When Clelin Ferrell went back to his Richmond, Virginia home following Clemson’s Sugar Bowl loss to Alabama last January, he wasn’t sure if was coming back to Tigertown. There was a lot for him to consider and a short amount of time to do it.
If he came back to school, who would be back with him? Several of his Clemson teammates had already declared for the NFL Draft and a couple of others were graduating into the league after using up all of their eligibility.
However, no one on the defensive line had declared.
Ferrell already knew defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence—Clemson’s 6-foot-5, 340-pound teddy bear—was coming back considering he just finished up his sophomore year.