Former Clemson Tigers Star Linebackers Recognized For Historic Freshman Season

A former Clemson Tigers defensive star had one of the best freshman seasons ever.

Oct 8, 2022; Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, USA; The logo of the Clemson Tigers is seen on a football helmet during the second half of the game between the Boston College Eagles and the Clemson Tigers at Alumni Stadium. | Winslow Townson-Imagn Images

The Clemson Tigers know a thing or two about dominant defensive performances.

Since Dabo Swinney has taken over as head coach, the team has regularly had one of the best units on that side of the ball in the country. Even before he took over, the program was littered with standout defenders who made an immediate impact the second they stepped on campus.

Over at ESPN, Bill Connelly has taken a look at college football history and looked at some of the most productive true freshman seasons ever after Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Jeremiah Smith re-wrote the record books in his first year as a collegiate player.

Several Clemson players made the top 60 list, including former defensive tackle William Perry, who became better known as “the Refrigerator” landing at No. 44 with the performance he had in 1981. 

Safety Robert O’Neal came in at No. 21 with a stellar 1989 season.

The highest-ranked defender on the list was linebacker Anthony Simmons, who started his career with the Tigers in 1995 and quickly cemented his status as one of the best players in the nation.

Connelly placed the Clemson star at No. 18 on his list.

“A product of Spartanburg, South Carolina, Simmons was one of the best linebackers in the country from almost his first snap. A menace from sideline to sideline, he was named national freshman of the year after making 150 tackles, 11 for loss. Somehow, he topped that number in each of the next two seasons, becoming one of the most celebrated linebackers of the decade in the process.”

He was ranked No. 4 among linebackers by Connelly, with Harold Perkins Jr. of the LSU Tigers in 2022, Luke Kuechly of the Boston College Eagles in 2009 and Andy Katzenmoyer of Ohio State in 1996 being the only players ranked ahead of him at the position.

Only seven defensive players were on the list ahead of the Tigers star linebacker as well.

A consensus All-America team pick in 1997, he was selected just a few months later by the Seattle Seahawks in the first round of the 1998 NFL Draft, No. 15 overall.

He would play seven seasons in the league, all with the Seahawks. In 87 games, 79 starts, he had 591 combined tackles, 39 tackles for loss, 10.0 sacks, 25 passes defended, and nine interceptions, two of which he returned for a touchdown.

An incredible playmaker who covered the entire field, he recorded 100+ tackles in three NFL seasons before injuries took their toll, as he played in only seven games in each of his last three seasons as a pro.