Farewell to Clemson Cornerback Andrew Booth

Andrew Booth was a 5-star recruit in high school out of Lawrenceville, GA who came to Clemson as the crown jewel of the 2019 recruiting class. He was rated as the 2nd-best CB in his class and chose Clemson over Auburn. Oozing with massive potential, he had the opportunity to play early and often and was heralded as the next great Clemson DB.

#23 certainly delivered on that hype, providing Clemson fans with numerous highlight-reel moments and high-quality corner play - his suffocating defense was a crucial part of the Tigers’ defense in 2021.

Before he became the nightmare matchup for opposing wide receivers, his first notable appearance came from a brawl during the Louisville game in 2019. Dabo had him ride back to Clemson on the bus instead of the plane, and Booth was by all accounts remorseful for the poor decision.

It was a rocky start for the future star, but he had the opportunity to put it behind him and make a name for himself through his play on the field in 2020.

Launching himself to national prominence with this ridiculous interception against Virginia, Booth played much more consistently in his sophomore year, producing “WOW” plays of athleticism seemingly every other week. He finished the season with 30 tackles, 2.5 TFL, 4 PBU, 1 sack, and 2 INT — good for second-team All-ACC.

Heading into the 2021 season, Booth was expected to start and hold down the boundary side of the field. As Drew put it in his season preview:

For Booth in 2021, he’s got to add making the mundane look mundane to his to reach his full potential. This is his NFL contract year. If he’s on the Clemson roster in 2022, something has gone wrong. He has all the necessary skills to go from a guy who makes spectacular plays, to a spectacular player. His performance will dictate Clemson’s success against the upper echelon teams.

It was with these expectations that Booth solidified himself as a lockdown corner in 2021, earning first-team All-ACC honors. He started 11 games and was undoubtedly one of the best CB’s in the nation, routinely making open-field tackles and blanketing receivers.

Ken Ruinard-USA TODAY Sports

He logged 578 snaps to finish the year with 37 tackles, 3 TFL, 5 PBU, and this glorious interception against South Carolina:

Booth, along with Mario Goodrich, provided a steady backline for the Clemson defense and kept them in every game with his standout play all year long. It was indeed a “money” year for #23 as he is now projected to be a first-round NFL draft pick.

That made for an easy decision to declare for the draft earlier this month:

He will leave Clemson as the latest in a string of talented DB’s from TigerTown and will attempt to join the likes of AJ Terrell and Trayvon Mullen as starting NFL corners.

A great example of not letting mistakes hold you back, Booth went from riding the bus back to Clemson alone to turning the success of his hard work into a future NFL contract. We here at STS are proud of Booth for everything he has accomplished at Clemson and are eager to see him take his athletic game to the big leagues. Thank you and good luck to Andrew Booth!