On Friday, ESPN published an article ranking the 50 best seasons by true freshmen in major college football over the last 50 years (subscription required).
Clemson produced four of the top 40, and three of the top 19, on ESPN’s list.
Trevor Lawrence is the highest-ranked Tiger on the list at No. 4 for his freshman campaign in 2018, when he set school freshman records in passing yards (3,280), passing touchdowns (30) and wins (11) as a starting quarterback while becoming the first freshman starting quarterback to lead his team to a national title since Oklahoma’s Jamelle Holieway in 1985.
“One of the most highly touted recruits in history, Lawrence somehow lived up to the hype,” ESPN staff writer Bill Connelly wrote. “He threw for 3,280 yards, 30 touchdowns and just four interceptions, and he somehow improved down the stretch: In his last four games, he completed 66% of his passes and threw for 1,185 yards, nine touchdowns and no interceptions as the Tigers charged to a 15-0 record and their second national title in three years.”
Anthony Simmons is the next-highest-ranked Clemson product on ESPN’s list, with the former Tiger linebacker’s 1995 freshman season coming in at No. 16.
“A product of Spartanburg, South Carolina, Simmons was one of the best linebackers in the country from almost his first snap,” Connelly wrote. “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.”
Former Clemson safety Robert O’Neal checked in at No. 19 for his 1989 campaign.
“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,” Connelly wrote. “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 final Tiger on the list is William Perry, with the former defensive tackle’s freshman campaign during Clemson’s 1981 national championship season earning him the No. 40 spot on ESPN’s list.
“At 6-foot-3, 320 pounds, the player who would eventually be known as the Fridge was a game-changer,” Connelly wrote. “Danny Ford’s Tigers went from allowing 20.2 points per game in 1980 to 8.8 in 1981 thanks in part to the space-eater up front, who neutralized Nebraska’s Dan Rimington — the namesake of the award that goes to college football’s best center — in a 22-15 Orange Bowl win that clinched the school’s first national title.”
Clemson produced four of the Top 40 — and three of the Top 19 — on https://t.co/VkMGTeZskA's list of the top true freshmen of the last 50 years. https://t.co/I3TmSgQto8
— Ross Taylor (@ClemsonFBRoss) August 5, 2022
