Clemson Football: Tee Higgins won’t be the last Tiger from Tennessee

It’s football camp season in Clemson, SC and this past weekend, Dabo Swinney’s first youth camp concluded.

College football Youth Camps give kids across the country an opportunity to be coached by college coaches and a few college players while showcasing their skills on a college campus.

For Robertsville Middle School fifth grade graduate Casen Jenkins, 12, the weekend at Clemson, was spent running routes, catching passes and learning from one of his favorite coaches, Jeff Scott and interacting with players like Diondre Overton, Jordan Williams, Isaiah Simmons and Cornell Powell.

Anytime on the Clemson campus is special for Jenkins, an Oak Ridge, TN native, because his favorite player and friend Tee Higgins is a standout receiver for the Tigers.

Jenkins wants to score touchdowns like Higgins, one day and do it in a Clemson football uniform for Scott and head coach Dabo Swinney.

Last season, Higgins, a Robertsville Middle School and Oak Ridge High alumnus had 59 receptions, 936 yards with 12 total touchdowns and his last two coming in the College Football Playoffs’ wins over Notre Dame and Alabama.

In the Cotton Bowl win over No. 3 Notre Dame, Higgins caught a deflected pass to score a 19-yard second quarter touchdown.

With Clemson already up 37-16 in the third quarter over No. 1 Alabama, he stretched his body and extended his arms for a 5-yard score to end the scoring in the 44-16 national championship game thrashing of The Tide.

Jenkins made the trip to Dallas, TX for the Cotton Bowl with his mom, Heather Jenkins, who also accompanied him to his third Swinney camp, but missed the title game.

We asked Casen about both games and this year’s camp experience.

First, I know you were at the Cotton Bowl for Clemson’s 30-3 win over Notre Dame. Besides Clemson getting the win, what was the best part of the night?

Casen Jenkins: We got a VIP Tour of AT&T Stadiums. Getting to visit the Dallas Cowboys locker room was the best. I got to see Dak Prescott’s and Ezekiel Elliott’s locker. We got to go in Jerry Jones private perch.

Q: Unfortunately, you didn’t travel to the national championship game, but how did it feel to watch Tee and Clemson win the trophy?

It was a great feeling. It’s always good to see Clemson beat Alabama. My favorite part was when Tee scored a touchdown. I danced all around the house. There’s a video of the touchdown dance on Twitter. I loved watching the team celebrate after the win.

Q: Have you seen the trophy?

Yes. My mom and I went to the indoor facility and got to see both of the championship trophies🏆🏆.

Q: This is your third year of Dabo’s Camp and could be the final year of Tee on the Clemson campus, because he may have the opportunity to jump to the NFL. Do you plan to be back at camp next year?

I’ll definitely be back. I don’t want the coaches to forget my name.

"“When I drop Casen off at school, he tells me that he’s one step closer to Clemson.”"

Q: I’ve watched you play basketball and nail three-pointer after three-pointer. Is football still your favorite sport?

Yes, football is definitely my favorite. I have a passion for it. My dream is to play college football at Clemson.

Q: Who was your favorite camp coach?

Coach Scott and Amari Rodgers were my favorite coaches.

Q: Who was your favorite camp teammate?

My favorite teammate was also named Amari. You can actually see him throwing a touchdown pass to me a couple of times in Swinney Ball.

Q: What was your favorite part of this camp?

Definitely, the one-on-one drills.

A year from now, Higgins could be in an NFL camp and a step closer to playing on Sundays, and Casen will be back in Clemson.

At the moment, Casen is looking forward to next year’s camp, moving on to sixth grade, watching Higgins play in Clemson orange again, and his own football season, where he lines up at receiver, running back, defensive end and occasionally, quarterback for the Tennessee Jays.

Oh, and then there’s his commitment to becoming a student athlete at Clemson. Heather takes Casen to school every morning and told us this, “When I drop Casen off at school, he tells me that he’s one step closer to Clemson.”

Higgins and Rogers, from Knoxville, are the only players from the Volunteer state on the current roster and 2025’s roster will have, at least, one, Casen Jenkins.