Jahiem Lawson: Patience, Development and a Growing Leadership Role at Clemson

Jahiem Lawson was back in pads Wednesday for the first time since an ankle injury against Furman ended his 2025 season and kept him out of spring practice.

“It was amazing, especially for me,” Lawson said. “I was happy just to get back out there, just to be able to get to work with my teammates, all the new guys. I’m just glad we’re back at it. Glad we’re doing what we love to do.”

The redshirt senior enters the fall as one of Clemson’s leading candidates to start at defensive end alongside Will Heldt, although head coach Dabo Swinney emphasized last week that the Tigers have not named starters at any position.

Lawson’s path to that opportunity has been anything but immediate.

When Swinney was recently asked which players stood out at Clemson’s weigh-in, he initially resisted naming anyone. Plenty of Tigers looked impressive, Swinney said, but looking good on a scale would not help Clemson win games.

Then he made an exception.

“The one guy I will call out, and there’s a bunch, but one because he’s such a good example to if you buy in and you do the work, and he’s a product of our development here, and that’s Jahiem Lawson."

Lawson arrived on campus in 2022 at approximately 208 pounds and without the recruiting profile of some of the highly touted prospects who have passed through the Tigers’ defensive line. Swinney said Lawson also possessed something important: the self-awareness to recognize he was not physically ready to play.

“Like Coach Swinney said, when I got here, I wasn’t ready to play,” he noted. “I’ve been in the crockpot for three years until I actually started playing, so that’s for real. When he says some players got to be in the crockpot, I totally understand that.”

The “crockpot” has long been one of Swinney’s favorite analogies for player development. Instead of expecting microwave-like, instant results, Swinney believes some players require a slower process of steady work, patience, and development before they are ready to reach their full potential.

The 2025 All-ACC Academic Team selection became an example of that philosophy.

Lawson is now listed at 6-foot-2 and 251 pounds. Before his injury last season, he recorded 20 tackles, including 6.5 for loss, 3.5 sacks, and three pass deflections.

Adding more than 40 pounds since arriving at Clemson required considerable work, and Lawson credited Director of Football Performance Nutrition Meaghan Turcotte and her staff with helping him make the transformation.

“It’s definitely hard, but I’ll be honest. I give all props to Meaghan,” Lawson said. “She’s helped me a long time. I really just give all my props to her, and I thank her and her staff for giving me the right keys to obviously get where I want to be.”

The physical transformation has been accompanied by a changing role inside Clemson’s program.

The former Daniel High standout from Central, SC, is no longer the undersized developmental prospect waiting for his opportunity. He is now a projected starter and one of the veterans expected to help lead a revamped Clemson team.

His approach to leadership is not limited to the defensive line.

“I just try to come in here every day and push everybody, not just my group, the linebackers, the corners, the safeties, even the quarterback, the receivers, just push everybody."

Lawson expects the Tigers to have a successful season, but his message to teammates is to keep the focus within the program.

“Our goal is to be able to go out here and just be great for our coaches and our fans,” Lawson said. “But at the end of the day, I just think we’ll be fine. We just gotta work together and continue to put our heads down to work. Don’t worry about nobody else. Just be Clemson.”

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Swinney believes the same patience that helped Lawson develop into a potential starter could eventually take him to the NFL.

“Took a big leap, and now he’s 251 pounds,” Swinney stated. “He is a freaking brick house, and he’ll get drafted next year. So that’s just development, and it’s just if you buy in and you do the work, it’s going to work for you.”