Young Clemson defensive end impressing this spring

From the start, the plan for Clemson defensive end Jahiem Lawson for his freshman season was to stay in the weight room, add muscle and hopefully be ready to contribute as a redshirt freshman in 2023.

Lawson followed that plan put together by the Clemson coaching staff last year and is now making plays for the Tigers this spring.

If he stays on track, he should be ready to help Clemson this fall, at least in pass rushing situations.

“The guy that’s flashing is Jahiem,” Clemson coach Dabo Swinney recently said. “Jahiem has really, really, really shown some natural things. He’s tough. He’s physical. He’s a natural pass rusher.”

Lawson was not highly recruited out of nearby Daniel High, choosing Clemson over only a couple of other Power 5 offers. But Swinney believed in him and gave him an opportunity.

Lawson is the younger brother of former Tigers star Shaq Lawson, who is now in the NFL. Some questioned if Lawson was only offered because of his ties to Clemson. However, Swinney said from the start that that wasn’t the case.

“I’m really, really proud of him. I challenged him last year, because I just felt like he was good enough [to play at Clemson]. But I told him he was going to have to earn it,” Swinney said on Signing Day in 2022. “He’s twitchy. He’s got some violent hands. He’s a great effort guy. He’s instinctive. He’s much more refined than Shaq was coming out, obviously, just simply because he’s had an example for a long time. … So he’s got a chance to be a good player if he’ll continue to put the work in.”

It’s safe to say that Lawson put the work in during his freshman season, even though he only appeared in one game.

After arriving at Clemson weighing about 215, he’s added more than 20 pounds.

Clemson has had several defensive ends banged up this spring and Lawson is taking advantage of his extra reps.

“He’s probably a top three pass rusher right now. Just pure pass rusher,” Swinney said. “TJ Parker, [Justin] Mascoll rolled his ankle, so he’s been out. Obviously XT’s out. So it’s been good. It’s kind of forcing the issue with some of these guys. Seen some good things from all of those guys.”

Lawson showed off his quick burst in high school, finishing his senior season with 75 tackles, 25 tackles for loss, 11 sacks and four forced fumbles. His game is translating well to college football, even if some questioned if he’d ever be a contributor for the Tigers.