Clemson Football: 35 Greatest Tigers of the Dabo Swinney Era

17. Shaq Lawson

As we see with many defensive ends, Shaq Lawson was a bit quiet during his freshman and sophomore seasons. Those two years he saw a combined 64 tackles and 7.5 sacks, but what everyone will remember is his dominant junior season.

Lawson finished his junior campaign with 59 tackles, 24.5 tackles for loss and 12.5 sacks.

That performance was good enough for him to be named a Lombardi Award finalist and an All-American.

Lawson’s motor and athleticism were unmatched during that junior season and he was able to become a major impact edge-rusher for the Tigers.