Full Bio
FINAL BIO
Progressed from a backup linebacker and valuable special teams player to starting linebacker and leading tackler in his four active seasons … finished career with 205 tackles, 17.5 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks, 21 quarterback pressures, five pass breakups and five recovered fumbles in 1,188 snaps over 47 games (21 starts) … had five recovered fumbles over his last two years, more than any other Tiger … drafted in the fourth round (109th overall) by the New York Giants.
2015: Second-team All-ACC (media) … third-team All-ACC (coaches) … fourth-team All-American by Phil Steele … leading tackler on the squad with 160 total stops, including 14 for loss and 5.5 sacks … second on the team with 17 quarterback pressures … had two recovered fumbles, most on the team … posted 12 tackles, including 0.5 for loss, in the opener against Wofford … team-high 12 stops, with three quarterback pressures, in a win at Louisville … ACC Linebacker of the Week following Notre Dame win, where he posted an interception and fumble recovery in the fourth quarter; was first time since Terry Kinard vs. Notre Dame in 1979 that a Tiger had two takeaways in the fourth quarter of a win by seven or less … notched 12 tackles and two pressures against Georgia Tech … followed with similar numbers versus Boston College, with 12 tackles … notched seven tackles and three pressures at Miami … posted three tackles for loss, including a sack and caused fumble, at NC State … named defensive player-of-the-game by the coaches for his efforts … also earned the honor against Florida State the next game after collecting 12 tackles, including 3.5 for loss, two sacks and a fumble recovery … named ACC Linebacker of the Week following the game … notched game-high 14 stops at Syracuse … tallied 11 tackles, including three for loss and 1.5 sacks, at South Carolina … had key pass deflection that led to an interception to start the second half in the ACC Championship Game … recorded top tackle total by a Tiger all season with 19 stops in the Orange Bowl win over Oklahoma … added an interception, one of two by Tiger linebackers (Ben Boulware had the other) in the second half of the win … collected team-high 14 tackles in National Championship Game against Alabama.
2014: Had 34 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, one sack, three quarterback pressures, two pass breakups, three recovered fumbles and a 24-yard fumble return in 256 snaps over 12 games (six starts) … tied for 10th in the nation in recovered fumbles … tied for second in the ACC in recovered fumbles … had one tackle in 30 snaps at No. 12 Georgia on Aug. 30; it was his first career start … had five tackles and one sack in seven snaps against SC State on Sept. 6 … had three tackles in 21 snaps at No. 1 Florida State on Sept. 20 … had three tackles and a 24-yard fumble return in 37 snaps against NC State on Oct. 4 … had four tackles and a recovered fumble in 31 snaps against Louisville on Oct. 11 … had four tackles, 0.5 tackles for loss and a pass breakup in 33 snaps at Wake Forest on Nov. 6 … had seven tackles, one tackle for loss and a recovered fumble in 19 snaps at No. 23 Georgia Tech on Nov. 15; named team co-defensive player-of-the-game … had two tackles and a pass breakup in 24 snaps against South Carolina on Nov. 29 … had one tackle for loss in 32 snaps against No. 24 Oklahoma in the Russell Athletic Bowl on Dec. 29.
2013: Had seven tackles in 33 snaps over seven games … had three tackles in 14 snaps at Virginia on Nov. 2 … had a game-high 13 tackles in the Spring Game.
2012: Had four tackles and one quarterback pressure in 22 snaps over 13 games … played special teams against No. 25 Auburn at Atlanta, Ga. on Sept. 1; it was his first career game … had one tackle and a quarterback pressure in eight snaps against Ball State on Sept. 8 … had a special teams tackle at Wake Forest on Oct. 25 … had two tackles in 11 snaps at Duke on Nov. 3.
2011: Redshirted.
Before Clemson: Rated as the No. 29 outside linebacker in the nation by ESPN … No. 20 player in South Carolina by Rivals.com … No. 23 player in South Carolina by SuperPrep … had 156 tackles as a senior at Lamar High School … 15th in the state in tackles … had 20 tackles and eight sacks in a state playoff game … played in the North-South All-Star Game in Myrtle Beach, S.C. … had 96 tackles and six tackles for loss and added 16 receptions for 220 yards and two touchdowns as a junior … all-state as a junior … his team reached the state championship game as a junior … from the same high school that produced former Clemson All-American and All-Pro Levon Kirkland … one of the top scorers on the Lamar High School basketball team … coached by J.R. Boyd at Lamar High … recruited by Kevin Steele.
Personal: Majoring in sociology … born May 29, 1993.
