Clemson football was once 4-4 and on the brink of panic until the Tigers turned it around to finish 9-4 following a thrilling win in the Gator Bowl.

Looking at the season as a whole, there wasn’t many constants and that played a large factor in the early struggles. There was a beaming one though, and he stood in the middle of the defense.

ESPN listed the MVP’s for each top 25 team in college football, and Clemson linebacker Jeremiah Trotter earned the honors. He was the anchor and kept this group together often through his stellar play and leadership that Dabo Swinney raved about often.

The Tigers didn’t have the season they envisioned, splitting their first eight games before an 8-4 overall finish. Clemson’s defense wasn’t as stifling as it has been in past years, but Trotter met expectations with another All-America season. A second-team AP All-America selection in 2022, Trotter received several first-team honors and was a finalist for the Butkus Award as the nation’s top linebacker. He started every regular-season game before declaring for the NFL draft, and led Clemson in total tackles (88), tackles for loss (15) and sacks (5.5) through the regular season.

While he didn’t play in the bowl game, Trotter was undoubtedly the star of the season. On top of his box score success, he accumulated 27 pressures in 2023 according to Pro Football Focus.

Trotter’s NFL draft stock was already high, and he added to his value for the next level with his final season as a Tiger. He’ll be a large commodity in the 2024 class.