CLEMSON, S.C. (Clemson Athletics) – Former Clemson standouts Will Shipley, Jeremiah Trotter Jr. and K.J. Henry all earned their first Super Bowl championship rings on Sunday evening, as their Philadelphia Eagles defeated the Kansas City Chiefs, 40-22, in Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans.
In all, five former Tigers were under contract with the two Super Bowl LIX participants, including Chiefs wide receivers DeAndre Hopkins and Justyn Ross. Hopkins recorded a touchdown in the fourth quarter, joining William Perry (one rushing touchdown in Super Bowl XX) and Tee Higgins (two receiving touchdowns in Super Bowl LVI) to become the third Clemson product to score a touchdown in a Super Bowl. He also added a two-point conversion in the final minutes.
Clemson was one of only four programs nationally to have at least five former players under contract with this year’s Super Bowl teams, joining Georgia, Oklahoma and Alabama. Inclusive of players on active rosters, practice squads and reserve lists, the 2024 NFL season marked the seventh straight season that Clemson has had at least one player on the roster of the Super Bowl champion. Clemson’s seven-year streak with a Super Bowl champion is the nation’s second-longest streak, trailing only Michigan (11).
Overall, the 2024 season marked the ninth consecutive year in which a former Clemson player was under contract with a Super Bowl participant. Clemson is one of only 10 programs to produce a member of a Super Bowl roster in each of the last nine years, a group that also includes Georgia, LSU, Florida State, Washington, NC State, Michigan, Oklahoma, Auburn and Florida.
Super Bowl LVIII: Cornell Powell, Justyn Ross (Chiefs); Austin Bryant, Clelin Ferrell and Ray-Ray McCloud (49ers)
Super Bowl LIX: K.J. Henry, Will Shipley and Jeremiah Trotter Jr. (Eagles); DeAndre Hopkins, Justyn Ross (Chiefs)
Shipley was selected by the Eagles in the fourth round (No. 127 overall) of the 2024 NFL Draft after a superlative three-year career both athletically and academically at Clemson from 2021-23. In addition to exiting Clemson in the Top 10 in school history in total touchdowns (33), rushing touchdowns (31), 100-yard rushing games (10), all-purpose yards (4,253) and kickoff return yards (904), he is the only known FBS player on record to both produce 4,000 career all-purpose yards while simultaneously graduating with a perfect 4.0 career GPA in only a three-year span.
Trotter was selected by the Eagles in the fifth round (No. 155 overall) of the 2024 NFL Draft, joining the same organization where his father spent eight of his 12 NFL seasons and earned four Pro Bowl selections and a spot in the organization’s Hall of Fame. The younger Trotter spent three years at Clemson from 2021-23 and was named as an All-American in both 2022 and 2023, becoming Clemson’s first multi-time All-American at linebacker since Keith Adams in 1999 and 2000.
