South Carolina football alum Jadeveon Clowney has returned to the Carolinas. The Gamecock legend signed a two-year contract with the Carolina Panthers this offseason, bringing him to his hometown NFL team. A native of Rock Hill, Clowney is now just a short distance from where he played high school football for the South Pointe Stallions.
Recently, Clowney revisited another familiar place.
On Thursday, the Panthers participated in a fan fest event in Clemson, South Carolina. During the event, Clowney made a playful jab at the local team. When asked about returning to Clemson, where he played in 2012 as a Gamecock, Clowney quipped that he had “no problem with coming back” because he remembers “what happened when I was here.”
For those who might not recall (or simply enjoy the reminder), Jadeveon Clowney played in Memorial Stadium once during his time at South Carolina in 2012. Despite starting quarterback Connor Shaw missing the game due to injury, the Gamecocks won the top-12 matchup.
While Dylan Thompson performed admirably in place of the injured Shaw, the standout player was Clowney. The former top-ranked high school recruit delivered his best performance as a Gamecock, recording 7 tackles, a pass deflection, and 4.5 sacks. His sack total set a single-game record for South Carolina football and contributed to his single-season records of 13 sacks and 23.5 tackles for loss.
Every time Clemson quarterback Tajh Boyd dropped back to pass, Clowney was there. Whenever Andre Ellington or the other Clemson running backs took a handoff, they faced the intimidating presence of #7.
Ultimately, Clowney and the Gamecocks won the game 27-17, leading to their second of three consecutive top-10 and 11-win seasons. During Clowney’s tenure in Columbia, South Carolina never lost to their in-state rival, going 3-0 as part of their five-game winning streak in the series.
Clowney and the Carolina Panthers will kick off their season on September 8th against the New Orleans Saints and rookie quarterback Spencer Rattler.
