Tee Higgins, a former star wide receiver for the Oak Ridge Wildcats who won a college football championship at Clemson University, announced this month that he will enter the 2020 NFL draft.
Higgins announced his decision on Twitter on Wednesday, January 15.
“It has always been my dream to play in the NFL and take care of my family,” Higgins, a junior at Clemson, said in his Twitter announcement. “Because of Clemson, I now have the opportunity to do that. So it is with a grateful heart that I announce today my intention to enter the 2020 NFL Draft.”
The draft is scheduled from April 23-25 in Paradise, Nevada.
Higgins has been one of the most productive receivers in Clemson history, according to the Greenville News in South Carolina. He will leave Clemson with 135 receptions for 2,448 yards and 27 touchdowns. His 27 touchdowns are tied for the most all-time in program history with NFL stars DeAndre Hopkins and Sammy Watkins.
A 6-foot-4, 215-pounder, Higgins led the Tigers with 1,167 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns this season, the newspaper said. He averaged a team-high 19.8 yards on his 59 receptions. It’s his second consecutive season of catching 50 or more passes, according to The Tennessean.
Higgins had three receptions for 52 yards in the 42-25 national championship game loss to LSU on Monday, January 13, but he scored a touchdown on a 36-yard reverse on his first career rushing attempt, the Greenville News said.
He was named most valuable player of the 62-17 ACC Championship victory over Virginia in December, when he had nine catches for a record-setting 182 receiving yards and three touchdowns.
Higgins, who was a sophomore, had three catches for 81 yards, including a five-yard touchdown catch, in Clemson’s 44-16 win over Alabama in the college football championship game in January 2019.
Higgins was the highest-rated signee in Clemson’s 2017 class, and he was rated a top prospect in Tennessee and the country.
He was a Mr. Football in Tennessee in Class 5A in 2015 and 2016, and he had 68 catches for 1,044 yards and 18 touchdowns as a senior at Oak Ridge.
Higgins was also a star basketball player at Oak Ridge, and he was a finalist for Mr. Basketball as a junior in 2016, when he averaged 15 points and 6.6 rebounds per game.
He chose Clemson over Tennessee, Ohio State, Florida State, and Alabama.
In his Twitter announcement, Higgins said his three years at Clemson have been “unbelievable,” calling the university family.
“1 National Championship and 3 College Football Playoff appearances are accomplishments and experiences that can never be taken away,” Higgins said. “But Clemson is much more than that. Clemson is different. It’s hard to explain—I know it has been said that there’s something in these hills, and as someone who grew up on the other side of those hills in Tennessee, I can tell you that it is 100 percent true—there really is something in these hills. If I had to boil it all down to one word it would have to be FAMILY. Clemson is family. I have been loved and treated like family from day one. I have formed relationships that will last a lifetime.â€
The Greenville News said Higgins is expected to be a first-round selection in the NFL draft.
He was the first Clemson player to declare for the 2020 NFL draft. Other Clemson players who will enter the draft are A.J. Terrell and Isaiah Simmons, while running back Travis Etienne will return for the 2020 season.
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