Clemson's Jeremiah Trotter Jr., Barrett Carter land in PFF College 50

Jeremiah Trotter is ranked as the No. 12 player overall in the nation by Pro Football Focus, joined by teammate Barrett Carter at No. 33.

by TigerNet Staff - Fri Aug 04 09:23:21 GMT-05:00 2023

Pro Football Focus' ranking of the Top 50 players for the 2023 season is out and two Tigers made the list.

That Clemson duo will face some top players on the list as well.

Jeremiah Trotter Jr. leads the Tigers in the ranking at No. 12 overall.

"Jeremiah Trotter Sr. was an All-Pro linebacker for the Philadelphia Eagles, so it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that his son is the best linebacker in college football," said PFF's Max Chadwick. "The younger Trotter was the only Power Five linebacker last year to earn 80.0-plus grades both in coverage and as a pass rusher. His 42.9 passer rating allowed ranked second among that group."

He is joined by linebacker teammate Barrett Carter in the No. 33 spot.

"Carter is one of college football's most well-rounded linebackers. The sophomore was one of only three in the Power Five who earned 75.0-plus grades in run defense, pass rush and coverage. His seven combined interceptions and forced incompletions tied for the most among FBS linebackers, as well," said Chadwick.

Clemson's defense faces three players from the PFF Top 10 with Notre Dame offensive tackle Joe Alt (5), UNC quarterback Drake Maye (6) and Florida State quarterback Jordan Travis (9).

"Maye’s 45 big-time throws were 10 more than the next-closest signal-caller in the country last season. He also has more than just an elite arm. The redshirt freshman’s 899 rushing yards in 2022 ranked third among FBS quarterbacks," Chadwick said. "Travis has mastered taking deep shots without putting the ball in harm’s way. He was the only quarterback in the country last year to place in the top 15 both in big-time throw rate (7.1%) and turnover-worthy play rate (1.9%). His 91.7 grade also trailed only Caleb Williams among Power Five signal-callers."

Players that Clemson is also scheduled to face include Florida State edge defender Jared Verse (10), Miami safety Kamren Kinchens (25), Duke offensive tackle Graham Barton (29), Notre Dame cornerback Benjamin Morrison (30), UNC linebacker Cedric Gray (39) and Florida State running back Trey Benson (44).