B.J. Goodson didn’t carry a recruiting profile like the other three linebackers Clemson signed in 2011.

Stephone Anthony, Tony Steward and Lateek Townsend all had at least four bright, shiny stars beside their names. They were picked for All-American games. Reporters blew up their phones for interviews. Offers flew in from every corner of the country.

Goodson was ranked by Rivals as the No. 20 overall prospect in the state of South Carolina. He wasn’t even picked for the Shrine Bowl.

On Saturday, Goodson led the No. 1 team in the country with nine tackles, two sacks and a fourth-quarter fumble recovery, which helped seal Clemson’s 23-13 win over Florida State.

After the game, Dabo Swinney told reporters that Goodson will play on Sundays.

“He’s a big-time player, came from a small school, Lamar…where Levon Kirkland came from, Mike Hamlin came from,” Swinney said. “He’s just a guy who’s put his time in, never grown wary. He just kind of stayed the course.”

Before this season, Goodson played mostly as a reserve and special teamer. He logged 311 snaps over 32 games in his first three seasons on the field at Clemson. Most of his work — 256 snaps — came last year when he split time as the starter at SAM linebacker.

Goodson was sporting a redshirt the last time Clemson clinched an ACC Championship appearance. Now, he’s the starting MIKE linebacker for the 2015 ACC Atlantic Division champs.

“This is a great experience, to actually be putting forth the effort and fighting for it,” Goodson said. “Hopefully, this is a great experience for the guys who are redshirting, to see us lead.

“I had a chance to see guys lead — Andre Branch, other guys like Tig Willard, Jonathan Meeks — I had a chance to see those guys lead. This is for them. This is for them. This is for the forefathers of this tradition.”

Goodson has carried the torch pretty well, too.

“He’s a heck of a pleyer,” Swinney said. “He’s had two weeks in a row — he’s played great all year, but these last two weeks he has been big-time for us.”