What We Heard: Keith Maguire

Clemson linebacker Keith Maguire spoke to the media on Monday ahead of Saturday’s game versus Boston College. After coming off a double-overtime victory at Wake Forest, the Clemson defensive unit looked electric versus NC State. With two critical …

Clemson linebacker Keith Maguire spoke to the media on Monday ahead of Saturday’s game versus Boston College.  

After coming off a double-overtime victory at Wake Forest, the Clemson defensive unit looked electric versus NC State. With two critical victories, the Tigers will have to reset as they head up for another night game at Boston College.

Maguire believes that it will be critical to refocus their attention on what’s ahead and prepare diligently for this week’s matchup. 

“Every week we reset,” he said. “It’s not really about ranked opponents or anything, obviously those games are big and everything, media-wise and all the coverage with [College] GameDay and everything. Every game is just as important because as soon as you lose one, you’re now not in control of your destiny anymore. So, every week we reset and we make sure to bring the same amount of focus and the same amount of intensity to practice each week.”

Although, the defense has been riddled with injuries, with most notably the absence of Xavier Thomas (foot), Maguire believes that the strength of the Clemson defense lies in its depth. With players sidelined, the linebacker emphasized the importance of the defense to maintain its dominance in spite of the absence of those starters.

“I think it shows a lot about our depth,” he said. “We talked about that a lot in the preseason, how our depth is going to be really important. So, being able to step up when guys are out, not losing a beat, it’s a good sign for us.”

Clemson is in a different position this season, holding a 5-0 record, as opposed to the 3-2 record they had at this time last year. Maguire was candid that this does create a different vibe in the locker room, a heightened confidence of sorts.

“Definitely a little bit different of a vibe,” he said. “Just knowing we are in control of our destiny right now, last year was a little different with the loss to N.C. State, you kind of sit there and you’re trying to figure out who has to lose or win in order to get to the ACC Championship. So, right now it’s a better feeling knowing we can control it.”

Clemson coach Dabo Swinney told the media prior to the game versus NC State that the defensive unit needed to step up and their performance, both in practice and during the previous game, was not at the level he expected out of them. Maguire gave his take on what changed from Wednesday to Friday last week that helped translate into such a dominant performance versus the Wolfpack.

“Just practicing with a purpose every day and going out there with a correct mindset in practice,” he said “I think sometimes in the week, week after week, you can get caught up in it, get a little tired of small details, but he just reemphasized how important it is and the fact that games are won in practice, Monday through Friday before you even play on Saturday. We took that to heart and we came out there with the mindset we have to improve and we have a lot we can improve on.”

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Maguire’s time to ‘step up’ on second level of Clemson’s defense

Keith Maguire has been biding his time behind James Skalski for the last couple of seasons. Now the Clemson linebacker has a shot to vault to the top of the depth chart, though Skalski’s old job isn’t going to be handed to him. But Maguire knows …

Keith Maguire has been biding his time behind James Skalski for the last couple of seasons. Now the Clemson linebacker has a shot to vault to the top of the depth chart, though Skalski’s old job isn’t going to be handed to him.

But Maguire knows there’s far more opportunity at the second level of the defense than at any other point in his collegiate career. 

“When (Skalski and Baylon Spector) left, you knew both spots were open,” Maguire said. “And from Day 1, everyone has been trying to compete, put their best foot forward and trying to earn that spot.”

Maguire is among them. While Trenton Simpson is in line to be Spector’s successor at Will linebacker, Maguire enters his fourth season with the program as one of the two leading candidates to take over for Skalski at Mike ‘backer, though he’s trying to fend off rising sophomore Jeremiah Trotter Jr. to be the starter when Clemson opens the season on Labor Day night against Georgia Tech at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Maguire also knows he’s set to get the most meaningful reps of his career this season regardless of what his designation is on the depth chart considering there wasn’t much separation to be had between himself and Trotter during preseason camp. Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said there will likely be a rotation at the position, voicing confidence in both players’ ability to get the job done.

“We know there’s going to be a lot of playing time going around this year, more than years past, so we’re all trying to grade 100 every practice,” Maguire said. “If we don’t, we all learn from each other’s mistakes. It’s moreso competitive as a group and as linebackers trying to be the best coordination as opposed to really just going against each other.”

