Former Clemson stars earn Super Bowl rings

Former Clemson stars Justyn Ross and Cornell Powell earned Super Bowl rings on Sunday night as the Kansas City Chiefs beat the Philadelphia Eagles 38-35.

Neither player was active for the game, but both are a part of the Chiefs organization and will receive rings as Super Bowl champs.

Powell spent most of this season on the practice squad after being drafted by Kansas City in the fifth round of the 2021 NFL draft.

He did appear in three games this season, playing against the Chargers, Rams and Bengals Weeks 11-13.

Prior to joining the Chiefs, Powell had an up-and-down career at Clemson that included a breakout season as a senior in 2020.

The North Carolina native caught 53 passes for 882 yards and seven touchdowns during his final season with the Tigers.

Powell was a third-team All-ACC selection that season and had three consecutive 100-yard games at one point, tying a school record. He also became one of only three Clemson players to ever record back-to-back games with at least 150 receiving yards.

Ross signed with Clemson as an undrafted free agent last May. He was on the injured/reserved list all year after undergoing foot surgery in July.

Ross had an incredible career at Clemson, including helping the Tigers to the national title as a freshman in 2018. He led Clemson in receiving yards that season with 1,000.

The Alabama native had an impressive run in the College Football Playoff during his freshman season, including catching six passes for 148 yards against Notre Dame in the Cotton Bowl. He followed that up by catching six passes for 153 yards in the national title game against Alabama.

Ross led Clemson with 66 catches for 865 yards and eight touchdowns as a sophomore in 2019, before an injury forced him to miss the entire 2020 season.

He bounced back from a career-threatening spinal condition to catch 46 passes for 514 yards and three touchdowns in 2021 while playing most of the year with a broken bone in his foot.

The spinal condition and question marks surrounding his health led to Ross going undrafted in the 2022 NFL draft.

However, the Chiefs are optimistic he will be able to help them moving forward after undergoing foot surgery.

Powell and Ross joined elite company as far as former Clemson players. They join Tremayne Anchrum Jr., Dan Benish, K.D. Dunn, Andy Headen, Terry Kinard, Dorian O’Daniel and William Perry as Clemson players who earned both a national championship ring and a Super Bowl ring.