Clemson linebacker has confidence in his second-year defensive coordinator

NFL prospect and All-American linebacker Jeremiah Trotter Jr. can't wait to get on the field with Wes Goodwin leading the Clemson defense.

by Ariana Pensy - Correspondent - Sun Sep 03 13:00:09 GMT-04:00 2023

CLEMSON - The Tiger defense is full of talent going into the 2023 season. Linebacker Jeremiah Trotter Jr. is one of those players that stands above all the rest.

In his first two seasons, he accrued 114 tackles, 14.5 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks. The ACC Digital Network recently ranked him as the No. 7 linebacker in the conference.

“It’s definitely a blessing. I’m glad that I was able to receive that recognition, but for me, I don’t really focus too much on rankings,” Trotter said. “I want to go out there and prove it now, prove it against Duke, and take it one week at a time. Just to do as much as I can to help out my guys. That’s really the only focus I’m worried about right now, and all those awards and everything, they come later on. It would definitely be a blessing. But, I feel like to get those, you have to focus on the now and focus on working day-by-day.”

One thing that should benefit Trotter going into the season is that it will be his first season at Clemson with the same defensive coordinator as the previous season. Wes Goodwin started his time at the Tigers’ defensive coordinator last season, and according to Trotter, Goodwin is constantly working to better himself and the team overall.

“He’s always trying to look for ways that he can improve, not just himself, but the defense and the players and us as a group,” Trotter said. “That’s something that I’ve really noticed throughout the offseason.”

This defensive unit has a lot of experience under its belt. Trotter is going into his third season, while others such as defensive ends Xavier Thomas and Justin Mascoll are going into their sixth and defensive lineman Tyler Davis is going into his fifth season. The combination of talent and experience, and the chemistry that comes with these factors, shows that Clemson is poised for a special season on the defensive front.

“I feel like we got a lot of veteran guys coming back, a lot more experience on the defensive side as far as just what we need to do, the way we need to lead by example and leaders on the defense; we definitely got a lot of leaders across the team,” Trotter said. “On defense specifically, people have really grown, have young guys even stepping up too, coming in, freshmen coming in. They don’t shy away from stepping into that leadership role and showing guys what has to be done. But, I feel like as a team, that’s something I’ve really noticed, and I’m really glad we got more leaders stepping up and leading by example also.”

It has been a long time for the Tigers since their loss to the Tennessee Volunteers back in the Orange Bowl in January. That is something Clemson has moved on from and learned from. Now, Trotter and the rest of the Tigers are just ready for their season to start and to prove that they are better than the defense that was on display against Tennessee in the Orange Bowl.

“We’re ready to get out there and for the season to start,” Trotter said. “We’ve been competing against each other all this time, making each other better, but now it’s time to – we’re excited to be able to see the work pay off and face more talent, face other great players around the country so we just can’t wait.”

The Tigers have a late start to the season, once again playing on Labor Day. This time, they will face the Duke Blue Devils (8 p.m./ESPN). After that, Clemson will have their home opener against Charleston Southern on Saturday, September 9 (2:15 p.m./ACC Network).