Jadeveon Clowney

Jadeveon Clowney (born February 14, 1993 ) is an American college football defensive end. He graduated from South Pointe High School in Rock Hill, South Carolina and currently attends the University of South Carolina, entering his junior year. A unanimous College All-American as a sophomore in 2012, Clowney set South Carolina school records in quarterback sacks (13.0) and tackles for a loss (23.5) per season, also earning him Defensive Player of the Year honors in the Southeastern Conference. Described by ESPN as "one of those rare game-changers on defense", Clowney is already projected to be a top-3 selection in the 2014 NFL Draft.

High school career
A native of Rock Hill, South Carolina, Clowney attended South Pointe High School. Already 6′3″, 200 lb. as a freshman in 2007, he played running back and defensive end for the school's junior varsity team. For his sophomore year he joined rising seniors Stephon Gilmore and DeVonte Holloman (both four-star recruits) on a South Pointe varsity that came off a 9–4 season. By spring practice, Clowney became a permanent fixture at defensive end. "We knew we had something special. He was 13 years old in that big athletic body. He was wreaking havoc on our offense that spring and fall," said Bobby Carroll, his coach at South Pointe. South Pointe went 15–0 for the season, including a 35–14 win over town-rival Northwestern High at Memorial Stadium, Clemson, for the 2008 South Carolina AAAA Division II title and a No. 3 spot in the annual MaxPreps high school ranking. Despite playing nearly the entire season with a bone spur in his foot, Clowney finished with 17 sacks. He elected to have surgery on the bone spur in January 2009.

South Pointe lost 31 seniors after the 2008 season, including Gilmore and Holloman. Still, Clowney helped the team to a 10–4 record for the season, and a state semifinal berth, where the Stallions lost to Northwestern. Clowney finished the season with 144 tackles and 23 sacks. For his senior season, Clowney tallied 162 tackles, 29.5 sacks, 29 tackles for loss, 11 forced fumbles and six fumble recoveries, and scored five touchdowns on defense while leading his team to a 13–2 record. South Pointe made the state finals for the second time in three years, but lost 23–27 to Myrtle Beach at USC's Williams-Brice Stadium. Still, Clowney was named South Carolina's 2010 Mr. Football. South Pointe was 38–6 during his three varsity seasons.

Immediately following his senior season, Clowney went to Spartanburg for the Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas, where he registered 5 tackles (2 solo, 3 assists), 3 sacks for a loss of 15 yards, 2 tackles for a loss of 17 yards and 2 quarterback hurries. Clowney was lined up against the North Carolina left tackle on every snap he played and drew the five holding calls. After the Shrine Bowl, Clowney headed to Orlando, Florida, for a week of Under Armour All-America Game practices and then the all-star game itself. He was the leading tackler for the Red with seven and had 1.5 sacks. Recruiting analysts were particularly interested in his matchup with Cyrus Kouandjio.

Afterwards, Clowney headed to New York City, for a photo shoot for an ESPN the Magazine feature story that appeared in the journal's February 7, 2011 issue.

Recruiting
For most of his high school career, Clowney was consensually regarded as the best player in his class. ESPN described him as "a special talent who could have vied for the top spot in several previous classes." Both major recruiting services, Rivals.com and Scout.com, as well as ESPNU, considered Clowney not only a five-star recruit, but also the No. 1 overall prospect of the 2011 class, basically throughout his senior year. Unsurprisingly, he received scholarship offers from nearly every perennial BCS powerhouse. However, Clowney left his decision open until after National Signing Day of 2011.

On his eighteenth birthday, February 14, 2011, he announced his commitment to South Carolina, selecting the Gamecocks over Clemson, Alabama, Louisiana State, and Florida State. He was the third-straight South Carolina "Mr. Football" to sign with the Gamecocks, following in the footsteps of his South Pointe teammate Gilmore, and Duncan Byrnes' Marcus Lattimore. "I wanted to play in the SEC. It was easy," Clowney said. "I knew a week ago. I just tried not to tell anybody." Just days earlier, a story in the New York Times questioned Clowney's academic eligibility, but Clowney told reporters he had "no concerns and would be fine".

