CLEMSON — When Clemson held its annual weigh-in on Wednesday, Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney gave a shout out to several players for their efforts during summer workouts.
One of those players was defensive end Jahiem Lawson. The redshirt sophomore weighed in at 251 pounds, up 11 pounds from where he was in the spring.
In his two years since joining the Clemson program in 2022, Lawson has gained 36 pounds. When he played at nearby Daniel High School, he played at 210 pounds.
“Jahiem showed up here maybe 210 or 215. He is a natural pass rusher. He has a great motor.,” Swinney said.
Swinney said Lawson reminds him of another Clemson great, who came to Clemson unheralded, but when his college career was over he was considered one of the greatest defensive linemen in Clemson history.
He is now one of the best defensive tackles in the NFL.
“(Lawson) is not quite as long as you like, but he makes up for it in some Grady Jarrett ways,” Swinney said. “Grady was not as big, not as long, but he had a motor. Jahiem has a motor. And now he has his body in a spot at 251 pounds that he can really compete.
“Prior to this year, we saw him as a pass rush guy. But now he has put himself in position where he can compete on every down.”
With the emergence of Lawson and a few others, Clemson feels its defensive end room is in better shape than people realize.
“That is why Chris did not want to take another guy. He likes his room. These guys have all accepted the challenge,” Swinney said.
Especially Lawson.
Clemson opens the season in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Classic on Aug. 31 in Atlanta.
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