Derrick Hamilton

After sitting out the 2005 and 2006 seasons with a knee injury, Derrick Hamilton is looking to make his mark on the NFL just as he did in college.

In just three seasons with the Clemson Tigers, Derrick Hamilton left quite a big mark in their record book. After securing the all-time record in receptions, kickoff returns and all-purpose yardage, Hamilton decided to head to the National Football League. Clemson wide receivers coach Dabo Swinney feels that “whoever gets him is going to get a great player. I think he will come in and find a home and play early."

The 2003 NCAA season proved to be an outstanding season for Hamilton. As one of the top three Clemson receivers, he led the Tigers with 62 catches for 1,026 yards and 10 touchdowns. Not only did he end up breaking multiple school records with those numbers, he helped lead the Clemson Tigers to a Peach Bowl Championship. His 58-yard punt return put the Tigers in great field position and the team never looked back.

In his sophomore year, Hamilton led the ACC in all-purpose yards, becoming the first league champion from Clemson in that category since 1997. He ave raged 144.8 yards per game and had four 200-yard games for the season. Hamilton also set an all-time Clemson single-season record and an ACC record for a sophomore by reaching 1,883 all-purpose yards for the season. Coach Tommy Bowden was very impressed after just two seasons. "He's got a very unique running style because he looks like he runs straight up and his body looks like he's got no spine. He just looks like Jell-O." He was best known for his 77-yard run against Georgia Tech, which was the longest run by an ACC player in 2002 and the longest run by a Clemson player since 1993.

Hamilton finished off his first year at Clemson the same way as his last. He led the team in receptions (53) and reception yards (684) as a red-shirt freshman. Hamilton also began his list of honors by being named the Second-team freshman All-America receiver by The Sporting News, Offensive Rookie-of-the-Year by the Tiger coaching staff and first-team Academic All-ACC. He started 10 games and averaged 51 plays per game.

Derrick Hamilton majored in Human Resources Development while attending Clemson University. He attended high school at Dillon High, in Dillon, SC, where he lettered in both football and basketball.

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