Jan 11, 2016; Glendale, AZ, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Jake Coker (14) is sacked by Clemson Tigers defensive end Shaq Lawson (90) during the second quarter in the 2016 CFP National Championship at University of Phoenix Stadium. Photo Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Few players impact a game the way a great defensive end can. Other than a quarterback, there isn’t a more important player on the field than a guy that can bring the heat off the edge.
He can change the momentum of a game on one play. He can potentially win you a game by making one or two plays. Just ask Ben Roethlisberger, Tom Brady and Cam Newton (Von Miller anyone?) about that and they might tell you the same thing.
When Clemson lost All-American pass-rush extraordinaire Vic Beasley to the first round of the NFL Draft (Atlanta Falcons, 10th overall) following the 2014 season, many Tiger fans wondered if his fantastic production (the Tigers all-time sack leader) could be replaced.
But not head coach Dabo Swinney, who knew what he had in budding star Shaq Lawson.
“Not a huge difference between (Shaq) Lawson and (Vic) Beasley,” Swinney told Lindy’s last spring. “Shaq is going to bring some certain things to the table that Vic didn’t.”
One of the things Lawson did better than Beasley during his final year at Clemson was defend the run. Beasley was no slouch in that area, but Lawson’s size (6-foot-3, 275 pounds) and strength allowed him to get off blocks and make plays in the backfield better than any other player in the country (outside of his partner in crime, fellow end Kevin Dodd) in his final season as a an amateur.
In fact, Lawson’s 25 ½ tackles for loss led the nation and his 12 ½ sacks tied for fifth in the country. He also chipped in 60 tackles, which ranked sixth on the team.
And like his former teammate, who just ended his rookie year playing on Sundays, Lawson made quite the impact on Clemson’s defense not only as a player, but as a leader as a junior. His former coach appreciates his effort and passion for the game — which is never a bad thing when pro scouts are keeping close watch.
“I love Shaq. He’s one of the easiest guys I’ve ever coached,” Swinney said. “He is low maintenance; blue collar; loves to play and practice. He’s a smart guy, has good instincts and loves to play.”
Lawson, who backed up Beasley and still racked up 3.5 sacks and 11 tackles for loss as a sophomore in 2014, stepped up in a big way for the 2015 Tigers, who had their best season since winning the national championship in 1981 by going 14-1.
The former Daniel High School (Central, SC) product was nearly unblockable as Clemson won the ACC and made the College Football Playoff for the first time in school history.
One of his top performance of the regular season came in one of Clemson’s biggest wins, a 24-22 nail-biter against No. 6 Notre Dame. In a driving rain, Lawson tallied seven tackles and 3 1/2 tackles for loss to pace a Tiger defense that held the Irish to three points up until the fourth quarter.
“I thought they had a good plan,” Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly said. “They brought pressure when they needed to. I thought coach (Brent) Venables did a good job mixing things up.”
Before the season-finale against South Carolina, Lawson ranked second in the FBS in tackles for loss. But Swinney challenged his talented defensive end to have a big day against the Gamecocks — and that’s exactly what he did, tallying a sack and 1 1/2 stops behind the line in a 37-32 win.
“It’s amazing the young men that have come out of Clemson, Central and the Six Mile area,” Swinney said following the regular season finale. “Shaq now leads the nation in tackles for loss. I challenged him last week, when he was in second, to be leading the nation after the game. He loves stuff like that and likes challenges. And now he’s leading the nation.”
In the thrilling 45-37 win over North Carolina in the league title game, Lawson made his presence felt early and often. He finished second on the team in tackles with six and increased his nation-leading tackle-for-loss total to 22 1/2 with a couple of key stops behind the line.
Lawson also played a major role in harassing Tar Heels’ quarterback Marquise Williams, sacking him once and causing a critical forced fumble with Clemson up by 12 points and UNC mounting a comeback in the fourth quarter.
“Shaq’s done really well for us this year,” Swinney said. “He’s become a really good vocal leader for us. He challenges his teammates and they listen to him because he puts the work in. He plays with great effort and toughness. He’s not going to have a bunch of mental errors. It’s great when you have a great player like that who’s also a vocal leader.”
After the win over the Tar Heels, Clemson hung on to its No. 1 ranking and beat Oklahoma 37-17 in the College Football Playoff semifinal before squaring off against SEC power Alabama in the title game.
In the victory over the Sooners, Lawson injured his left knee and was forced to leave the game early in the first quarter. But he proved his propensity to play well in big games two weeks later in the heart-breaking 45-40 loss to the Crimson Tide in the CFP Championship Game by turning in a dominating performance.
Despite playing with lingering effects from the injury, Lawson proved to all watching why he was the best defensive end in America by pretty much living in Alabama’s backfield the entire game. No. 90 was easily one of the best players on the field that night and nowhere was that more evident that his shiny stat line: four tackles, two tackles for loss and two sacks.
For Lawson, who was the top-ranked prep school prospect while he attended Hargrave Military Academy prior to signing with Clemson prior to the 2013 season, it was a performance worthy of getting NFL scouts’ attention even more after a breakout regular season.
For Swinney, it was a joy to see how much one of his top players, and a South Carolina native, had improved after first setting foot on Clemson’s campus a few seasons ago.
“It’s special. Everybody takes pride in being able to go back home and feel good about where you came from and what you accomplished,” Swinney said. “When they go off and graduate and have success it’s great. This community has watched Shaq Lawson since his playing days at Central Rec. Shaq was a basketball player but we weren’t even sure we were going to recruit him. But he got a little more serious about football.”
Currently, mock drafts are projecting Lawson to be a first-round pick. Lindy’s has him going No. 10 overall to the New York Giants.
But keep an eye on Lawson at the Scouting Combine in Indianapolis and during pre-draft workouts. He could zoom up draft boards in a hurry due to his skill set and proven track record as a hard worker who loves to play football. And that he should.
