When he watches Trenton Simpson, Dabo Swinney sees flashbacks of a former Alabama star and Pro Football Hall of Famer.
During his Zoom conference call Sunday evening, Clemson’s head coach compared the Tigers’ sophomore linebacker to the late great Derrick Thomas, one of college football’s best pass rushers who was a first-round pick in the 1989 NFL Draft and went on to become a nine-time Pro Bowler, totaling 126.5 sacks during his 11-year career with the Kansas City Chiefs.
“He can do anything. He really can. He can do anything,” Swinney said of Simpson. “I was one year at Alabama with a guy named Derrick Thomas… I got to see him up close and personal and then obviously followed him all through his career. You hate to compare people, but he reminds me of that. Derrick was a little bigger, but just the versatility and all the different things he can do as far as rushing the passer, the speed he possesses, his physicality, range, you name it – he is just a really, really good football player that’s going to continue to get better.”
In 11 games this season (10 starts), Simpson – a former five-star prospect from Mallard Creek High School in Charlotte – has tallied 66 total tackles, which is good for third on the team. Simpson is second on the team with 11 tackles for loss and six sacks, behind only Myles Murphy in both statistics. Simpson has also recorded three pass breakups and eight quarterback pressures.
Swinney believes Simpson is ahead of where former Clemson do-it-all defender and current Arizona Cardinals linebacker Isaiah Simmons was at the same stage of their college careers.
“He’s still learning the game, still building a great foundation for his future,” Swinney said of Simpson. “But he’s a weapon and can do a little bit of everything. Very similar to Isaiah in that regard. I think he’s ahead of Isaiah as a true sophomore, for sure, within our scheme. Like I said, just going to continue to improve and grow.”
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