His Bother Loves Scoring TDs, Clemson’s Kobe McCloud Loves to Hit

Playing linebacker will allow younger McCloud to leave his own mark at Clemson
Will Vandervort / All Clemson
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CLEMSON, S.C. — Kobe McCloud understands his older brother’s legacy at Clemson. But his older brother’s legacy is not his. He came to Clemson to make a name for himself.

McCloud’s brother, Ray-Ray McCloud, played a big role on the Tigers’ 2016 National Championship team. The former wide receiver also helped Clemson win three ACC Championships, play in two other College Football Playoffs, and play in another national title game during his three years in Tigertown.

“Anywhere I go, I feel like somebody is going to know him,” Kobe McCloud said to All Clemson recently. “And that is great. I am proud of my brother. But I am going to do what I have to do and carry on what he left here.”

The younger McCloud will have an opportunity to make his own name because he does not play the wide receiver position like his brother did. In fact, he does not even play on the offensive side of the ball. He plays the position that players like his brother hate to run into.

Kobe McCloud is a linebacker.

“I like hitting people more,” he said with a smile.

McCloud hit a lot of people in high school.

The 6-foot, 210-pound freshman excelled at linebacker at Gaither High School in Tampa, Fla. He posted schools records with 234 career tackles and 13 interceptions. He was a two-time all-conference and all-county selection.

During his senior year, he was credited with 70 tackles, while also recording three interceptions.

“The adrenaline rush of making a tackle feels great. The feeling you get for four or five seconds in between plays,” McCloud said. “It is a good feeling.”

McCloud also loves standing running backs up in the hole, getting sacks and tackles behind the line of scrimmage. However, the best feeling is forcing a turnover.

“I think giving the ball back to the offense is a great feeling. It feels impactful,” he said.

Clemson will begin camp this week, and McCloud knows he has a lot to learn since he did not arrive on campus until June. The linebacking room is stacked with talented and experienced players, so his attitude coming into preseason camp is to do the best he can.

“I want to be the best version of myself that I can be,” he said.

Clemson will begin fall camp on Friday at the Allen Reeves Football Complex in Clemson.

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Will Vandervort
WILL VANDERVORT

Vandervort brings nearly 25 years of experience as a sportswriter and editor to the All Clemson team. He has worked in the industry since 1997, covering all kinds of sports from the high school ranks to the professional level. The South Carolina native spent the first 12 years of his career in the newspaper industry before moving over to the online side of things in 2009. Vandervort is an award-winning sportswriter and editor and has been a published author three times. His latest book, “Hidden History of Clemson Football” was ranked by Book Authority as one the top 10 college football books for 2021.