The free NFL agency is in full swing and as players begin to pair with the teams, two former South Carolina defensive stars are still available.
Bryan DeArdo of CBS released his list of the top 10 free agents remaining on Sunday. Three pro bowl selections Melvin Ingram and Jadeveon Clowney made the list, with Ingram holding first place and Clowney two places behind him.
In Ingram:
“Ingram is about to prove that he is still an elite player after injuries significantly impacted his 2020 season. After a slow start, Ingram counted 43 sacks between 2015-19. The Ravens are ‘controlling’ the Ingram market, from according to CBS Sports Jason La Canfora, NFL insider. “
At Clowney:
“One of last year’s top free agents, Clowney did not join a new team until he signed a one-year, $ 12 million contract with Titans on September 8. A knee injury limited Clowney to just eight games last year as he failed to register a layoff for the first time since his debut season. The Ravens, who recently lost the defensive edge Yannick Ngakoue to the Raiders, were appointed a possible landing site for Clowney. “
When the year 2021 of the NFL was born last week, 12 ex-Gamecocks were free agents. Since then, only two have been signed: placekicker Ryan Succop signed again with Tampa Bay on March 17 and tight end Jared Cook signed with Los Angeles Chargers on March 18.
NFL Gamecocks: Free Agency Tracker
After three consecutive seasons as a Pro Bowl team, Ingram had seven games (all matches) played in 2020 with two trips to the reserve due to a knee injury. He only made 10 tackles and did not register any tackle by defeat or sack. He has only played for Chargers since joining the league as a first-round team in 2012. Ingram, a 2007 class candidate from Rockingham, NC (Richmond), spent five years with the 2007-11 Gamecocks football program. He changed the 2008 season due to a broken foot in an off-field incident. As a junior and senior in 2010 and 2011, he combined 26 loss tackles and 19 sacks. He was chosen 18th by the then San Diego Chargers in 2012.
End-of-season meniscus surgery limited Clowney, the No. 1 choice of 2014, to eight games (all started) played in 2020 with Tennessee. He had 19 tackles, four tackles for them, four defending passes and a forced fumble. If he does not resign from the Titans, he will play for his third different team in three years.
As a freshman at Columbia in 2011, Clowney was the SEC’s freshman of the year, the second All-SEC selection and the first team and the Freshman All-American selection. In the second year, he was the All-America Player of the Year, finished sixth in the Heisman vote, was elected the Hendricks Prize winner as the nation’s best defensive side (first sophomore to win the award), was an All-American from the main team, the choice of coaches as the SEC Defensive Player of the Year and an All-SEC selection from the first team. He set the school record for a single season of sacks (13.0) and tackles for defeat (23.5) and was tied for third in the country in sacks and tied for second in tackles for defeat.
In his senior year, his junior season in 2013, he received honors from America’s first team for the AFCA and the second team in America for Walter Camp. He became the third player in the school’s history, joining Warren Muir and George Rogers as an All-American twice. He also received praise from the All-SEC’s first team. In 11 games played, he recorded 40 tackles, including 11.5 tackles for defeat. He is the second in the school’s history with 47.0 loss tackles and the third with 24.0 sacks in his career and holds the school record with nine forced fumbles.