CLEMSON – The name Terrell has become synonymous with defensive dominance in the last decade at Clemson. 

In 2018, A.J. Terrell, then a cornerback for the Tigers, scored the first touchdown of Clemson’s national championship win over Alabama with a pick-six, capping off his sophomore season in which he recorded three interceptions in 15 starts. 

Terrell earned All-ACC honors twice in his three-year career as a Tiger, adding 20 pass breakups and six interceptions along the way. Now an Atlanta Falcon, the veteran finished with a 29-1 record in his Clemson career en route to becoming the 16th overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.

“He’s going against the best of the best, and he’s a dominant, dominant football player,” head coach Dabo Swinney said of Terrell after his selection to play professionally in his hometown. 

Luckily for Swinney, the Tigers did not have to wait long before another Terrell, A.J.’s younger brother Avieon, made his way to Clemson. Just a year after A.J’s exit, the younger Terrell scored an offer from Swinney and the Tigers as a freshman in high school.

“The only way I would ever offer a freshman or sophomore is I gotta know them,” Swinney told the younger Terrell via FaceTime while giving him his offer. “I gotta know who they are, what they’re about, I gotta know their family, I have to see them in camp, and you check all of those boxes. Here’s what I’m going to tell you: You’re going to be better than your brother. He went 16th (in the Draft) and we’re gonna beat that.”

Three years later, it did not take Terrell long to emerge from his brother’s shadow, despite constant comparisons. As a freshman, Terrell notched 18 tackles, six pass breakups, and an interception in 13 games (five starts).

In his sophomore campaign, Terrell finished with 64 tackles (4.5 for loss), 13 pass breakups, two interceptions over 14 games. 

In the offseason leading to his junior year, Terrell’s stats spoke for themselves– he was officially no longer just a little brother. In fact, many current mock drafts point to Swinney’s statement from five years ago: Avieon may just be drafted higher than A.J.

While many of their metrics and statistics look the same, Avieon has had to take on a different kind of leadership role at Clemson than his brother ever did. He has had to be a leader in the locker room through three early losses for the Tigers (1-3, 0-2 ACC).

This leadership showed vividly after Clemson’s latest loss to Syracuse, as Terrell physically supported Swinney during the Alma Mater.

“It was a tough time, just got done with the game so I wanted to go to my coach and just let him know I’m here,” Terrell said of the now-viral moment with Swinney.  “I really love Coach Swinney, so really just singing the Alma Mater with him was what that was.”

Terrell’s leadership has carried on during the games as well, as he currently is responsible for six pass breakups, including five in the Syracuse loss, as well as two forced fumbles, and 2.5 tackles for loss, ranking near the top of the Tigers’ defense in every statistic.

According to Terrell, the next step for the junior, probably in his last few months as a Tiger, is to continue developing into a vocal leader.

“I’ve been more vocal, coming out of my shell, but you always think you could do better being vocal, but I feel like I’ve been doing better with my group,” he said. “I just need to be more vocal to the team.”

That leadership will be crucial as the Tigers look to turn around their season, starting with a chance this weekend at the University of North Carolina. The Tigers and the Tar Heels (2-2) will kick off at noon at Kenan Memorial Stadium. Coverage will be shown on ESPN.

Both Terrell brothers are currently undefeated against North Carolina.