Morris “Mo” Claiborne played during one of the greatest eras of defensive back talent LSU has ever seen. Patrick Peterson, Tyrann Mathieu and Eric Reid all shared the secondary with him at some point. Yet by the end of the 2011 season, it was Claiborne who owned the award given to the best defensive back in college football.

He won the Jim Thorpe Award. He was named SEC Defensive Player of the Year by the league’s coaches. He became a consensus first team All American and helped LSU win the SEC championship during a 13 and 1 season. Then the Dallas Cowboys traded up eight spots to select him sixth overall in the 2012 NFL Draft. 

Claiborne’s NFL career did not unfold as smoothly. Injuries repeatedly interrupted his time in Dallas, but he still spent eight seasons in the league, appeared in 85 regular season games and made 74 starts. His final NFL season ended with a Super Bowl championship as a member of the Kansas City Chiefs. 

Before all of that, he was a Louisiana athlete from Shreveport who arrived at LSU without even knowing that cornerback would become his permanent position.

A Remarkable Athlete at Fair Park

Morris Lee Claiborne was born February 7, 1990, in Shreveport and attended Fair Park High School.

Calling him simply a defensive back would not begin to describe what he did there.

Claiborne played quarterback, receiver and defensive back. As a senior quarterback, he passed for 1,009 yards and 14 touchdowns while rushing for 1,023 yards and 16 more scores. That gave him more than 2,000 yards of offense and 30 touchdowns. He was also a three time All District selection at receiver and defensive back. 

Football was only part of his athletic résumé. Claiborne also played basketball and baseball and competed in track.

His speed was legitimate.

In 2009, Claiborne won the Louisiana Class 4A state championship in the 100 meters with a time of 10.76 seconds. LSU also notes that he had been named the Shreveport Bossier Male High School Athlete of the Year as a sophomore. 

Despite all that athletic ability, Claiborne was not viewed as one of the biggest national recruits in his class. ESPNU rated him as the No. 28 athlete nationally.

LSU saw something it liked.

That decision eventually produced the best defensive back in college football.

LSU Started Him at Receiver

One of the most interesting parts of Claiborne’s story is that LSU did not immediately make him a cornerback.

He began his first fall camp in 2009 at wide receiver.

About a week later, LSU moved him to cornerback.

The move changed his career.

Claiborne quickly became the No. 2 right cornerback behind Patrick Peterson. As a true freshman, he appeared in seven games without making a start and recorded seven tackles. 

There were no interceptions that season and no major awards.

But LSU had found his position.

The Tigers were also assembling an incredible collection of talent in the secondary. Peterson was already becoming a star. Mathieu and Reid would soon arrive.

Claiborne was about to become another major piece of what would help establish LSU’s modern DBU reputation.

The Breakout Season

Claiborne moved into the starting lineup in 2010 and immediately became one of LSU’s most productive defensive backs.

He started all 12 games in which he appeared and finished with 37 tackles, six pass breakups and a team leading five interceptions. He returned those interceptions for 101 yards. 

The performance earned him second team All SEC recognition from both the Associated Press and the conference coaches.

LSU finished 11 and 2 and defeated Texas A&M 41 to 24 in the Cotton Bowl.

The Tigers also had an extraordinary situation at cornerback.

Peterson was so good that he won the Jim Thorpe Award as the nation’s best defensive back. Opposing quarterbacks looking to avoid him found Claiborne waiting on the other side.

Peterson left LSU after the season and became the fifth overall selection in the 2011 NFL Draft.

Normally, losing a player like Peterson would leave an enormous hole.

Instead, Claiborne became the next great LSU cornerback.

The 2011 LSU Defense Was Loaded

LSU’s 2011 defense remains one of the most talented units in school history.

The secondary alone was remarkable.

Claiborne and Mathieu played cornerback. Reid and Brandon Taylor were at safety. The defensive front included future NFL players such as Michael Brockers, Sam Montgomery, Barkevious Mingo and Bennie Logan.

