Bill Belichick names his favorite Clemson player he ever scouted

Tony Crumpton · Assoc. Editor · Tuesday, May 27 2025

Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney and new North Carolina head coach Bill Belichick sat down with ESPN's Rece Davis in an exclusive interview that will air Wednesday at 7 p.m. ET on ACC Network.

During the interview, Belichick was asked who his favorite Clemson player was that he scouted during NFL Pro Days.

"It probably would be (Christian) Wilkins,” Belichick said. “Character, playing ability, all-around player. He could rush, he could run, had a heck of a college career and then a heck of an NFL career."

"We had a hard time blocking him at Miami, twice a year. So I didn’t like that."

Swinney shared that Wilkins is a fan of Belichick and the New England Patriots.

“Christian, he’ll appreciate that,” Swinney said. “He’s a huge Boston guy. Big Patriots fan. So he’ll appreciate that. I don’t know if he’ll see this or not, but he’ll appreciate it.”

Wilkins has had an exceptional NFL career with 372 tackles and 22.5 sacks.

Check out the video segment below:

Bill Belichick’s favorite @ClemsonFB player he ever scouted: Christian Wilkins 👀

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