St. Joe’s Prep product, So. Jersey native Jeremiah Trotter Jr. is PSWA Amateur Athlete of the Year
When Jeremiah Trotter Jr., – the Philadelphia Sports Writers Association’s Outstanding Amateur Athlete of the Year – began to play football, he had an outstanding role model: His father, Jeremiah Trotter, the legendary former Philadelphia Eagles linebacker.
Dad will be on hand at the 119th PSWA Banquet on January 17, 2024, to collect his son’s award while Junior continues to prepare for the 2024 NFL Draft. You can click here for tickets and more info about other honorees and guests.
The younger Trotter learned his lessons well, becoming a 2023 first-team All-America at Clemson University after a successful high school career at St. Joseph’s Prep.
Already possessing football talents, Trotter Jr. learned from his father that such skills are only some of the keys to football success. As he saw from his dad – who was known as “The Axeman” while playing eight of his 11 NFL seasons in Philadelphia – that preparation and an understanding of the game are of equal importance.
Those traits have propelled Trotter, Jr. to great heights so far.
“He is the epitome of consistency and preparation,” said Clemson coach Dabo Swinney. “That guy is a worker. He loves to study the game, the nuances of it. He has great anticipation in what he does. He is talented and he’s got all the attributes, but there’s a lot of guys that are really talented that don’t play the game as well as he does.”
Using that combination of preparation and talent, Trotter became a first-team All-ACC selection and was named as one of three finalists for the 2023 Butkus Award, symbolic of the most impactful linebackers in the college game. He was also named a semifinalist for The Bednarik Award, named after the legendary Eagles linebacker Chuck Bednarik and given to the Defensive Player of the Year in college football.
Trotter, Jr. is a resident of Hainesport, N.J., was a star player at The Prep, and was a multi-time All-America in his three seasons with Clemson. In the 2023 season, he started all 11 of the Tigers’ regular-season games, extending a consecutive-start streak to 25 over two seasons.
In the 2023 campaign Trotter, Jr. led the team in tackles, participating in 88 stops, 15 resulting in a loss of yardage for the opposing offense. He also lead the team with 5 ½ sacks and tied for the team lead with two forced fumbles. He added two interceptions, returning one for a touchdown. His six pass break-ups ranked third on a defense that was ranked No. 10 in the nation.
Over the course of his 39-game collegiate career – he was in for more than 1,400 snaps – Trotter, Jr. participated in 202 tackles, 29 ½ that went for a loss of yards, and had 13 sacks. He knocked the ball loose for three forced fumbles and intercepted four passes, two that he took to the house.
Trotter Jr. is one of 14 FBS players in the past 20 seasons to record more than 10 sacks, have four interceptions, force fumbles three times or more, and have two interceptions returned for a touchdown. Only three others recorded such stats in a Power Five conference.
Looking to the future Trotter Jr. is readying himself to again follow his father’s footsteps and play professional football, as he declared for the 2024 NFL Draft.
There is one more similarity: Both father and son wore jersey number 54 on the football field.