Myles Murphy, Bryan Bresee, Trenton Simpson earn ESPN first-team All-America honors |
Three Clemson defenders picked up first-team All-America honors
from ESPN on Wednesday.
Two come from the Tiger D-line with Myles Murphy and Bryan Bresee. "Yes, Clemson's defensive line will be loaded this season -- the whole front seven, for that matter," said ESPN's Chris Low. "The 6-5, 275-pound Murphy combines the kind of explosiveness, power and size that the great edge rushers possess. He has led the Tigers in tackles for loss each of the last two seasons, including seven sacks a year ago, and has forced five fumbles his first two years on campus. "When healthy, Bresee is as good as any defensive lineman in the country. He tore his ACL in Week 4 a year ago and missed spring practice after undergoing surgery on his shoulder. But the feeling on Clemson's staff heading into the 2022 season is that the 6-5, 305-pound redshirt sophomore is back to his dominant form and ready to collapse his share of opposing pockets." Rounding out the trio, which all also have NFL first round projections, is linebacker Trenton Simpson. "New Clemson defensive coordinator Wes Goodwin wants Simpson closer to the line of scrimmage because of his athleticism and penchant for making big plays, which is why the 6-3, 240-pound junior is moving from the nickel/strongside linebacker position to weakside linebacker. Simpson can do it all -- blitz, drop into coverage and tackle -- no matter where he is on the field," said Low.
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