Clemson Football Player Accidentally Burns Down Family Home

Clemson football player Lannden Zanders accidentally burned down his family home in North Carolina this past weekend, according to Greenville News. He was the only one in the home as his father, Lindell, was away on a beach weekend. Zanders was not with the team who had a game at Pittsburgh because he was out with an injury and was not on the travel roster. 

"Lannden was crying hysterically," Lindell said. "He was like, 'Daddy, the house is on fire. The house is burning down.'" Zanders was asleep inside the house and woke up because his fan stopped. "He said he went in the house and went to bed," Lindell said. "When he woke up, the fire department was already there. He said his fan cut off and he opened his eyes and saw flames and smoke."

Zanders built a fire pit on Saturday night, which led to the fire. Lindell said his son is "traumatized" by the incident. "He's taking it hard. He feels like it was his fault," Lindell said. "I tell him, 'Son, I don't care about the house. As long as you're OK, that's all that matters to me. I can replace the house. I can't replace you.' "

This week, Zanders went to Twitter to send a message to everyone that has reached out to him.  "I am blessed and grateful for the God that I serve," he wrote. "I am also thankful for everyone that has reached out with concerns and prayers. Storms don't last forever." Zanders joined Clemson in 2018 after a standout high school football career. In his first season with the Tigers, the junior safety finished the year with 21 tackles, two sacks and a pass breakup in 14 games. In 2020, Zanders tallied 34 tackles, three pass breakups and a forced fumble in 10 games with nine starts. He injured his shoulder in the season opener against Georgia in September and is out for the rest of the season. 

"That's going to be a long-term injury," Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney said, per 247Sports. "I hate that for him. But in the long run, it may be the best thing for him. He can use this as a redshirt year and come back better than ever."