Orhorhoro Thrilled to Join Fellow Tigers in Atlanta

Ruke Orhorhoro looked down at his phone Friday evening and saw a phone call from Atlanta.

“I already knew what time it was,” Orhorhoro said.

That he did as the Atlanta Falcons traded up to the No. 35 pick to select the former Clemson Tiger. In need of a hard-nosed defensive tackle, new head coach Raheem Morris has his guy.

Orhorhoro was overcome with emotion, but detailed how excited he is to be headed to Atlanta and the NFL.

“So much excitement and so much emotion, man. I’m happy and I’m blessed. I’m ready to get started in the A,” Orhorhoro said.

When he arrives at the Falcons facility, he will likely be greeted by a familiar face in fellow former Tiger Grady Jarrett. The All-Pro defensive end went down with injury in 2023 but he’ll be back on the field alongside Orhorhoro.

The duo is something Orhorhoro is excited about, and he’s followed Jarrett’s career for a long time. He even named some film and plays after him.

“I’m so excited. I’ve watched Grady play so many times in that film room and it’s to the point there’s a play in there, we call it the Grady play. Just because we know what time it was,” Orhorhoro said.

There was no time wasted from Orhorhoro to talk about the Clemson family. He mentioned former Tigers AJ Terrell and Bradley Pinion, who are both Falcons and make it a big footprint in Atlanta.

As the Falcons try to turn the corner into the future, Orhorhoro and multiple Tigers will have their say in the future of the franchise and he couldn’t be more excited for it.