2023 is almost certainly the last ride for Clemson’s star linebackers. Jeremiah Trotter Jr. and Barrett Carter are likely first-round picks in next year’s NFL draft and strong seasons would solidify that.

Trotter was an AP All-American as a sophomore with 92 tackles and 13.5 for loss. As the Mike linebacker, he’s the quarterback of the defense and he’s imperative for the unit’s success. That’s no differenr for Carter, who was a Phil Steele All-American with 77 tackles and 10.5 for loss on his own.

The numbers speak enough on their own to the pair’s value, and they talked about how successful this fall camp was on the latest episode of Crash Course. Trotter said it’s been a great fall camp and Carter detailed what’s made it so valuable.

“We’ve been going at it 16 days straight. Meetings and practice, it’s been going great,” Carter said. “The team has been grinding, working super hard and you know, we’re just excited to finally, you know we’re getting close to the season and I think all of the guys are just really focused on the goals that we have for the team but everyone’s locked in. It was a really good camp.”

Conpetition is the mantra of this camp from all the players, with the last season leaving a bad taste with a lot of these veterans. Mix in the addition of offensive coordinator Garrett Riley and it sparked a deeper “iron sharpens iron” mentality with the team.

“Blood, sweat and tears as people say,” Carter said. “That really builds the team chemistry and I’m excited for the season and what this team can do with these guys we have and this camp really just builds confidence for a lot of guys as well, a lot of young guys.”

The season is just over a week away, and the linebacker pair are hungry as ever to compete for an ACC and potentially national title in what’s looking like their last season as Tigers.