Clemson sports news: Women's basketball starts new era, Hopkins thrives, more

Here is your Clemson sports news roundup for November 6, 2024.

Clemson women's basketball opens new era with big win

New Clemson women's basketball coach Shawn Poppie began his tenure with the Tigers on Monday. His team picked up a convincing 78-44 win over Jackson State at home to start the new season.

Senior Tessa Miller had a game-high of 17 points, shooting 7-8 from the field.  Meanwhile, ten Tigers scored a bucket in the blowout win.

Coming off of a disappointing 12-19 2023-24 season that saw Clemson go just 5-13 in ACC play, the Tigers are in a bit of a rebuild this season. Fortunately, they have positive vibes to build off of to open the season.

Clemson never trailed in the opener as Poppie picked up his 49th win as a head coach. The previous 48 came at Tennessee-Chattanooga.

The Tigers return to action Thursday at home against North Carolina Central. The game tips at 7:00 p.m.

Clemson linebacker named Butkus Award Semifinalist

College football national awards are starting to narrow down their lists of candidates. One of the most prestigious in the game is the Butkus Award given annually to the best linebacker in the country.

This week, Clemson linebacker Barrett Carter was named a semifinalist for the Butkus Award. He is one of 15 players still in the running for the award.

This season, Carter has 39 total tackles with seven tackles for loss. He also has three sacks and three pass defenses.

This is the 40th year that the Butkus Award has been in existence. Finalists will be revealed on November 25 and the winner will be named December 10.

Clemson gymnastics announces 2025 home schedule

Wednesday, the Clemson gymnastics program released its 2025 home schedule. The Tigers will host five meets inside Littlejohn Coliseum over the course of the regular season, four duals and one tri-meet.

The home slate begins on January 31 when the Tigers host Pitt at 7:00 p.m. Then, on February 14, the Tigers welcome NC State to town at 7 p.m.

On February 23, Stanford makes the cross-country trip to visit Clemson in a meet that begins at 4 p.m. February 28 will see the Tigers welcome New Hampshire and Texas Women’s to Littlejohn at 5:00 p.m. The final home meet of the season will take place at 8 p.m. on March 14 against Penn State.

Former Clemson WR thriving with new NFL team

Former Clemson wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins has a new NFL home with the Kansas City Chiefs and it appears he is enjoying the opportunity to play with QB Patrick Mahomes. Monday night, Hopkins had two touchdowns and 86 yards on eight catches as the Chiefs beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in overtime.

"Communication, talking through our practice, talking locker room, just communicating every day, just about looks that we see," said Hopkins of playing with Mahomes. "And me just picking his (Mahomes) brain, asking him what he likes, and when I'm not out there, taking the rep, I'm always learning and just seeing how he does things."

The veteran played the first six games of the year with the struggling Tennessee Titans. During that time, he managed to catch only 15 passes in total with one touchdown. In two games with the Chiefs, he's hauled in ten passes for 115 yards and two scores.

What's more, he's gone from a team with no hope of making a Super Bowl run to the team that is the favorite to win its third Super Bowl in a row. In other words, life has to be good right now for the all-time Clemson great.