Clemson defensive end Vic Beasley will return for his senior season, the school announced Wednesday, the final day for underclassmen to declare for the NFL draft.
Beasley, projected to be a second-round pick by the draft's advisory board, was one of the last big names in the ACC to make his decision. He is rated No. 3 at his position and No. 36 overall by ESPN.com's Scouts Inc.
In his first season as a starter, Beasley led the ACC in sacks with 13 and finished second in tackles for loss with 23. His sacks per game was third best in the nation and his tackles for loss per game ranked second. He led the nation in tackles for loss per game against teams that finished the season with a winning record (19 in eight games). He was also 10th in the nation with four forced fumbles.
Beasley had a strong game against Ohio State in the Discover Orange Bowl with four tackles for loss and a sack, a big reason the Tigers defeated the No. 6 Buckeyes, 40-35. It was the most tackles for loss in a bowl game for a Clemson player and tied for the third-most tackles for loss in any BCS game dating to 1999.
Beasley was named a first-team All-American by the Walter Camp Foundation, a finalist for the Ted Hendricks Award, which is given to the top defensive end in college football, and was a semifinalist for the Bednarik Award and the Lombardi Award.
Beasley enters his final season with 21 career sacks and needs just eight in 2014 to break the school record of 28 held by Michael Dean Perry and Gaines Adams.
