Clemson Tigers

Clemson's next D-line star can do backflips like a Power Ranger

Published Mar. 9, 2016 2:15 p.m. ET

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No defensive line lost more to the NFL this offseason than Clemson’s. In bookend ends Shaq Lawson and Kevin Dodd — who both are leaving early — the Tigers lose a combined 49 TFLs and 24.5 sacks. They also lose a ridiculous athletic 320-pound tackle in D.J. Reader. Their departures come a season after losing star DT Grady Jarrett and DE Vic Beasley, a tandem that caused havoc for rival offenses and produced 31 TFLs and 13.5 sacks.

But don’t expect a huge drop-off from the Tigers D. Another wave is coming. 

The next star? Remember the name Christian Wilkins, a freakish 6-foot-4, 310-pound DT from Springfield, Mass., who can do backflips and splits. Wilkins’ explanation for where the backflipping came from?

"All my life I wanted to be a Power Ranger,” Wilkins told FOX Sports. "I could do everything else they could do but the backflip. I always tried to do and I’d land on my knees, so then I’d get a little running start. I like to cartwheel into it. I’ve got to get a little steam going because I got a lot of weight to move.” 

Wilkins added that, "Even at 310, I still feel like I’m 185."

Wilkins flashed some of that athleticism in 2015 as a freshman, making 33 tackles and 4.5 TFLs while playing 25 to 30 snaps a game. He also displayed that via Clemson’s Instagram account earlier this week, where he is shown making a leaping one-handed catch and then kicking a field goal.

Reader, a freak in his own right and a former pitcher on the Tigers baseball team who told me he can also do the splits and that he was once clocked throwing a baseball 94 mph while as a 321-pounder in high school, said it’s a lot more than just Wilkins’ athleticism that has him convinced the guy is going to be a great one at Clemson.

“He really loves to play,” Reader said. "He’s a real competitive guy. That’s what we like about him. And, he kept our (D-line) room loose. Extra loose.”

Wilkins credits learning from Reader and rising senior DT Carlos Watkins for helping speed up his development. He said he also loves watching tape of NFL veterans Aaron Donald, Geno Atkins and Gerald McCoy, guys who aren’t the biggest defensive tackles but thrive because of their effort and their technique. 

Wilkins said he picked Clemson over Ohio State, Stanford, Penn State and Boston College. Why Clemson?

"I knew I was going to get a great family atmosphere, coaches that love you, coaches that will discipline you when you need it,” he said. "The culture that is built here by the players on this team from what Coach (Dabo) Swinney has instilled here. It was by far the best school for me.”

It sure seems like it’s been a good fit on both sides.

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