CLEMSON – Jamal Anderson, Jr., called his father the night before Clemson’s Orange-White Game, and told him he’s going to get a pick-six. He called his shot, and read quarterback Christopher Vizzina’s pass, taking it 24 yards back for a touchdown.

Anderson shares his name with his father, who coined the “dirty bird” celebration during his time as an All-Pro running back for the Atlanta Falcons. He had told his father that the iconic celebration would follow.

As he ran to the sideline, Anderson wasn’t going to do it. Then head coach Dabo Swinney stepped in.

“I scored and I run over to the sideline and Coach Swinney looks at me, he’s like ‘you gonna do the dirty bird’ and I gotta do it now,” Anderson said.

The sophomore linebacker played in all 13 games as a freshman, mainly as a special teams contributor. Heading into his second season, Anderson is in line for more playing time in 2024 and he wants to be as versatile as the Tigers could ask for.

“I want to be whatever our defense needs from game-to-game just playing football honestly. Just going out there, having fun with my brothers and having each others back. Whether that’s covering or blitzing or do whatever I’m told,” Anderson said.

When Anderson made the interception, Swinney was amazed by the play his rising linebacker had made. With a full season under his belt, Anderson seized the opportunity to see the field more than he ever has in a Clemson uniform.

“He had an outstanding day. That’s what’s fun about a game like this because now he’s going out there and you’ve got to go start and play some big, big minutes,” Swinney said. “Man, that was an unbelievable play he made. He came back and made another one but there was a penalty. Really happy for him.”

As the offseason enters the summer, Anderson is focused on elevating physically. He said “speed is money” in today’s football and that’s something he doesn’t want to lose but he plans to reach 225 pounds so he has the strength to match.

Anderson credits his displayed improvements to his preparation. The window is open for him in a deep linebacker room. If Anderson continues this trajectory, there could be more “dirty birds” in the future.