Two-year starter at strong safety who was also a member of several special teams units ... had 209 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, seven interceptions, 15 pass breakups, two caused fumbles and two recovered fumbles in 1,998 snaps over 40 games (29 starts) in his career ... declared early for the 2016 NFL Draft ... drafted in the seventh round (244th overall) by the Minnesota Vikings.
Two-year starter at strong safety who was also a member of several special teams units … had 209 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, seven interceptions, 15 pass breakups, two caused fumbles and two recovered fumbles in 1,998 snaps over 40 games (29 starts) in his career … declared early for the 2016 NFL Draft … drafted in the seventh round (244th overall) by the Minnesota Vikings.
2015: Earned first-team All-America honors from the Associated Press and ESPN.com … second-team All-American according to CBS Sports and Sports Illustrated … first-team All-ACC (coaches) … second-team All-ACC (media) … fifth on the team with 87 tackles, including 6.5 for loss … also had eight pass breakups and five quarterback pressures in 856 snaps in 15 games (14 starts) … second on the team with seven special teams tackles … fine all-around game against Appalachian State, with an interception in the end zone and a pass breakup … graded 95 percent on film against Louisville, where he had four tackles … caused and recovered a fumble in 68 snaps against Notre Dame … it was one of the big plays of the year, as he knocked the ball loose at the one with under two minutes left … posted career-best three tackles for loss in win over Georgia Tech, earning a share of player-of-the-game honors by the coaching staff … posted eight tackles at NC State, with a pass breakup and tackle for loss … posted a tackle for loss and blocked his first career field goal at Syracuse … had two breakups at South Carolina, with two special teams tackles as well … posted 10 stops and two quarterback pressures in the Capital One Orange Bowl against Oklahoma.
2014: Had 67 tackles, five tackles for loss, three sacks, one quarterback pressure, a team-tying-high two interceptions for 21 yards, seven pass breakups and one recovered fumble in 698 snaps over 13 games (12 starts) … had nine tackles and a pass breakup in 55 snaps at No. 12 Georgia on Aug. 30 … had four tackles and two pass breakups in 24 snaps against SC State on Sept. 6 … had four tackles, a four-yard interception return and two pass breakups in 65 snaps at No. 1 Florida State on Sept. 20 … had eight tackles in 72 snaps against North Carolina on Sept. 27 … had 10 tackles, one tackle for loss and a pass breakup in 69 snaps against Louisville on Oct. 11; named team co-defensive player-of-the-game … one of the tackles saved the game on Louisville’s final drive … had five tackles and a sack in 58 snaps at Boston College on Oct. 18 … had six tackles, two tackles for loss and one sack in 61 snaps against Syracuse on Oct. 25 … had two tackles and a pass breakup in 69 snaps at Wake Forest on Nov. 6 … had four tackles and one sack in 64 snaps at No. 23 Georgia Tech on Nov. 15 … had five tackles and a 17-yard interception return in 44 snaps against Georgia State on Nov. 22 … had three tackles in 37 snaps against South Carolina on Nov. 29 … had four tackles and a 12-yard fumble return in 41 snaps against No. 24 Oklahoma in the Russell Athletic Bowl on Dec. 29.
2013: Had 55 tackles, 0.5 tackles for loss, a team-tying-high four interceptions for 62 yards and one caused fumble in 444 snaps over 12 games (three starts) … tied for fifth in the ACC in interceptions … had two tackles in 21 snaps against SC State on Sept. 7; it was his first career game … had five tackles in 23 snaps against Wake Forest on Sept. 28 … had eight tackles and his first career interception in 75 snaps at Syracuse on Oct. 5 … had four tackles in 38 snaps against Boston College on Oct. 12; it was his first career start … had two tackles and a 25-yard interception return in 47 snaps at Maryland on Oct. 26 … had three tackles, a 37-yard interception return and a caused fumble in 27 snaps at Virginia on Nov. 2; named team co-defensive player-of-the-game … had seven tackles in 57 snaps against The Citadel on Nov. 23 … had 10 tackles and 0.5 tackles for loss in playing all 81 snaps at No. 9 South Carolina on Nov. 30 … had nine tackles and a key interception in the third quarter in 72 snaps against No. 6 Ohio State in the Orange Bowl on Jan. 3.
Before Clemson: Rated as the No. 16 athlete in the nation by Rivals.com and 247Sports.com … No. 7 outside linebacker in the nation by Scout.com … top-300 All-American by PrepStar … area defensive player-of-the-year at South Fort Myers High School … helped his team to an 11-2 record as a senior … No. 15 athlete in the nation by MaxPreps … had 528 rushing yards and five touchdowns as a senior; averaged 12.3 yards per carry … averaged 18.9 yards per reception and scored five touchdowns … as a safety, he had 87 tackles, three sacks and an interception … had 1,600 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns as a junior … came to Clemson from the same high school as wide receiver Sammy Watkins … played in the Offense-Defense Bowl in Houston, Texas … coached by Grant Redhead … recruited by Tony Elliott.
Personal: His uncle, Jevon Kearse, was an All-America linebacker at Florida and an NFL All-Pro … his cousin, Phillip Buchanon, was a defensive back at Miami (Fla.) and played in the NFL … majoring in communication studies … born Feb. 11, 1994.