LSU opened the season by beating No. 3 Oregon 40 to 27. The Tigers later won at West Virginia, beat Florida and Auburn, and defeated No. 2 Alabama 9 to 6 in overtime in Tuscaloosa.

LSU completed the regular season undefeated and then overwhelmed Georgia 42 to 10 in the SEC Championship Game.

The Tigers entered the BCS National Championship Game 13 and 0.

Claiborne was one of the biggest reasons LSU got there.

Six Interceptions and 173 Return Yards

Claiborne started all 14 games during his junior season and finished with 51 tackles, six pass breakups and six interceptions.

But simply saying he intercepted six passes undersells what he did with them.

Claiborne returned those interceptions for 173 yards, which LSU says led the nation. He returned one 45 yards for a touchdown against Georgia in the SEC Championship Game and had an 89 yard interception return against Tennessee. 

He also intercepted Alabama in LSU’s 9 to 6 victory in Tuscaloosa, returning the ball 33 yards.

Over his final two seasons, Claiborne intercepted 11 passes.

For his LSU career, he finished with 95 tackles, 12 pass breakups and 11 interceptions returned for 274 yards. When he left LSU, his 11 interceptions were tied for sixth in school history, while his 274 interception return yards ranked second. 

That is serious production for a player who spent only three seasons at LSU and barely played defensively during his first.

He Could Hurt Teams on Kickoffs Too

Claiborne’s high school background as an all around athlete remained useful even after he became an elite cornerback.

LSU used him as a kickoff returner.

There is an important statistical correction from the previous version of this article. Claiborne did not have 22 kickoff returns for 552 yards in 2011.

LSU’s official statistics credit him with 17 kickoff returns for 443 yards, an average of 26.1 yards per return, during the 2011 season. For his LSU career, he had 19 returns for 500 yards, averaging 26.3 yards. 

His biggest return came against West Virginia.

Claiborne took a kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown in LSU’s 47 to 21 victory in Morgantown.

He scored two touchdowns during the 2011 season without playing offense. One came on the 99 yard kickoff return against West Virginia. The other came on his 45 yard interception return against Georgia in the SEC Championship Game. 

That was the athlete LSU had recruited out of Fair Park.

Throw at him and he could take the football away.

Kick it to him and he could take it to the end zone.

The Best Defensive Back in College Football

By December 2011, Claiborne had established himself as one of the premier defensive players in America.

He won the Jim Thorpe Award as the nation’s top defensive back, one year after Peterson won the same award for LSU.

LSU had produced consecutive Thorpe Award winners.

Claiborne was also named SEC Defensive Player of the Year by the conference coaches, succeeding Peterson in that honor as well. LSU became the first program to produce consecutive winners since the SEC began separating its offensive and defensive player awards in 2003. 

Claiborne was named first team All SEC by both the Associated Press and the league coaches.

His national honors were just as impressive.

LSU officially lists Claiborne as a consensus first team All American after he received first team recognition from the AFCA, Associated Press, Football Writers Association of America, Sporting News and Walter Camp, among others. He was also widely recognized as a unanimous All American under the NCAA selector standard. 

Claiborne and Mathieu also made history together. They became the first pair of cornerbacks from the same school selected to the Associated Press first team since the AP began choosing separate offensive and defensive All America teams in 1964. 

LSU did not merely have one great cornerback.

It had two of the best defensive backs in America playing at the same time.

The Championship That Got Away

There is one unavoidable disappointment attached to LSU’s incredible 2011 season.

The Tigers had already beaten Alabama during the regular season. LSU finished 13 and 0, won the SEC championship and earned a place in the BCS National Championship Game.

The BCS system produced a rematch with Alabama.

This time the Crimson Tide won 21 to 0 in New Orleans.

The loss remains painful for LSU fans, but it should not erase what Claiborne and the Tigers accomplished.

LSU finished 13 and 1, won the SEC championship and defeated a remarkable collection of ranked opponents. Claiborne finished the season as the Thorpe Award winner, SEC Defensive Player of the Year and one of the most decorated cornerbacks in LSU history.

