Jeremiah Trotter Jr. Has 'Got the Right Stuff'

The Clemson coaching staff has been extremely pleased with the progress of freshman linebacker Jeremiah Trotter Jr. this spring, with defensive coordinator Brent Venables saying he possesses all the intangibles needed to make him a great player.

The Tigers only wanted to sign one linebacker in the 2021 recruiting class and the coaching staff was intent on finding the absolute right guy. Not only was talent an important factor, but he also had to be the right cultural fit.

Ultimately that player was Jeremiah Trotter Jr. and to say the coaching staff thinks they hit it out of the park with the addition of the freshman linebacker from Pennsylvania would be an understatement. 

Coaches have raved about the potential of Trotter Jr. all spring, including defensive coordinator Brent Venables, who was very complimentary of Trotter Jr.'s effort during his first spring practice. 

"He's got the right stuff, you know, to him, all the intangibles," Venables said. "But he's also gifted from an instinctual standpoint of blitzing, a physicality standpoint. He's showing instincts, physical toughness, doing good fundamentals and technique really has been sharp. Mentally, he's just been very diligent, but great teammate, is willing to be led. But he's about his business and he's had a good spring."

However, while Venables said there is a lot to like about Trotter Jr., he also cautioned against expecting to much, to soon from a player that is just beginning the process of learning how to play one of the most difficult positions on the Clemson defense.   

"He's had a great semester academically and the same, you know, on the field in the classroom," Venables said. "Football classroom has been excellent. Just can really see maturity and wisdom that's beyond his years and that takes a focus. And again it takes the maturity to kind of prioritize. You know, prioritizing is one of the hardest things to do and he's been able to do it his first semester."

"He's had a really good spring and he's had some moments where he hit the wall. And there's some tough days, you know his grades overall, nothing to write home about, but his production, it's been really good so when he gets some things cleaned up, as he continues to get his opportunities, I think he's got a great future." 

While the coaches have been extremely pleased with the progress that Trotter Jr. made throughout the spring, Venables said they would love to see him add a few pounds over the summer and show up to fall camp ready to contribute, both mentally and physically.

"Not real big yet, and so that'll be a focal point, going into the summer, about not putting too much weight on too soon," Venables said. "There's always that fine line, you want to carry it well. Think he might be close to 220, maybe 218 or so, and maybe getting closer to 225 to 228 by the end of the summer would be a realistic goal."

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