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Clemson Football

Four Tigers on ESPN's 2019 Preseason All-America team

August 21, 2019
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ESPN released their preseason college football All-America team this week, and four Clemson Tigers made the list, created by ESPN senior staff writer Chris Low.

On offense, Trevor Lawrence and Travis Etienne were the first three players on the list outside of Wisconsin’s Jonathan Taylor. Lawrence and Etienne will lead an offense that is expected to put up points in bunches when the season kicks off next week.

QB: Trevor Lawrence, Clemson

Lawrence is a bigger, stronger and faster version of the quarterback who dissected Alabama in the national championship game a year ago as a true freshman. He'll also be a more confident leader for the Tigers now that it's clearly his show on offense. Lawrence passed for 3,280 yards and 30 touchdowns last season and threw only four interceptions. If there were such a thing as a No. 1 overall pick in college football, Lawrence would be the overwhelming choice.

RB: Travis Etienne, Clemson

Lost in Lawrence's brilliance and all of the talent Clemson has at receiver is that the Tigers return one of the most complete running backs in college football. Not only did Etienne rush for 1,658 yards and score 26 touchdowns last season, but he also averaged 8.1 yards per carry and gained 884 yards after contact. The 5-foot-10, 215-pound junior has breakaway speed too. He had seven runs of 40 yards or longer last season.

Defensively, Isaiah Simmons and Xavier Thomas made Low’s list. Thomas will be called upon as one of the leaders on the defensive line after Christian Wilkins, Dexter Lawrence, Austin Bryant and Clelin Ferrell all left for the NFL. Thomas came up with 10.5 tackles for loss last year, mostly when the games were well in hand in 2018.

 

Simmons played a big role in Brent Venables defense last year. During the College Football Playoff he played in that hybrid linebacker/safety spot, registering 97 tackles and taking an interception back to the house.

LB: Isaiah Simmons, Clemson

He's part-safety, part-linebacker and all-playmaker. The 6-foot-4, 225-pound junior actually transitioned from safety last season and led the Tigers with 97 total tackles, including 9.5 for loss, and he returned his only interception for a touchdown. Simmons played some of his best football in the biggest games last season. Defensive coordinator Brent Venables is already devising new ways to turn Simmons loose on opposing offenses this season.

DE: Xavier Thomas, Clemson

Clemson's defensive line pipeline the past few years has been staggering, and Thomas has everything it takes to be next in line. The 6-foot-2, 260-pound sophomore wasn't a starter as a freshman, but he recorded 10.5 tackles for loss and only scratched the surface of how good he can be. The Tigers lost a ton of talent up front from their national championship team, but Thomas is the kind of game-changer who helps fill that void.

Clemson’s season opener against Georgia Tech is getting closer as we are just over a week away until next Thursday night’s kickoff in Death Valley at 8 p.m. The game will be televised on the new ACC Network, which launches this Thursday.

Four Tigers on ESPN's 2019 Preseason All-America team

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