He had little left to prove in college.

Claiborne gave up his senior season and entered the NFL Draft.

The Cowboys Traded Up for Him

Dallas wanted Claiborne badly.

The Cowboys originally held the 14th overall selection in the 2012 NFL Draft. They traded their first and second round selections to the St. Louis Rams to move up eight spots to No. 6.

Then they selected Morris Claiborne.

The significance went beyond one draft pick.

Peterson had been the first defensive back selected in the 2011 draft at No. 5 overall. Claiborne became the first defensive back selected in 2012 at No. 6.

According to LSU, it marked the first time since the NFL merger that one school produced the first defensive back selected in consecutive drafts. 

LSU was not just producing good college defensive backs.

NFL teams were treating them as elite prospects.

An Immediate Starter in Dallas

The Cowboys did not trade up to No. 6 for a developmental player.

Claiborne started immediately.

He appeared in 15 games as a rookie and started all 15. NFL records credit him with 55 combined tackles, eight passes defended, one interception and one forced fumble. 

The talent was obvious.

Unfortunately, injuries became a recurring part of his Dallas career.

Claiborne appeared in 10 games in 2013 and only four in 2014. The most serious setback came in 2014 when he tore the patellar tendon in his left knee, ending his season.

He returned to start 11 games in 2015.

Then, in 2016, Claiborne appeared to be putting together one of his strongest professional seasons before another injury interrupted it. He started seven games and recorded 26 combined tackles, five passes defended and an interception before a groin injury sidelined him for the remainder of the regular season. 

Claiborne returned for Dallas’ playoff game against Green Bay, but his five year run with the Cowboys was ending.

His next opportunity came in New York.

Two Productive Seasons With the Jets

Claiborne signed with the New York Jets in 2017 and became an immediate starter.

He started 15 games that season, recording 43 combined tackles, eight passes defended and one interception.

The Jets brought him back for 2018.

Claiborne again started 15 games and produced perhaps his best statistical season in the NFL. Pro Football Reference credits him with 57 combined tackles, 14 passes defended and two interceptions. 

One of those interceptions produced the only touchdown of his NFL career.

Against Indianapolis, Claiborne intercepted Andrew Luck and returned the ball 17 yards for a touchdown.

Seven years after terrorizing quarterbacks at LSU, Claiborne could still make them pay for throwing in his direction.

One Last Stop and a Familiar Teammate

Claiborne signed with the Kansas City Chiefs in August 2019.

There was a familiar face waiting for him.

Tyrann Mathieu.

The two had been part of LSU’s spectacular 2011 secondary. Eight years later, they were teammates again on a team led by Patrick Mahomes.

Claiborne appeared in eight regular season games for Kansas City and made one start. He recorded 14 combined tackles. 

The Chiefs went on a postseason run that carried them to Super Bowl LIV against San Francisco.

Claiborne was part of the championship roster, but there is an important correction to the previous version of this article.

He did not play in Super Bowl LIV.

Kansas City officially listed Claiborne as inactive for the game. 

The Chiefs rallied from a 10 point fourth quarter deficit and defeated San Francisco 31 to 20.

Claiborne earned a Super Bowl championship ring as a member of the Chiefs.

It became the final season of his NFL career.

Eight Years in the NFL

Claiborne played eight NFL seasons from 2012 through 2019.

He appeared in 85 regular season games and started 74. NFL records credit him with 265 combined tackles, 207 solo tackles, 49 passes defended, seven interceptions, 64 interception return yards, one forced fumble and one defensive touchdown. 

*There is a minor statistical discrepancy worth noting. NFL.com currently displays 259 total tackles in one career table while its season by season numbers and Pro Football Reference produce 265 combined tackles. Pro Football Reference lists 265, and the NFL’s detailed season figures also add to that total. For publication, 265 is the better supported figure. 

The injuries prevented Claiborne’s professional career from reaching the heights many expected when Dallas traded up to draft him.

But eight seasons in the NFL should not be dismissed.

