Clemson Tigers National Champion Selected Honorary Captain for Georgia Opener

The Clemson Tigers will have a legend of recent vintage on the field with them for the opening ceremonies of the AFLAC Kickoff Game.

Dec 17, 2023; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers running back Chuba Hubbard (30) runs as Atlanta Falcons cornerback A.J. Terrell (24) defends in the first quarter at Bank of America Stadium. / Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

The No. 14 Clemson Tigers and the No. 1 Georgia Bulldogs will start the regular season in the 2024 AFLAC Kickoff Game in Atlanta on Aug. 31. Earlier this week the game announced both teams' honorary captains.

For Georgia, it will be former placekicker Kevin Butler. For Clemson, it will be cornerback A.J. Terrell.

The timing is convenient for Terrell, as he is currently with the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons.

After his three-year career at Clemson ended, the Falcons selected him in the first round of the 2020 NFL draft and he’s in training camp with Atlanta entering his fifth NFL season.

He’s made the transition to the NFL looked pretty smooth. He was selected a Second-Team All-Pro in 2021. He has four career interceptions but hasn’t picked off a pass since the 2021 season.

While at Clemson he was part of the Tigers’ 2018 national championship team as he started all 15 games for the Tigers and scored the first points of the CFP title game with an interception return for a touchdown.

He wrapped up three seasons with 107 tackles (3.5 tackles for loss), 20 pass breakups, six interceptions, and two forced fumbles. As a starter the Tigers went 29-1.  Terrell earned first team All-ACC honors in 2019 and third team All-ACC honors in 2018.

Butler has the distinction of being the first kicker ever inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. He was a consensus All-American in 1984 for the Bulldogs and finished his career with 77 field goals and 122 extra points. He still holds Georgia’s record for longest field goal (60 yards), along with the record for best accuracy rate from 50 yards or longer (52.4%). He is also a member of the Florida-Georgia Hall of Fame. He was also three-time All-SEC.

Butler spent more than a decade in the NFL, mostly with the Chicago Bears, and won a Super Bowl ring as the Bears’ kicker. He was a two-time All-Pro and is considered one of the Top 100 Chicago Bears players of all time.

After the Georgia game, the Tigers return home for three straight games — vs. Appalachian State on Sept. 7, vs. NC State on Sept. 21 to open ACC and then host Stanford on Sept. 28.

The rest of the schedule includes trips to Florida State Oct. 5 and Wake Forest on Oct. 12, followed two straight home contests with Virginia on Oct. 19 and Louisville on Nov. 2. Clemson then travels to Virginia Tech on Nov. 9 and Pitt on Nov. 16, followed by home games with The Citadel on Nov. 23 and South Carolina on Nov. 30.