Tiger fans and hear directly from publisher Zach Lentz, deputy editor Brad Senkiw and recruiting analyst Jason Priester on any subject. Click here to become a member of the ALL CLEMSON message board community today!
