Week 9 has already passed, and a few former Tigers continue to make their presence known on the gridiron, representing Clemson in the best way.
Two of these former Tigers have been familiar names on the weekly list, while you may not have heard of one in a while. With that, let’s go over how the Clemson Tigers in the NFL performed this past week.
Tee Higgins — wide receiver, Cincinnati Bengals
Higgins has been on a roll since having veteran Joe Flacco at quarterback in place of Jake Browning and Joe Burrow.
After totaling seven catches for 140 yards and two touchdowns in the past two weeks, the star wideout nearly matched those stats in Week 9 alone.
Higgins caught seven of his nine targets for a season-high 121 yards and two touchdowns, nearly propelling the Bengals to victory. Unfortunately, the 6-foot-4 receiver’s valiant effort wasn’t enough, as Cincinnati fell 47-42 to the Chicago Bears.
Trevor Lawrence — quarterback, Jacksonville Jaguars
The Lawrence-led Jaguars got off to a hot start in the 2025 season, sitting at 4-1 through the first five weeks. However, following that, they went through a rough stretch, dropping the next two games to the Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams.
But they were able to bounce back this week in a nailbiter versus the Las Vegas Raiders. In the contest, Lawrence completed 23 of 34 passes for 220 yards and one interception.
While his passing statistics aren’t anything to rave about, his best work came on the ground, recording nine rushes for 24 yards and two touchdowns, including a game-winning rush in overtime to give the Jaguars a 30-29 victory.
Clelin Ferrell — defensive end, San Francisco 49ers
Ferrell is a name you may not have heard recently.
The 6-foot-4 edge rusher attended Clemson from 2015 to 2018 and had one of the most illustrious careers wearing orange. He was named to First Team All-ACC twice, First Team All-American twice and won the Ted Hendricks Award — an annual award given to the best defensive end in college football.
The Raiders, then based in Oakland, drafted him with the No. 4 overall pick in 2019, but unfortunately, Ferrell’s career hasn’t panned out as most hoped. He’s shown flashes, but hasn’t been able to solidify a role with a team — he was even cut by the Washington Commanders before the 2025 season started.
Ferrell then signed with the Los Angeles Chargers, but was released earlier last month. Two weeks ago, the 49ers signed him to their practice squad for a second stint in his career and quickly elevated him to the official roster due to injuries among the team.
In his first game with the 49ers, the former first-round pick recorded three tackles, one sack and one pressure in only 17 total snaps. The team dominated the New York Giants defensively, winning 34-24.
