Jadeveon Clowney and Shane Beamer prepare to share another milestone moment
Jadeveon Clowney will become the first player to earn a jersey retirement in the Shane Beamer era.
Well, sort of.
While Beamer was an assistant at South Carolina, the team was actively recruiting Clowney — the No. 1 recruit in the nation at the time.
Clowney signed with South Carolina on Feb. 14, 2011 — his 18th birthday — two weeks after the traditional National Signing Day.
“It was a long time of waiting for him to sign,” Beamer said. “When we were winning at a really, really high level here, we were doing it by keeping the best players in South Carolina at home.”
Soon after the Gamecocks signed Clowney that February, Beamer left for Virginia Tech to work for his legendary father, Frank Beamer.
On Saturday, the two will experience a full-circle moment with Clowney’s No. 7 jersey being honored and Shane Beamer kicking off his second year as a USC head coach.
Clowney was a five-star prospect from South Pointe High School in Rock Hill and remains the No. 1-ranked player in the history of 247Sports’ recruiting rankings.
He was selected No. 1 overall in the 2014 NFL Draft by the Houston Texans.
“Very rarely do you have a guy that’s the number one player in the country, and then goes to college and ends up being the number one draft pick as well after his college career,” Beamer said.
Quarterback Spencer Rattler will wear No. 7 for the USC offense and acknowledged the legacy that Clowney left as a Gamecock.
“Probably the best defensive end ever to come through college football,” Rattler said. “Big name here, big name across the country.”
Clowney helped lead USC to three 11-win seasons from 2011-2013. He was named to three All-SEC teams — including two first-team nods — and won the SEC Defensive Player of the Year award in 2012. He was a two-time All-American first-team player.
In the NFL, he is a three-time Pro Bowler and currently a member of the Cleveland Browns.
“Will be fantastic for so many of these recruits that’ll be here on Saturday night to see him,” Beamer said. “A guy that was in their shoes and got to where they want to be.”
Clowney will become the program’s fifth retired jersey. The most recent one came in 1987 when wide receiver Sterling Sharpe’s jersey was retired after the season.
USC FOOTBALL RETIRED JERSEYS
- #2 Sterling Sharpe (1983, 85-87)
- #7 Jadeveon Clowney (2011-13)
- #37 Steve Wadiak (1948-51)
- #38 George Rogers (1977-80)
- #56 Mike Johnson (1964)
This story was originally published August 30, 2022 at 4:49 PM.
