The Hit Heard ‘Round The World: The Internet Sure Does Love Jadeveon Clowney

On one hand, if the NFL didn’t have its rule that a player must be three years removed from high school to be eligible to play professional football, South Carolina Gamecocks sophomore defensive end Jadeveon Clowney would be the No. 1 pick in the 2013 NFL Draft. That means that the 2013 Outback Bowl on New Year’s Day would have been the last time SC fans would have watched their 19-year old, 6’6” freak of nature destroy an opposing offense. On the other hand, Cocks fans must absolutely love that NFL rule right now, because it means that Clowney is going to come back for at least one more year. Hell, we should all love that.

By now, you’ve undoubtedly seen Clowney’s insane-o-craz-a-tastic hit on Michigan Wolverines running back Vincent Smith, as it was certainly the key highlight of SC’s 33-28 victory in the Outback Bowl, if not the entire 2012-13 bowl season. And if you’re anything like me, you just can’t stop watching that damn hit. You’re also very handsome and wise beyond your years.

My initial reaction after that hit was, “Cool, I’m going back to sleep” but then my next reaction was, “Boy, the memers on the Interwebs are going to have a field day with that.” In reality, they did, but not as much as I expected them to. Either way, I’ve included some of the best responses, as well as the Day One leading contender for GIF of the year.

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