Clemson Only School That Can Boast This NFL Feat
By: Robert MacRae January 13, 2025

The Clemson football program prides itself on developing NFL players, and the Tigers have a strong track record of sending players to the league. That includes plenty of defensive linemen that Clemson has produced over the years.

When it comes to the defensive tackle position in particular, Clemson is the only school in the country that can boast this impressive feat for the 2024-25 NFL season.

According to Clemson Football’s official social media account, Clemson was one of five schools to have multiple players lead NFL teams in sacks this season.

And of those five, Clemson was the only school to produce multiple defensive tackles who led their teams in sacks.

Those two defensive tackles are Dexter Lawrence and Bryan Bresee. Lawrence logged a career-high nine sacks this season to lead the New York Giants, while Bresee posted a team-high 7.5 sacks for the New Orleans Saints.

Lawrence, who finished his sixth NFL season, was recently named to his third straight Pro Bowl. Along with his nine sacks, he recorded 44 total tackles, including a career-high eight tackles for loss. He also had 16 quarterback hits, a forced fumble and a pass defended in 12 games before being placed on injured reserve on Dec. 3 after dislocating his left elbow in the Giants’ Thanksgiving Day game against the Dallas Cowboys.

The 6-foot-4, 340-pounder entered this season with 266 total tackles, 28 tackles for loss and 21 sacks in his career after being selected by the Giants in the first round (17th overall) of the 2019 draft.

Bresee, meanwhile, continues to make a major impact for the Saints after they selected him in the first round (29th overall) of the 2023 NFL Draft.

After impressing as a rookie last year, Bresee had a big Year 2 in the league. The 6-foot-5, 305-pounder tallied 25 total tackles, seven tackles for loss, 14 quarterback hits, three passes defended and a forced fumble over 17 games to go with his 7.5 sacks.

–Photo courtesy Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images