Clelin Ferrell says it's unfair to assume he won't return to Clemson next year
Clelin Ferrell shocked the college football world last January when he, along with Christian Wilkins and Austin Bryant, announced he would return to Clemson for the 2018 season.
Most people assumed the star defensive lineman was going to take his talents to the NFL Draft. According to Draft Wire, Ferrell was a projected first-round draft pick for last year’s draft and was “barely scratching the surface” of his true potential.
But Ferrell coming back to play with one of the most dominant defensive lines in college football this season has helped pave the way for another College Football Playoff run for the Tigers. No. 2 Clemson will take on third-ranked Notre Dame in the Cotton Bowl on Dec. 29 looking to get the bad taste out of its mouths from last year’s Sugar Bowl loss to Alabama.
To many, it sure feels like a foregone conclusion that Ferrell will pack his bags for real this time and head to the NFL Draft regardless of Clemson’s results in this year’s Playoff. So, is there even a chance that Ferrell, a redshirt junior, could return to Clemson for his final year of eligibility?
“Why wouldn’t there be?” Ferrell asked, straight-faced as ever.
“People didn’t think I was coming back last year so… I mean, nobody knows what I am going to do because it’s my decision,” Ferrell continued. “It’s funny that you asked that because a lot of people really just assume stuff of me and really don’t even know me that well.”
This season, Ferrell has 46 total tackles, 17 of the tackles for loss. He also has 10.5 sacks, which ranks him No. 11 in the country in that individual category. He has two forced fumbles, a fumble recovery, and a touchdown.
He’s collected plenty of accolades this season being named a consensus first-team All-American, ACC Defensive Player of the Year, and given Ted Hendricks Award for the best defensive end in the country.
Last year around this time, Ferrell was asked the same types of questions about his Draft status, and there’s a part of him that regrets answering them.
“I just don’t feel like discussing it on camera, obviously,” Ferrell said. “I did that some last year, then I get all these different things like maybe it’s an agent hitting me up, ‘Hey man, I heard you might be thinking about this, well I found this information for you!’”
And it’s not surprising that Ferrell wants to keep things close to the vest, considering the year he’s having and the way his stock is continuing to rise.
According to Draft Wire, Ferrell was the No. 3 overall prospect for the 2019 Draft at the midway point of the season. CBS Sports recently said Ferrell is one of their top 10 prospects.
So what is it going to take for Ferrell to end his Clemson career after this season?
“I would say it’s mostly the same thing as last year,” Ferrell added. “Do I feel like I’m ready to go? Are there some things that I do still want to accomplish here at Clemson? Basically, other than that, I am just going to pray on it.”
A decision for Ferrell, as well as the other eligible players on Clemson’s roster, most likely won’t come until after the college football season concludes. Once the National Championship is over, players have seven days to decide on whether they will enter the NFL Draft or not.
But that’s not at the front of Ferrell’s mind at the moment, as he’ll graduate with a degree from Clemson’s College of Education on Thursday morning.
“I always just take the facts, take it for what it is, lay it all out on the table, and then I just decide whatever I feel like is best for me,” Ferrell said.
“I haven’t made a decision yet, but obviously, I don’t feel like I have to until after this season because I owe it to my team that I’ve given my all for this season.”