Clemson star DeAndre Hopkins back in school during NFL season. Here’s why

A decade after he left the Clemson football program, star wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins is making good on a promise to finish his degree at the school.

And his former coach, Dabo Swinney, couldn’t be happier.

As first revealed in September by The Tiger, Clemson’s student newspaper, Hopkins, a former All-American wide receiver, has re-enrolled as a student at Clemson and is working toward a degree in parks, rec and tourism management.

Hopkins, an 11-year NFL veteran who’s taking classes remotely as he plays out the 2023 season with the Tennessee Titans, told ESPN he’s finishing his degree to fulfill a promise he made to his mother and to honor his late father, who died when Hopkins was 6 months old.

Hopkins and his mother, Sabrina Greenlee, run S.M.O.O.T.H., a nonprofit organization that “leads the way to empower women affected by the perils of domestic violence.” Greenlee is a nationally recognized activist, speaker and domestic violence survivor.

“I kinda vowed that I would make both of them proud and graduate, and that was something that I promised my mom that I would do knowing that my father would want me to graduate college,” Hopkins, 31, told ESPN on Sept. 22.

Speaking ahead of Clemson’s Saturday game against Georgia Tech, Swinney said he was “proud” of Hopkins for coming back to finish his degree, something they’d spoken about a few times over the years.

“He’s been busy,” Swinney said Wednesday, laughing. “He’s had a lot going on. ... He, probably, honestly would’ve already got it done if we had this Zoom online world (earlier). He’s an old man now. He’s been gone a long time. Could’ve probably knocked it out but the online stuff wasn’t quite as available and ready as it is now.”

“So that’s a positive, I guess, that came from COVID. It created an opportunity like that for some guys. I’m proud of him, and I know he’ll finish.”

Hopkins, who played locally at Daniel High School, was a star receiver at Clemson from 2010-12 and is widely credited as one of the first stars who elevated Tigers to a nationally competitive level early in Swinney’s tenure.

Catching passes from prolific quarterback Tajh Boyd and teaming up with speedster Sammy Watkins, Hopkins was a part of the 2011 Clemson team that won the program’s first ACC championship since 1991 and recorded the program’s first 10-win season since 1990.

Returning to Clemson ... online

In 2012, Hopkins was an first-team All ACC selection and All-American selection by multiple outlets after catching 82 passes for 1,405 yards and 18 touchdowns in 13 games as a junior. His 18 touchdowns are still the most ever by an ACC player in a single season.

A first-round pick of the Houston Texans in the 2013 NFL Draft, Hopkins has made five Pro Bowls and three AP All-Pro teams as an NFL wide receiver. He’s in his first season with the Titans after seven seasons with the Texans and three with the Arizona Cardinals.

Hopkins told ESPN he’s “always been interested” in facility management as a career — specifically managing music festivals, since he grew up listening to country music in Upstate South Carolina.

“That was my interest in going into that degree, learning how to manage and facilitate things of that nature,” he said, per the website.

Hopkins has already gone viral while taking virtual classes through Clemson’s Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management. In September, a Clemson student posted to social media a video of Hopkins logging onto a Zoom class from the Titans’ practice facility, decked out in team gear while he tuned into the meeting.

“D Hop fresh out of practice,” the caption read. Hopkins saw the video and joked back on the platform X (formerly Twitter): “I’m just trying to graduate smh.”

Hopkins, who has 35 catches for 564 yards and three touchdowns this season for the Titans, told a Nashville TV station his Clemson professor is “very understanding of my schedule, which is amazing” and his familiarity with the Titans offense also frees up a bit more time weekly. Plus, he’s never lacking on motivation.

“I don’t think I do it for the support or validation of anyone but myself and my father and my mom,” Hopkins told WKRN.

Swinney speaks often about the importance of academics and players graduating. He’s also long been an advocate of former Clemson players coming back to school to finish their degrees, noting last week during a viral radio show rant that “we’ve graduated 98% of our guys” in his tenure stretching back to 2008.

Swinney said Wednesday it was “awesome” for Hopkins and other former players to prioritize finishing their degrees. Former Clemson cornerback Mackensie Alexander is planning to be on campus this spring and next year to finish his degree, Swinney said, and former safety TJ Green and former RB James Davis are currently finishing their degrees as student assistants with the program.

“It’s awesome for those guys to be at this point in their life and really focused on finishing,” Swinney said. “So, excited about it with all those guys, and I know there’ll be opportunity for more somewhere down the road.”

Next Clemson game

Who: Georgia Tech (5-4, 4-2 ACC) at Clemson (5-4, 2-4 ACC)

When: noon Saturday

Where: Memorial Stadium in Clemson

TV: ABC

Line: Clemson by 14.5