Jeremiah Trotter Jr. flashed his potential on Saturday during Clemson’s 49-3 victory over South Carolina State at Death Valley.
The talented true freshman linebacker tallied five tackles, tied for the most among Tiger defenders in the contest, and recorded his first career sack when he brought down SC State quarterback Quincy Hill in the fourth quarter.
While Trotter (pictured above, No. 54) showed some of what he is capable of Saturday, Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney knew well before then what he feels about the former five-star prospect – that his future is really bright.
“I’ve seen all I need to see in practice to know what his future is,” Swinney said Sunday during his Zoom conference call with the media. “He’s going to be a great one, no doubt about it. … It was good to get Trotter some really good work in a game like that. … So, I thought Trotter did what I see him do all the time. He made some nice plays and had a sack and some hustle plays. He finds the ball. He’s a really good young prospect. Super excited about him and what he brings.”
Trotter, who enrolled at Clemson in January, was rated as a five-star prospect, the nation’s No. 1 outside linebacker and the No. 7 overall prospect in the 2021 class by ESPN coming out of St. Joseph’s (Pa.) Preparatory School. He made his Clemson debut on special teams vs. Georgia on Sept. 4.
Swinney said it’s fair to say that Trotter – the son of former four-time Pro Bowl linebacker and 12-year NFL player Jeremiah Trotter Sr. – is more instinctive than most linebackers are as freshmen.
“The game comes natural to him, especially with our defense and what we do,” Swinney said. “Sometimes it takes guys a little while to kind of really settle in. He’s a very natural football player. Really understands the game, has a nose for the ball … explosive player. So, excited to see him.”
Between Trotter Jr. and fellow true freshman/former five-star prospect Barrett Carter, along with guys like Trenton Simpson and Sergio Allen, Swinney feels good about Clemson’s future at the linebacker position.
“That’s two really good young prospects to go along with those other guys,” Swinney said. “Trenton obviously is just a sophomore and Sergio’s a redshirt freshman. We’ve got a good young group that’s going to be around here a while.”
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