In this series we will pick the best players from Clemson’s Modern Era (1990-present). This is the era following the Tigers’ great teams of the Danny Ford and Charlie Pell era. Some of the players on this list might be considered among Clemson’s all-time greats and you are sure to recognize a few if not all of the names on our list.
We continue our series today by looking at the centers on Clemson’s All-Modern Era Team.
After reviewing our picks each day, please feel free to tell us if you agree with them or not by going to The Rock on our forums page. All of our forum pages are free to view and register, just like all of our content.
First Team
Dalton Freeman (2009-’12): Freeman had 171 knockdowns in a school-record 3,361 snaps over 53 games (49 starts) in his career. He is tied for first in school history in starts and tied for fourth in games played overall. Freeman started each of the last 49 games at center. He was a two-time finalist for the Rimington Trophy, and was a two-time First-Team All-ACC selection by the media, the first Tiger center to do that. The First-Team All-American on the field, was also very successful off the field. He was a three-time Academic All-ACC selection, and four-times earned ACC Academic Honor Roll. In 2012, Freeman had his best season where he earned first-team honors from the American Football Coaches Association and second-team honors from the Associated Press. He became the first Tiger Academic All-American since 2001 and the fourth Tiger in history to be named an All-American on the field and in the classroom in the same academic year. Freeman recorded 28 knockdowns in 959 snaps in over 13 games in 2012, and had a team-high five knockdowns in playing all 89 snaps against No. 25 Auburn. Clemson finished that season 11-2 and ranked No. 9 nationally, which included a come-from-behind win over No. 9 LSU in the 2012 Chick-fil-A Bowl.
Second Team
Kyle Young (1998-2001): Young ranks among the top student-athletes in Clemson history. He is the only three-time first-team Academic All-American in any sport in the Clemson record books. He is also one of just two ACC football players and one of just two offensive linemen in college football history to be a three-time first-team selection. Young was a two-time All-American on the field in 2000 and 2001. As the starting center for the Tigers, he was a finalist for the Dave Rimington Award in 2000 and 2001 for the nation’s top center. Young helped the Tigers to three bowl games, including the 2000 season when Clemson finished 14th in the final USA Today poll with a 9-3 record. Young provided many of the holes that Woodrow Dantzler ran through to establish Clemson and national records as the starting quarterback in 2000 and 2001. In 2001, Young became the first Clemson football student-athlete in 23 years to win an NCAA Football Foundation Scholar Athlete Award. He also won the Jim Tatum Award given to the ACC’s top scholar athlete in football and was the recipient of the Anson Mount scholarship for the nation’s top scholar athlete in football. He currently works as an associate athletic director for the Clemson athletic department.
Third Team
Dustin Fry (2003-2006): Fry lettered four years with the Tigers and was a First-Team All-ACC center in 2006. He played a big role in why Clemson’s offense averaged 6.5 yards per play, which is still the best mark in school history. That year, the Tigers led the ACC in rushing at 217.8 yards per game. Running back James Davis rushed for 1,187 yards and scored 17 touchdowns that year, while C.J. Spiller rushed for 938 yards and totaled 10 touchdowns. Clemson led the ACC with 5.7 yards per rush that year. Fry was also the starting center for an offense that averaged 5.6 yards per play in 2005 and won the 2005 Champs Sports Bowl.