Background and career
DeAndre Rashaun Hopkins (born June 6, 1992), nicknamed "DHop" and "Nuk", is an American football coach and a professional wide receiver who is the assistant wide receivers coach for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.
He played college football for the Clemson Tigers and was selected by the Houston Texans in the first round of the 2013 NFL draft. He has also played in the NFL for the Arizona Cardinals, Tennessee Titans, Kansas City Chiefs, and Baltimore Ravens. Hopkins is a five-time Pro Bowler and has been named to five All-Pro teams.
As an infant, Hopkins was given the nickname Nuk by his mother because he frequently chewed through NUK pacifiers. It is pronounced "nuke" (although the pacifier brand is pronounced "nook"). Hopkins attended D. W. Daniel High School in Central, South Carolina, where he played football, basketball, and ran track and field for the Lions athletic teams. During his high school football career, Hopkins had 57 receptions for 1,266 yards and 18 touchdowns on offense and 28 interceptions and five touchdowns on defense. While on the basketball team, he played as a shooting guard and point guard, scoring 1,453 career points. His senior season, 2009–10, the Lions won their third South Carolina State Championship, and Hopkins was named the Independent Mail's player of the year. He was rated as the 12th best wide receiver in the nation and the State of South Carolina. He received various rankings by reputable sports organizations, ESPN ranked him the 29th best athlete. He earned an All-State first-team from the state and The Charlotte Observer.
Hopkins enrolled in Clemson University, where he played for the Clemson Tigers football team from 2010 to 2012 under head coach Dabo Swinney.
Hopkins immediately became a contributor to the Clemson offense as a freshman in their 6–7 season. Hopkins started his collegiate career with two receptions for 23 receiving yards in a 35–10 victory over North Texas on September 24. The next week, against Presbyterian, he scored his first collegiate receiving touchdown on a nine-yard reception from Tajh Boyd in the 58–21 victory. On November 13, in a road 16–13 loss to Florida State, he had eight receptions for 106 receiving yards. In the final game of the regular season, the Palmetto Bowl against rival South Carolina, he had seven receptions for 124 receiving yards and a receiving touchdown in the 29–7 loss. In the 2010 Meineke Car Care Bowl against South Florida, he had nine receptions for 105 receiving yards in the 31–26 loss to close out his freshman season. Hopkins was Clemson's leading receiver with 52 receptions for 637 receiving yards and four receiving touchdowns. In addition, he played basketball after his freshman season. He played in seven games in the 2010–11 season for the Tigers basketball team.
Clemson took a major step forward in Hopkins's sophomore year, finishing with a 10–4 mark. Hopkins started the 2011 season with nine receptions for 108 receiving yards and a receiving touchdown in two games combined against Troy and Wofford. Against Auburn on September 17, Hopkins had seven receptions for 83 receiving yards and a receiving touchdown in the 38–24 victory. On October 22, against North Carolina, he had nine receptions for 157 receiving yards and a receiving touchdown in the 59–38 victory. Nearly a month later, against NC State, he had five receptions for 124 receiving yards in the 37–13 loss. In the ACC Championship against Virginia Tech, he had seven receptions for 92 receiving yards in the 38–10 victory. In the 2012 Orange Bowl, he had 10 receptions for 107 receiving yards and a receiving touchdown in the historic 70–33 loss to West Virginia. As a sophomore in 2011, he had 72 receptions for 978 receiving yards and five receiving touchdowns. He finished second on the team in the major receiving categories to Sammy Watkins.
