Clemson Earns No. 6 Spot for Alumni Trios in NFL

With the number of former players now on various NFL teams, the Clemson Tigers were ranked No. 6 out of 10 of NFL triplets by college affiliation, according to a list put together by NFL.com's Gennaro Filice.

Quarterback Trevor Lawrence, running back Travis Etienne and wide receiver Tee Higgins were recognized as their top players for their respective positions from the school, making Clemson the highest ACC team on the list. 

The trio is familiar with each other, playing together during Clemson’s last national championship season in 2018, where the team finished with a perfect 15-0 record to nab its third championship in program history. 

Filice had a motivating pick in Lawrence, who will see a major switch in the Jacksonville Jaguars offense with the new additions of head coach Liam Coan, No. 2-overall pick in Travis Hunter and a second year with standout Brian Thomas Jr. 

“Now it’s time for Lawrence to fully showcase the immense talent that we’ve heard so much about since he was the No. 1 recruit in the land,” Filice wrote. 

At Clemson, Lawrence threw for 10,098 yards and 90 touchdowns across three seasons, having the program record in winning percentage (.944) from a 34-2 record as a starter. 

While Etienne started strong alongside Lawrence in Jacksonville, his numbers have dwindled each year, with Filice saying that this upcoming season “could be his swan song with the Jaguars this fall.” The fourth-year player has recorded over 2,600 yards in Jacksonville, rushing for 18 touchdowns. 

Winning two national championships in his time at Clemson, Etienne rushed for 4,952 yards across 55 games with the team, scoring 70 rushing touchdowns and adding another eight as a receiver. His rushing yards, total touchdowns, rushing touchdowns and points scored are all the most in ACC history. 

Meanwhile, Filice described Higgins, who signed a four-year, 155 million dollar extension in the offseason to remain with the Cincinnati Bengals, as “ascending" after recording 10 touchdowns a season ago in his fifth season in the league. 

The former Clemson wideout finished with 2,448 yards and 27 touchdowns over three seasons under head coach Dabo Swinney, playing a key role on the 2018 and 2019 squads. 

Oklahoma, Georgia, Alabama, Ohio State and LSU were the other five schools to finish ahead of the Tigers on Filice’s list.

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