2011 season
As a true freshman at South Carolina, Clowney played in all 12 games of the season. He started the season opener against East Carolina, becoming the first freshman to start on the defensive line since Travian Robertson in 2007. In his debut, Clowney had seven tackles, a pass breakup and a QB hurry. A week later in the SEC season opener against Georgia, Clowney recorded his first career quarterback sack in the second quarter, tackling Bulldogs quarterback Aaron Murray for a 7-yard loss. With just over three minutes remaining and USC clinging to a 38–35 lead, Clowney sacked Murray at the 10-yard line, causing him to fumble. Fellow defensive lineman Melvin Ingram recovered the football and returned it for a touchdown to put South Carolina up by 10. Against Vanderbilt, Clowney forced two fumbles, including one that again was recovered by Ingram and returned for a touchdown. In mid-October against Mississippi State, Clowney picked up a sack, forced fumble, and two quarterback hurries. In South Carolina's 30–13 win over Nebraska in the Capital One Bowl, Clowney recorded four tackles and two sacks of quarterback Taylor Martinez.

For the season, Clowney was credited with 36 tackles, including 12 for a loss of yardage. He ranked eighth in the SEC with 8.0 sacks, the only freshman in the top 10, and logged five forced fumbles. He earned SEC Freshman of the Year and All-SEC 2nd Team honors from the league's coaches, and was also named to multiple Freshman All-American 1st Team lists, including The Sporting News, FWAA, Rivals.com, and CBSSports.com.

2012 season
Clowney helped South Carolina achieve a record of 11–2 (6–2 SEC), 10-2 regular season, capped off with 27-17 victory at rival Clemson in the final game of the season. Clowney recorded 4.5 sacks of Tajh Boyd, as the Gamecocks won at least 10 games in a season for the second year in a row. In the Outback Bowl on January 1, 2013, Clowney helped the Gamecocks to a 33–28 victory over the Michigan Wolverines. He gained instant fame for a hit on Michigan running back Vincent Smith that came with 8 minutes left in the fourth quarter, after a controversial call in Michigan's favor. The hit forced a fumble that Clowney himself recovered, which then set up a touchdown on the next play. He finished the season tied for third in the nation for total sacks in a season. Clowney has amassed 54 tackles (40 solo), 23.5 tackles for loss, 13.0 sacks and 3 forced fumbles. He set school records for most sacks and tackles for loss in a single season. Along with being a Unanimous All-American, Clowney won the Ted Hendricks Award as the nation's best defensive end. Additionally, he was a finalist for the Chuck Bednarik Award, the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, the Lombardi Award, and finished 6th overall in the 2012 Heisman Trophy voting. Following Clowney's incredible sophomore season, he was voted by the fans as the 2012 AT&T All-America Player of the Year on January 7.

Professional career
As early as January 2013, Clowney was projected as a top-3 selection in the 2014 NFL Draft. "Clowney's a rare talent, basically to the defensive end spot what Andrew Luck and RG III were to the quarterback position," said ESPN analyst Mel Kiper, Jr. "These type of prospects just don't come along very often." Clowney looks to become the highest selected South Carolina Gamecock since George Rogers in 1981. Not since Mario Williams in 2006 has a defensive player been selected first overall in an NFL Draft.

Personal
Clowney is the son of Josenna Clowney, who has been a processing technician at the Frito-Lay plant in Charlotte, North Carolina, since 1994. His father, David Morgan, was released from prison in 2006 after serving nearly 12 years for robbing a Rock Hill check-cashing business in 1995. With his father incarcerated for much of his childhood, Clowney was raised by his mother and his maternal grandparents, John and Josephine Clowney, as well as his mother’s longtime boyfriend, Christopher Jones.