Knowing more reps were likely to come his way this fall, Maguire said his primary focus in his preparation since the spring has been mastering the playbook. He said he started to truly understand the complexities of Brent Venables’ defense toward the end of last season. Now that Venables’ right-hand man, Wesley Goodwin, has largely kept the operation the same since taking over as defensive coordinator, Maguire said he feels “the best I’ve felt” in the playbook since signing with Clemson in 2019.

“I’m still working on it obviously, but the goal is to know it as well as coach,” Maguire said. “That’s just something I’ve kind of been working on since I’ve been here. But more specifically, this spring and summer, I’ve really been able to understand a lot more and learn a lot quicker.”

But it’s not just the X’s and O’s where Maguire has focused on filling in for Skalski, who spent six years in Clemson’s program. Skalski was a multi-year starter and a two-time team captain who was widely considered the heart and soul of the Tigers’ defense while manning the middle.

Add in the departure of Spector, who’s now in training camp with the Buffalo Bills, and Clemson simultaneously lost 11 years of linebacking experience. Not to mention a wealth of veteran leadership, a role Maguire said he’s been itching to expand for himself.

“I was a junior last year, and I still felt like I was a freshman sometimes because Skalski and Spector were here for so long,” he said. “But when they left, you realize that you’ve got to step up in taking that lead. … I’ve kind of been waiting for them to, not to leave, but to have my opportunity to help lead the room. And I’ve loved it. It’s been fun.”

The 6-foot-2, 240-pounder has 33 tackles and an interception in 28 career games to this point, statistics that figure to increase significantly this fall. But if Maguire wants to claim the starting job, he believes his physical talent is only part of the interview.

“I just think going out there every day and competing with myself,” Maguire said. “I think that if I do the best I can, I think I’ll put myself in a good position to be there. Just going out there every day with an expectation of what to do and what to expect when I’m out there on the field.

“If I do that, I think that will give me the best shot to go out there and win the job.”

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A Clemson football player’s ‘random, cool’ interaction with MLB All-Star

Keith Maguire recently had an interaction with a Major League Baseball player that the Clemson linebacker won’t soon forget. A native of Philadelphia, Maguire made a trip back home early this summer during a weekend off from workouts. While there, a …

Keith Maguire recently had an interaction with a Major League Baseball player that the Clemson linebacker won’t soon forget.

A native of Philadelphia, Maguire made a trip back home early this summer during a weekend off from workouts. While there, a friend invited Maguire to watch his favorite MLB team, the Philadelphia Phillies, take on the San Diego Padres at Citizens Bank Park.

Maguire said he left all of his Phillies apparel in Clemson, so he bought a white Phillies-themed hat and a jersey once he arrived at the stadium. Once Maguire and his friends took their seats near the home dugout, they spotted star outfielder Bryce Harper, who wasn’t playing that day.

“He gave us a head nod early,” Maguire recalled. “And we were like, ‘That’s pretty cool.’”

Little did Maguire know that was only the start of the interaction between himself and the seven-time All-Star. During the game’s latter innings, Maguire’s friend noticed a couple of Phillies players, including Harper, summoning in their direction.

“My buddy was like, ‘Yo, I think someone knows you in the dugout.’ Because they were trying to get our attention,” Maguire said. “And I was like, I don’t think anybody knows me on the Phillies’ side.”

Harper wanted the hat, a request Maguire was happy to fulfill.

“I was like, ‘You can take it,’’ Maguire said. “It was like $25. I got it that day in the stadium. I can just get a new one. It’s Bryce Harper. I’m not going to say no.”

What happened after he gave Harper the hat came as a surprise: Harper offered Maguire the hat that he was wearing in exchange.

“He threw back a hat to me, and I was like, ‘Oh, that’s cool,’” Maguire said. “And I look, and it was signed. I was like, ‘Ah.’ So it turned out to be a pretty cool thing.”

Maguire said it was pure luck that the encounter occurred. He’s never met Harper, and there’s no other connection between the two. If not for the proximity of the seats to the Phillies’ dugout, it’s a moment that likely never happens.

The Phillies lost, 2-0, that day, but Maguire won.

“He definitely doesn’t know me,” Maguire said. “Would be pretty cool if he did, but I think he just liked the hat I got. I would like it, too. It’s pretty good. That’s why I got it that day. It was just a random, kind of cool experience though.”

