Clemson football wide receiver Tee Higgins, former Oak Ridge star, declares for NFL Draft

After three seasons at Clemson, where he helped lead Clemson to a national championship victory and a 29-game winning streak, wide receiver Tee Higgins declared for the 2020 NFL Draft on Wednesday afternoon via a statement on Twitter. 

Higgins, who was the No. 19 recruit and a five-star prospect in the Class of 2017, according to the 247Sports Composite, was local star at Oak Ridge. He won the Tennessee Titans Mr. Football Award in Class 5A in 2015 and 2016. When he graduated from Oak Ridge, he led the school in career receiving yards (2,226), catches (157) and career touchdowns (43). 

"It has always been my dream to play in the NFL and take care of my family," Higgins wrote in a statement on Twitter. "Because of Clemson I now have the opportunity to do that." 

WalterFootball.com's senior draft analyst Charlie Campbell has Higgins rated as the No. 6 wide receiver in the NFL Draft. He projects him as a first- or second-round pick. CBSSports.com's Chris Trapasso has him going to the Philadelphia Eagles as the 21st overall pick. 

He had his jersey retired at Oak Ridge. 

"In practice, for example, he would make incredible acrobatic catches on a daily basis," said Oak Ridge football coach Joe Gaddis, who coached Higgins. "I'd tell our quarterbacks, 'Throw it to him if he's covered or not.'" 

Higgins originally committed to Tennessee but decommitted in February of his junior year. He committed to Clemson a few months later on July 4, 2016.

The 6-foot-4, 215-pound receiver, blossomed as one of the top receivers in the country at Clemson. He had 936 receiving yards and 12 receiving touchdowns his sophomore season in 2018 and caught a 5-yard touchdown in Clemson's 44-16 rout of Alabama in the 2018 national championship game. 

This season, Higgins had 1,167 receiving yards and 14 receiving touchdowns. In  Clemson's 42-25 loss to LSU in the national championship, Higgins caught three passes for 52 yards and rushed for a 36-yard touchdown in the second quarter — his only rushing attempt of his college career. 

Higgins recorded 135 receptions, 2,448 passing yards and 27 receiving touchdowns, which is tied with current NFL wide receivers DeAndre Hopkins and Sammy Watkins for most in school history.