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WATCH: Kobe McCloud, Jaheim Lawson detail family legacies while putting full pads on for first time

ns_headshot_2024-clearby:Nick Schultz•08/13/22•

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Photo by Ian Johnson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Kobe McCloud and Jahiem Lawson got a unique perspective of Clemson’s Memorial Stadium when they were growing up. Their older brothers played for the Tigers, and they got to watch them walk through the tunnel.

This week, they put on full pads and walked through that tunnel into Death Valley.

McCloud’s brother, Ray-Ray McCloud, played at Clemson from 2015-17 before becoming a sixth-round pick of the Buffalo Bills in the 2018 NFL Draft. He briefly crossed paths with Lawson’s brother, Shaq Lawson, who played for the Tigers from 2013-15 and was the Bills’ first-round draft pick in the 2016 NFL Draft.

“It feels great, man,” McCloud said before pointing to where he used to sit during games. “I can’t ask for nothing better.”

“Yeah, man, this is a great experience,” Lawson added before finding where he sat. “This feels like a dream come true, man.”

Both McCloud and Lawson are getting ready for their freshman seasons after coming in as part of Clemson’s No. 14-ranked recruiting class, according to the On3 Consensus Team Recruiting Ranking. They were both three-star recruits — McCloud was the No. 122 linebacker in the country and Lawson was the No. 85 EDGE prospect from the class of 2022, according to the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

In fact, when McCloud moved in over the summer, Ray-Ray helped him get settled after driving more than eight hours. It was a wholesome moment as his brother got ready for his first season with Clemson.

“Dropping the baby boy off at the school, man,” he said in a video posted on Clemson football’s Twitter account. “Had to drive — how many hours we drove, about nine? Family love, man. All in.”

McCloud and Lawson will prepare for their respective debuts when the Tigers kick off the 2022 season Sept. 5 against Georgia Tech.