The defensive standout graduated from South Pointe High School in Rock Hill.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Rock Hill native Jadeveon Clowney made a name for himself playing high school football at South Pointe, he then went on to play collegiately for South Carolina and was drafted Number 1 overall by the Houston Texans in 2014. Now in his 11th NFL season, Clowney has returned to the Carolinas to play for his hometown team, the Carolina Panthers.
Clowney joined WCNC’s Ashley Stroehlein to discuss what it means to play for the Panthers and more.
Q: What does it mean to be a Carolina Panther?
A: That’s a great feeling to be back home. I’ve been watching my whole life before I even became into the NFL. I used to watch the Panthers all the time on TV, because I grew up right down the road in Rock Hill, probably the only game that was on TV. Now playing here, it’s great.
Q: When you knew, you were going to the league, was there ever a thought in your mind of wanting to come back to Carolina at some point or were you surprised that this opportunity happened the way it did?
A: I said I would want to come back but I didn’t want to do it early in my career because I didn’t want to be a young kid here. You’re too close to my family and everything just not being able to lock in and be focused. But me being here now, this is a perfect time for me and my career because I got a lot smarter, a lot older and I’m on a young team and I’m just like in the teaching phase and helping guys around me. It’s a great feeling knowing that the knowledge I have learned over the years is going to help guys develop into great players throughout their career.
Q: How do you think you’re going to feel the first home game when you put the Panthers jersey on, and you run out through the tunnel and take the field knowing that you’re playing here?
A: Probably anxiety is going to kick in a little bit, a little nervous. I think that just comes with the territory with playing football in general and knowing that you’re in front of your people that have been watching you your whole career and that are very close now. It’s just going to be that until I get that first snap and then I think it’ll be over with for sure.
Q: Your roots are in Rock Hill, and we have all the South Point highlights of yours in the archives. When you think back on your time there and growing up there, playing high school football there, what comes to mind for you?
A: Family and friends come to mind because all of the guys on my team, it was like family and friends, brothers growing up. It wasn’t nothing I wouldn’t do for them guys. When you grow up like that in a tight group in a tight community, we hung out outside of football, it was just great to have them guys in my corner.
Q: Is there anything on the field that comes to mind if you’re sitting back and you’re the tapes in and re-watching your highlights.
A: Just the big hits. I had a lot of big hits. We used to give out Hammer awards back in high school. So, whoever got the biggest knock out of the game, you get a hammer, and I had like a few of them had about six or seven Hammer awards. I just loved hitting back then making big hits, big plays.
Q: You go to South Carolina to play your college ball and I know you get asked about this all the time, but every time every year when college football ramps up, it’s already trending on social media the Michigan hit, does it get old when people ask you about it?
A: I was just trying to make a play. That’s all I could remember in that game, be where the ball is. I didn’t even think about the helmet or the hit. I was just like find the ball because we are losing. I’m just glad it was me that made the play.
Q: Being back in the number 7, what does that mean?
A: Oh, that’s a great feeling. I feel like when I put that 7 on, it’s like it just does something to me, man. I’m ready to get out there. We’ll see what happens in that seven.
