Larry Brown Sports

Jadeveon Clowney is so good some people believe he has a chance to top Derrick Thomas’ single-season collegiate sack record of 27. Clowney is also so young that he told reporters Thursday he doesn’t remember the former Alabama standout.

“I’m going to try to break that, hopefully,” Clowney said of Thomas’ 27, via The Post & Courier.

The Post & Courier’s Darryl Slater says that when asked, Clowney said he did not remember Thomas.

Ouch.

Thomas was a star linebacker with the Kansas City Chiefs from 1989-1999. He amassed 126.5 sacks in 169 games, including 20 in the 1990 season — seven of which came in one game against the Seattle Seahawks, which is an NFL single-game record. The Hall of Famer was in a car accident on Jan. 23, 2000 and died because of a blood clot two and a half weeks later on Feb. 8.

Clowney, who is turning 20 and entering his junior season as a DE at South Carolina, was only six years old when Thomas died, so it’s understandable why he wouldn’t remember the Chiefs legend. Clowney also said during an interview with ESPN this week that he considers LeBron James the best basketball player because he didn’t really see Michael Jordan play. That’s the difference between a youngster like Clowney and someone like LeBron; James is a sports fan who has taken time to study the history of the game. Clowney could stand to do some of that so he’ll know more about some of the people whose records he will be breaking on his way to a likely Hall of Fame career. And then maybe he won’t make many of us feel so old in the process.

For those who forgot about the awesomeness of Thomas, here’s a video showing his seven sacks against the Seahawks:

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Michigan running back Vincent Smith was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time back at the beginning of January. It’s not his fault South Carolina defensive lineman Jadeveon Clowney timed a play perfectly and someone missed a block. It’s also not Smith’s fault that the best player in college football laid the hit of the century on him and forced him to cough up the ball, but it happened.

And now, Smith has to live with it. As if it wasn’t already bad enough that he still has to see himself on “SportsCenter” and in sarcastic newspaper ads, South Carolina has now decided to make a photograph of the play the cover of its spring football guide. Since Clowney recently assured everyone he would never consider sitting out a season, I don’t blame them for finding every way they can to remind fans of the hit.

Poor Vincent Smith.

H/T Eye on College Football

South Carolina defensive lineman Jadeveon Clowney is widely considered to be the best player in college football, and he’s only entering his sophomore season. Since Clowney is already NFL-ready, Tom Sorensen of the Charlotte Observer proposed the idea last month that he should sit out the upcoming season to avoid injury.

It sounds like a crazy idea, but a number of people have hopped on board. Clowney isn’t one of them.

“My mom was the first person who called me and was like ‘I hope you ain’t talking about doing something crazy like this,’” Clowney said during an interview with ESPN’s Tom Rinaldi. “Nobody would like me here. I’m not leaving school. I don’t really think I’m taking a big risk. You can get hurt anywhere. I could get in a car accident on any given day outside of football. I could trip over a curb and tear my ACL.

“I’ve been doing this since I was 5 years old, playing football. If this is my time to get hurt, it’s my time to get hurt. I’m just gonna play like I’ve been playing.”

Clowney isn’t the first player to dominate his freshman season to the point where he would already be a first-round draft choice. It has happened before, and it will happen again. All players have to worry about a serious injury that could jeopardize their professional career. If Clowney chose to sit out, he’d be letting down his South Carolina teammates and coaches. Not to mention, he wouldn’t be doing much to help his Q-score.

I think I speak for everyone when I say I’m thrilled Clowney has committed to playing in 2013. We need to see more incredible hits like this.

Unfortunately for Michigan running back Vincent Smith, South Carolina defensive end Jadeveon Clowney is one of the best players in college football. Otherwise, the Wolverines may have won the Outback Bowl rather than Smith feeling the wrath of Clowney and essentially fumbling the game away. That, and there wouldn’t still be South Carolina newspapers making jokes at Smith’s expense.

As you can see from the photo above that Twitter user @AdamCTwitty passed along (via the Detroit Free Press), a South Carolina paper recently ran a sarcastic advertisement asking if anyone has seen Smith’s helmet. If for some reason you have forgotten the hit that Clowney put on Smith that sent his helmet flying and shook the universe, go ahead and click here.

If it’s any consolation to Smith, Clowney would likely be the top overall pick in the NFL draft if eligibility rules weren’t forcing him to stay at South Carolina for another year. My guess is the 256-pound sophomore hasn’t sent his last helmet flying through the air.

H/T Eye on College Football

South Carolina sophomore defensive lineman Jadeveon Clowney forced a fumble in the Outback Bowl on Tuesday with one of the hardest hits and best overall plays by a lineman we have ever seen.

Clowney, who has 13 sacks on the season and is considered by many to be the best player in college football, broke into the backfield unblocked and just destroyed Michigan running back Vincent Smith to force a fumble that he recovered. Smith is listed at 5-foot-6 and 175 pounds. Clowney is 6-foot-6 and 256 pounds. He’s nearly twice Smith’s size. His hit was so forceful it literally popped off Smith’s helmet. The play was a game-changer as South Carolina scored on a touchdown pass to Ace Sanders the following play.

If Clowney didn’t have to remain in college for another season before turning pro, he would probably be the first pick in the NFL draft. What a play.

GIF below:

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