Photo credit: Eric Hartline/USA Today Sports

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The position battle that ‘probably will go all the way up until kickoff’

There’s an important position battle raging on within Clemson’s defense, and first-year defensive coordinator Wesley Goodwin is going to take his time in deciding who ultimately prevails atop the depth chart. How much time exactly? “That spot …

There’s an important position battle raging on within Clemson’s defense, and first-year defensive coordinator Wesley Goodwin is going to take his time in deciding who ultimately prevails atop the depth chart.

How much time exactly?

“That spot probably will go all the way up until kickoff,” Goodwin said, referencing the Tigers’ Labor Day opener against Georgia Tech.

The position he’s referring to is at the second level of the defense, where the search for James Skalski’s replacement at Mike linebacker continues. Two candidates are still in the running for the starting job.

Keith Maguire has the edge on experience heading into his junior season. The 6-foot-2, 240-pounder has played in 28 games so far for the Tigers but has yet to start one. Goodwin said Maguire also brings a certain intangible to the position the same way Skalski did in his final couple of seasons as a starter.

“Keith has been really solid,” Goodwin said. “Great leader for us. He’s one of the vocal leaders of the group.”

But sophomore Jeremiah Trotter is still in the thick of the competition as well. The son of former NFL linebacker Jeremiah Trotter Sr., the younger Trotter has been highly productive during competitive periods throughout preseason camp, said Goodwin, who noted Trotter has grown in his knowledge of the defense since being a limited contributor as a true freshman.

“I feel like he came in as an old man from that standpoint, his dad being a long-time NFL player,” Goodwin said. “Really, really smart beyond his years. Just learning the scheme and where his help is run-fit wise, what safety we’re using here and there. And from a zone-coverage standpoint, just getting better at playing with vision and that sort of stuff.”

Goodwin’s comments echoed those of head coach Dabo Swinney, who’s voiced confidence in whichever linebacker gets the starting nod. Swinney said he envisions a scenario where both get plenty of playing time regardless of who takes the field first inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium, adding Lavonta Bentley and even Trenton Simpson, who are repping primarily at the Will position, could also take snaps there in certain packages.

“It’s going to be WWE tag team,” Swinney said earlier this month.

Goodwin is equally as confident in Maguire and Trotter, but one of them has to run out first against the Yellow Jackets.

“Really proud of where both of those guys are at,” Goodwin said. “I feel like both of them could run out there the first play and win for us. Excited about them.”

Dear Old Clemson has added to the store posters signed by all 20 members of Clemson’s 2022 football class.

Now there is a new way you can support Clemson student-athletes. Purchase collectibles from Dear Old Clemson and the proceeds with go to support Clemson student-athletes. Visit Dear Old Clemson to find out how you can help!

Clemson linebacker further explains Goodwin’s defensive simplicity

The topic of simplicity within Clemson’s defense under first-year coordinator Wesley Goodwin is being rehashed early in preseason camp, though Keith Maguire doesn’t want anyone to get it twisted on exactly what that means. “He’s not a dummy, and he …

The topic of simplicity within Clemson’s defense under first-year coordinator Wesley Goodwin is being rehashed early in preseason camp, though Keith Maguire doesn’t want anyone to get it twisted on exactly what that means.

“He’s not a dummy, and he knows you need to have different defense with different groups that can run out there and compete with different offenses,” Clemson’s junior linebacker said of Goodwin. “He’s very smart, and I’m sure there won’t be an offense that we can’t scheme for differently just the way Coach V did.”

In other words, the Tigers plan on having just as many plays, packages and looks on defense under Goodwin as they did under Oklahoma coach Brent Venables, who was known for the intricacies, complexities and ultra-late play calls during his decade-long run as Clemson’s defensive coordinator. Goodwin said during the spring there are even more wrinkles he plans on implementing that Venables doesn’t know about.

Still, Goodwin wanted to simplify things a bit, though it had nothing to do with the playbook. At least, not the volume of it. Having gone through a spring and nearly a full week of preseason camp with Goodwin calling the defensive shots, Maguire said the clearness is in Goodwin’s vernacular compared to that of Venables.

