Collegiate Times

Michigan quarterback Denard Robinson (16) looks to pass in the third quarter against Massachusetts at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Saturday, September 15, 2012. Michigan defeated UMass, 63-13. (Julian H. Gonzalez/Detroit Free Press/MCT)

Emert

The process of writing Dual Perspectives doesn’t change much.

Brian and I spend a few minutes every Monday discussing potential topics for the coming Friday’s article. We finally settle on a theme, and then spend a night or two mulling over possible candidates. We shoot a few ideas back and forth at each other until we finally feel we have two solid choices.

That’s how most weeks go, but not this one. We agreed that the topic would be the most dangerous player in college football.

As he started to leave, I yelled at him my choice. I didn’t need more time to mull over possibly candidates — I had my man.

If the term “freak of nature” could be used in an endearing way, it would be used to describe South Carolina’s Jadeveon Clowney.

At 6-foot-6, 255 lbs., the defensive end from Rock Hill, S.C. has been responsible for making sure opposing offensive coordinators get no sleep before they play the Gamecocks.

Coming out of high school in 2011, Clowney was considered No. 1 player in the nation. 

His senior season he had 29.5 sacks, 11 forced fumbles and five defensive touchdowns.  He carried the ball 32 times, scored nine times and tallied up 277 yards.

But that’s just high school.

Last year at South Carolina, he totaled eight sacks, good for eighth in the SEC. He was the only freshman in the top 10. He also forced five fumbles — only seven players in the nation forced more — and was the first freshman to start on the Gamecocks’ defensive line for the Steve Spurrier since 2007.  Clowney was named SEC freshman-of-the-year and SEC defensive-player-of-the-year.

This year he is on pace to blow past all his previous records. 

In just seven games (he played 13 last year) he has more tackles, as many tackles for loss and just 1.5 fewer sacks. 

Various producers of mock drafts disagree on whether he will enter the NFL after his junior or senior season, but they all have him as a No. 1 overall pick.

As a child, I wasn’t big on superheroes. It may be sacrilegious, but I would have rather watched repeats of SportsCenter, a documentary on the History Channel or an episode of Spongebob.

Watching Jadeveon Clowney line up across from some of the best offensive linemen in the nation and shred them apart makes me feel like I am making up for lost time. 

The kid doesn’t wear a cape between the sidelines but he might as well. He’s faster than a speeding bullet (4.48 40-yard-dash time), stronger than a locomotive and can leap over tall buildings in a single bound (30’’ vertical leap).  

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A version of this article appeared in the Oct 19 issue of the Collegiate Times.