He was a top six draft pick.

He started 74 games.

He played for Dallas, New York and Kansas City.

He intercepted seven NFL passes.

And his final team won the Super Bowl.

His Greatest Football Was Played at LSU

Claiborne had a substantial NFL career, but his place in football history was established in Baton Rouge.

Consider what he accomplished in only three LSU seasons.

He played 33 games and started 26.

He recorded 95 tackles.

He intercepted 11 passes and returned them for 274 yards.

He won the SEC championship.

He was named SEC Defensive Player of the Year by the coaches.

He won the Jim Thorpe Award.

He became a consensus first team All American.

Then he became the sixth overall selection in the NFL Draft. 

And almost all of that happened during his final two seasons.

The freshman who started fall camp as a wide receiver had become the best defensive back in college football.

Claiborne Helped Define DBU

LSU produced great defensive backs long before Claiborne arrived, but the stretch surrounding Peterson, Claiborne, Mathieu and Reid helped transform LSU’s secondary into a national identity.

Peterson won the Thorpe Award in 2010.

Claiborne won it in 2011.

Mathieu won the Chuck Bednarik Award in 2011 and became a Heisman Trophy finalist.

Reid became an All American and later a first round NFL Draft selection.

NFL teams noticed what was happening in Baton Rouge.

Peterson went fifth overall in 2011.

Claiborne went sixth overall in 2012.

Reid went 18th overall in 2013.

Mathieu went in the third round in 2013 and developed into one of the NFL’s most accomplished defensive backs of his generation.

That era helped make DBU part of LSU football’s identity.

Morris Claiborne was right in the middle of it.

Life After Football

Claiborne has maintained a relatively private profile since his NFL career ended after the 2019 season.

There is not enough current, authoritative public information to responsibly claim that Claiborne has moved into a particular full time coaching, broadcasting or business career.

What can be documented clearly is the football career he left behind.

Fair Park produced a state champion sprinter and remarkable all around athlete.

LSU turned that athlete into a cornerback.

Claiborne turned himself into the best defensive back in college football.

Morris Claiborne Belongs Among LSU’s Best

LSU has produced an almost absurd collection of defensive backs.

Patrick Peterson. Tyrann Mathieu. Eric Reid. Jamal Adams. Tre’Davious White. Grant Delpit. Derek Stingley Jr.

Morris Claiborne belongs with them.

He was not merely another talented LSU cornerback who reached the NFL.

He won the Thorpe Award.

He was the SEC Defensive Player of the Year.

He became a consensus All American.

He intercepted 11 passes in only three seasons.

He helped LSU win the SEC championship and reach the national championship game.

Then he became the sixth player selected in the NFL Draft and spent eight seasons playing professional football.

Claiborne arrived in Baton Rouge as an athlete searching for a position.

He left as one of the greatest cornerbacks LSU has ever produced.

In the history of DBU, No. 17 deserves to be near the front of the conversation.

Sources

LSU Athletics, Morris Claiborne official LSU biography and career statistics
https://lsusports.net/sports/fb/roster/player/morris-claiborne

LSU Athletics, Morris Claiborne named AFCA All American
https://lsusports.net/news/2011/12/05/205342425/

LSU Athletics, Morris Claiborne named SEC Defensive Player of the Year
https://lsusports.net/news/2011/12/07/205343531/

LSU Athletics, Claiborne and Mathieu make Associated Press All America history
https://lsusports.net/news/2011/12/14/205345909/

NFL, Morris Claiborne career statistics
https://www.nfl.com/players/morris-claiborne/stats/

Pro Football Reference, Morris Claiborne NFL career statistics
https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/C/ClaiMo00.htm

Kansas City Chiefs, 2019 transactions
https://www.chiefs.com/team/transactions/2019

Kansas City Chiefs, Super Bowl LIV inactive players
https://www.chiefs.com/news/super-bowl-liv-chiefs-vs-49ers-inactive-players

Sports Reference, Morris Claiborne college statistics
https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/players/morris-claiborne-1.html