With all the success that the Clemson football program has had, top recruits have flocked to Tigertown. From Trevor Lawrence to Da’Quan Bowers to Bryan Bresee, the Tigers have landed some of the highest-rated recruits in college football history.

However, some of the Tigers’ most well-known and universally loved contributors were not-so-highly hailed in high school, fighting to earn their spot among other Clemson legends.

Grady Jarrett

As a lowly-rated three-star, Jarrett attracted virtually no attention from Power Five head coaches across the nation. In fact, the only Power Five school outside of Clemson to offer the big-bodied defensive tackle was Mississippi State. Buffalo and Western Kentucky made up Jarrett’s only other offers.

Jarrett became a starter on the Tigers’ defense during his sophomore year, when he was an All-ACC honorable mention and sophomore All-American honorable mention. By his senior season, Jarrett was an All-American and All-ACC selection that had cemented himself as an NFL-caliber player.

Since his time at Clemson, Jarrett has become one of the best defensive linemen in the entire NFL. Along with his two Pro Bowl selections, he also tied the record for most sacks in the Super Bowl with three of his own.

Chandler Catanzaro

The Catman had two offers to play college football out of high school: Clemson and Furman. He chose the Tigers and the rest is history.

As a freshman, Catanzaro immediately took over the starting kicker position for the Tigers and held the job for the next four seasons. By the time he left Clemson, Catanzaro was Clemson’s all-time leading scorer, a record he held until 2020.

Catanzaro found instant success as a rookie in the NFL, but after a few different stints, his career eventually fizzled out.

Hunter Renfrow

Renfrow is perhaps one of the greatest recruiting gems of all-time, coming to Clemson as a preferred walk-on in 2014. His only other college offers came from the FCS level.

Despite not holding a full scholarship, Renfrow engrained himself as a Clemson and college football legend over the next four seasons. On top of his 2,133 yards and 15 touchdowns as a Tiger, Renfrow caught the game-winning touchdown in the 2017 College Football Playoff National Championship game and took home the Burlsworth Trophy in 2018.

Despite sliding to the fifth round in the 2019 NFL Draft, Renfrow has emerged as one of the league’s best slot receivers for the Las Vegas Raiders. After a 2021 Pro Bowl selection, Renfrow signed a two-year contract extension worth $32 million.

Dear Old Clemson has added the Tiger Sack Pack to our online store.  Save by getting the Two Pack of signed cards from two of the nation’s top defensive ends, Myles Murphy and Xavier Thomas.

Now there is a new way you can support Clemson student-athletes. Purchase collectibles from Dear Old Clemson and the proceeds with go to support Clemson student-athletes. 

Dear Old Clemson is doing NIL the ‘Clemson way’, but we need your help to make sure we build a sustainable, repeatable model that will help keep Clemson competitive with the other top programs around the nation.

Dabo Swinney: “We need your assistance more than ever to provide meaningful NIL opportunities. Tiger Impact, Dear Old Clemson and other collectives allow student-athletes to utilize their voice and platform to maximize their NIL opportunities and strengthen their impact in the community.”

Graham Neff:
“Tiger Impact, Dear Old Clemson and other collectives need your support to help provide meaningful NIL opportunities for our student athletes. We are doing things the right way, the Clemson way with integrity as a non-negotiable and we fully support the mission of these groups.”

Join the Tiger Club or Lady Tiger Club to help these great student-athletes and help the Tigers compete at the highest level!