“Obviously Coach V was a very intense person, the way he coached and taught everything,” said Maguire, who’s vying to step in for the departed James Skalski at middle linebacker. “And I think for some people, they can understand it more. Coach V talked a lot in football terms, and if you didn’t understand it, then sometimes it might have taken you a little longer to understand what he’s trying to say. Wes kind of simplifies the way he talks and explains things, so I think the young guys have a better opportunity to learn a little bit faster.

“It wasn’t until my third year where I could really, in the meetings, completely understand what Coach V wants, and when you understand them, you realize how smart he is with everything he does. But Wes, his speaking terms and the way he communicates, is just a little different.”

Maguire described Goodwin as an analytical person who’s “more scientific” in his explanations of how things are supposed to work within the structure of the defense.

“In the playbook, he explains it a lot as numbers and things like that,” Maguire said. “And I think it’s easier, when you don’t understand all the terms, to look at it as a map or a puzzle almost and kind of fill it in. So I wouldn’t say the defense is that (much) more simplified. Just the way he explains it to you and shows you on the paper maybe a little different so that you kind of visualize a little bit more and go out there and understand what you’re doing.”

Dear Old Clemson has added to the store posters signed by all 20 members of Clemson’s 2022 football class.

Now there is a new way you can support Clemson student-athletes. Purchase collectibles from Dear Old Clemson and the proceeds with go to support Clemson student-athletes. Visit Dear Old Clemson to find out how you can help!

Clemson linebackers ‘striving to be students of the game’ like Skalski and Spector

Clemson no longer has veterans James Skalski and Baylon Spector, but the next group of linebackers will try to carry on the duo’s legacy through their work on and off the field.

For the first time in a long time, Clemson fans will see a different linebacker core this upcoming season without James Skalski and Baylon Spector, but this year’s group is still trying to keep the same identity.

When Skalski and Spector left after 2021, their departures left gaping holes in the front seven, giving a handful of other players an opportunity to fill their shoes.

One of those players is redshirt junior Keith Maguire, who is one of the oldest linebackers on the roster and is competing for Skalski’s former spot at the Mike’ backer position.

Entering his fourth season with Clemson, Maguire knows it’s his time to shine without having Skalski and Spector on the field.

“When they left, you realize that you have to step up and take that lead,” Maguire said on Tuesday.

“Those two guys were obviously some of the best two linebackers you could have, so there was a level of it that you knew where your spot was. When they left, we all knew that both spots were open, and (starting) day one, everyone’s trying to compete, put their best foot forward and try to earn that spot.”

Maguire was credited with 15 tackles and a pass breakup in 2021, and was a three-star recruit out of high school.

His sentiments were shared by LaVonta Bently and Jeremiah Trotter, who are both competing with Maguire to start at middle linebacker.

Maguire said that the three of them have been splitting snaps in the middle, much like they did in the spring.

On the other hand, rising sophomore Barrett Carter figures to play significant snaps at multiple positions in 2022, including at all three linebacker positions and safety.

While Carter isn’t primarily competing for Skalski’s old position, he knows that the group has to take on the same identity that Skalski and Spector did.

“I think we’re all striving to be students of the game like they were,” Carter said. “Not only were they students of the game, but they translated it to the field, and they made the plays. I think we’re just trying to carry on that impact and that legacy that they left.”

The entire linebacker rotation remains very fluid up to this point, but head coach Dabo Swinney is confident that the Tigers have the talent to replace Skalski and Spector.

“They all can play,” Swinney said last week. “LaVonta Bentley, as a redshirt junior, that’s a bad dude right there. He’s a grown man. … But Trotter, Maguire, Bentley and Trenton Simpson, you can just throw them up in the air.”

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Why this season is personal for veteran Clemson linebacker

If this upcoming season is anything for LaVonta Bentley, it’s personal. That’s a word that the redshirt junior linebacker made sure to not only emphasize but repeat, as he met with reporters following Tuesday’s practice. “It’s just a drive like it’s …

If this upcoming season is anything for LaVonta Bentley, it’s personal.

That’s a word that the redshirt junior linebacker made sure to not only emphasize but repeat, as he met with reporters following Tuesday’s practice.

“It’s just a drive like it’s personal,” Bentley said regarding his strong start to fall camp. “This year’s personal, not just because of the players I had in front of me last year, just for myself. I feel like I’m the oldest in the room, so I gotta be the leader and step up for the young guys and just be there for them.” 

