Former Clemson Tigers Star Receives Praise from Atlanta Falcons Coaches

Second-round pick Ruke Orhorhoro was recently praised by his coaches in the NFL.

Oct 13, 2024; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Atlanta Falcons defensive tackle Ruke Orhorhoro (98) walks off the field after the game at Bank of America Stadium. / Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

The Clemson Tigers saw their season come to an end earlier than they would have liked this year, but it was a very successful campaign overall.

After a down season by their standards in 2023, the Tigers bounced back nicely last campaign. Clemson was able to win 10 games and brought home another ACC Title. By winning their conference, the Tigers secured their spot in the College Football Playoff.

Unfortunately, that is where their season came to an end.

Now, the program will be looking to build upon the success of last year in 2025. The future of the program looks really bright led by Cade Klubnik and the talented offense of Clemson.

One of the reasons for the sustained success of the program has been their ability to bring in and develop players who eventually head to the NFL.

One of those players who made the jump from the Tigers to the NFL last year was defensive tackle Ruke Orhorhoro.

The big defensive lineman was selected in second-round of the 2024 NFL Draft by the Atlanta Falcons and while his career hasn’t been perfect thus far, he is showing some nice promise in his rookie season.

Recently, Falcons defensive coordinator Jimmy Lake spoke about Orhorhoro’s development in his rookie season. Here’s what he had to say with text via The Clemson Insider.

“It was great to get him back,” Lake said of Orhorhoro during a recent press conference. “He was obviously developing. He played well in that first game that he first entered in. It was the Tampa game, and then he was injured. He was injured for a while, and so it was nice to get him back off of injury. You could see the reason why we drafted him. He’s electric. He can move. He’s smart. And he plays with a ferocity that he takes it to another level.”

Although the 23-year-old has spent time off the field recovering from injuries, he's performed well when healthy.

As a rookie, missing time really can hurt development, but the coaching staff of Atlanta seems to be pleased with where he is at.

While the statistics won’t jump off the page this year, most defensive tackles aren’t playmakers in the NFL.

However, the big defensive tackle was able to generate some pressure at the college level, which could be a sign of things to come as he continues to develop at the next level.

For the Falcons, Orhorhoro is going to certainly play a role on the team going forward. However, he will have to stay healthy and be on the field if he is going to reach his potential.

Now the Tigers will have a few more players looking to follow in his footsteps to the next level, with a number of players expected to have their names called during the NFL draft next year.