In order to become a well-rounded player, Bentley has focused on some of the finer details, even taking up yoga this summer. He knows that there aren’t many linebackers at the collegiate level that are doing what he does to get better, which also involves working on his pass-rush skills — something he doesn’t do often — with Kevin Swint and Tyler Davis.

“Just the little things make a big difference,” he added.

Bentley is one of the hardest working players on Clemson’s roster and a lot of that comes from his drive. Bentley is self-driven by his why, which is being able to help his mother out, but also being that male figure in the household that his nieces and nephews can look up to.

His goal is to make it to the league and follow in the footsteps of Quinnen and Quincy Williams of the New York Jets, who both also hail from Betley’s hometown of Birmingham (Ala.).

While he’s motivated by his why and his aspirations of playing at the next level, there’s also a sense of urgency.

With James Skalski and Baylon Spector graduating to the NFL, the torch has officially been passed down to Bentley and Keith Maguire. There’s an expectation that they’ll need to meet to keep the standard that those two set at the linebacker position and as Bentley said, “keep the flame lit.”

It’s not just about replacing their production, but also the level of football knowledge that both Skalski and Spector had was like having two extra coaches on the field. 

Bentley doesn’t expect that to change in their absence.

“I feel (the knowledge) has been passed on,” Bentley said. “So, some of the things that they were doing, the characteristics, have just been passed down to us. We’re doing the same thing that they were doing to us. Bringing the young guys in, going over the little details…and the reason why they doing what they doing.”

Bentley has embraced his role as a leader. He’s not focused so much on how the competition is going, but more so on how the group is coming together as a whole. He’s ready for his opportunity and maintains that it doesn’t matter who runs out there first or second, as long as everyone knows what they’re doing once they go out there.

Camp ‘very competitive’ for Clemson’s new-look linebacking corps

The competition at the second level of the defense, particularly at one position, rages on at Clemson. The Tigers have the unenviable task of replacing James Skalski and Baylon Spector, a couple of multi-year starters at linebacker and veterans who …

The competition at the second level of the defense, particularly at one position, rages on at Clemson.

The Tigers have the unenviable task of replacing James Skalski and Baylon Spector, a couple of multi-year starters at linebacker and veterans who were part of the Tigers’ program for a combined 11 seasons before exhausting their eligibility last season. Spector, a seventh-round draft pick of the Buffalo Bills, left a void at Will ‘backer that’s already been filled by Trenton Simpson, who made the move from the Sam/nickel position before the spring.

But Clemson is still looking for a replacement in the middle for Skalski, who left with 310 tackles while tying a school record for games played (69) during his six seasons with the Tigers. Nothing was settled in the spring, and one of the candidates vying to take over the top spot there on the depth chart, fourth-year junior Keith Maguire, said there hasn’t been much separation so far in preseason camp.

“Just competing, man,” Maguire said following Tuesday’s practice. “You compete every day obviously, but with spots to fill, it’s very competitive right now. The energy is good. It’s good so far.”

Maguire has played both the Mike and Will positions during his time at Clemson but said he has repped exclusively in the middle so far during camp. He said sophomore Jeremiah Trotter is also repping there while fellow junior Lavonta Bentley has been taking reps with Simpson at Will.

Asked if he’s been getting the majority of the first-team reps at Mike, Maguire said the rotation hasn’t changed much from the spring to this point.

“We’re splitting them up,” Maguire said. “Every other rack, we’ll go first and second. It’s really on Coach Wes (Goodwin) to make the script before practice, and we’ll kind of go from there. … That’s what we did in the spring, too. Still kind of figuring out what it’s going to be.”

It’s not just the spots at the top of the depth chart that need solidifying. With the departure of Skalski and Spector and reserves Kane Patterson (transfer to Vanderbilt) and Jake Venables no longer around, the competition to be part of the rotation this fall has been just as heated, Maguire said.

“The first four days have been super competitive across all the linebacker positions,” he said. “With Skalski and Spector gone, we’ve got to step up and have some more leadership for the linebackers and the defense as a whole. I think a lot of us are trying to do that, and we’ve been doing a good job of it.”

Dear Old Clemson has added to the store posters signed by all 20 members of Clemson’s 2022 football class.

Now there is a new way you can support Clemson student-athletes. Purchase collectibles from Dear Old Clemson and the proceeds with go to support Clemson student-athletes. Visit Dear Old Clemson to find out how you can help!

Where do things stand with Mike linebacker competition?

Last month, Clemson defensive coordinator Wesley Goodwin said he still had a handful of players listed as co-starters amid one of the unit’s most pressing position battles heading into preseason camp. “We’ll see how it all sorts out,” Goodwin said …

Last month, Clemson defensive coordinator Wesley Goodwin said he still had a handful of players listed as co-starters amid one of the unit’s most pressing position battles heading into preseason camp.

“We’ll see how it all sorts out,” Goodwin said of the middle linebacker competition.

Head coach Dabo Swinney echoed Goodwin’s sentiment Friday, adding he doesn’t know if there’s going to be much separation between Lavonta Bentley, Keith Maguire and Jeremiah Trotter in the bid to replace multi-year starter and former team captain James Skalski at that spot.

As Swinney sees it, that shouldn’t be viewed as a negative. Even Trenton Simpson, who’s making the transition from the Sam, or nickel, position to the Will ‘backer spot, could line up at Mike in certain packages.

“They all can play,” Swinney said Friday. “Lavonta Bentley, as a redshirt junior, that’s a bad dude right there. He’s a grown man. … But Trotter, Maguire, Bentley and Trenton Simpson, you can just throw them up in the air.”

Swinney said there’s still a “long way to go” before deciding which one runs out as the starter against Georgia Tech on Labor Day night, but the Tigers could end up taking a committee approach at the position during the course of the season.

“I do know this: If all them guys are healthy, they’re going to play,” Swinney said. “I don’t see them standing on the sidelines. It’s going to be WWE tag team. All right, I’ve got you. I’m in. I’m out. And that’s what you want, man.”

Having played 254 defensive snaps in his three seasons with the Tigers, Bentley has the most game experience of the primary trio. Maguire, also a fourth-year junior, isn’t far behind at 207 snaps in 28 career games. Trotter is the youngest as a true sophomore, but Swinney has praised the former blue-chip signee as one of the most instinctive linebackers he’s ever had at Clemson.

“They have great knowledge. They just need to continue to get that experience,” Goodwin said. “But I feel like all of those guys tackle well, they see things fast, they react fast, they have great leadership and communication skills on the field. So it’s just now their turn to go do it.”

Dear Old Clemson has added to the store posters signed by all 20 members of Clemson’s 2022 football class.

Now there is a new way you can support Clemson student-athletes. Purchase collectibles from Dear Old Clemson and the proceeds with go to support Clemson student-athletes. Visit Dear Old Clemson to find out how you can help!

Clemson freshman linebacker details commitment and wanting ‘to be a sponge’

Clemson defensive coordinator Wes Goodwin played a big role in the commitment of this freshman linebacker, who called Goodwin “a genius in the film room.”

One of Clemson’s freshman linebackers is eager to learn everything he can in his first season as a Tiger.

As Clemson prepares for fall camp, TJ Dudley spoke at a Clemson NIL collective event on Sunday and expressed his excitement for the 2022 season.

“As far as camp, I’m looking forward to being a sponge and taking in all the knowledge from Trenton (Simpson), LaVonta (Bentley), Keith Maguire, people that have been in the system and been through it,” Dudley said.

The 6-foot-2, 230-pound Dudley said he is willing to play at any linebacker spot on the field, pointing to his versatility and leadership skills.

Meanwhile, when it came to choosing one of the 30 schools that offered him, Dudley said one of the biggest reasons he committed to Clemson was defensive coordinator Wes Goodwin, who Dudley called “a genius in the film room.”

“Same thing with the linebackers, being a sponge to everything he says and learning from him because he has a lot of knowledge,” Dudley said.

A four-star recruit, Dudley was the No. 22 linebacker prospect in the class of 2022, according to 247Sports Composite rankings.

After decommitting from Oregon last December, Dudley pledged his allegiance to the Tigers on National Signing Day in February.

Even with his high potential as a player, the Montgomery, Ala. product wasn’t just focused on football in his decision to commit to Clemson.

“It’s bigger than football,” Dudley said. “With P.A.W. Journey and things like that, it’ll really help you tap into other things because one day, football is not going to be there, and you never know when. It might be sooner or later than expected, so that’s one of the biggest reasons (I chose Clemson).”

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