By Will Vandervort.

By Will Vandervort

When the Clemson football team came out of spring practices in 2012, the coaching staff felt there was only one guy at defensive end that was ready to help the team win – Malliciah Goodman. But as the year went along, other guys started to step up and make plays.

Corey Crawford had the most success as he recorded 47 tackles, six tackles for loss and one sack. His best game came against Maryland when he had four tackles, two tackles for loss and returned a fumble 16 yards for a touchdown. He also had six tackles against NC State and recorded his first career sack against South Carolina.

Vic Beasley, who played running back in high school and has worked some at linebacker and tight end since coming to Clemson, might be the best overall athlete on the Clemson team. He also got better as the year went along. Though he had just 18 tackles overall in 2012, eight of those were sacks, which ranked fourth in the ACC.

“He is certainly the most dynamic guy we have as far as purely going and getting the quarterback. I’m excited about him,” Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney said. “This is why you coach. This is what it is all about. It’s about seeing guys improve, guys buy in, guys develop and see the potential in guys and eventually see the light come on for them.”

Below is a look at the depth chart at defensive end:

Vic Beasley, 6-3, 225, Jr. – He is listed as a starter. Beasley had a monster spring as he recorded multiple sacks and tackles for loss in each of the scrimmages this spring. He has bulked up to 225 pounds and is hoping to get to 240 before the start of fall camp. He still has to get better at stopping the run, but he has improved there.

“We had a hard time with him this spring,” Swinney said. “I’m glad he is on our team. He is working. He has bought in and he is physically doing the things he needs to do to give himself a chance to improve as a player.

“He needs to become an every-down player and he needs to improve against the run. He can do all of that. He is actually becoming a little bit of a leader which I thought I would never say.”

Corey Crawford, 6-5, 270, Jr. – He is listed as co-starter opposite Beasley. Crawford continues to be solid and had a good spring. Like Beasley, he is very athletic, but he is big enough, fast enough and strong enough to go after offensive tackles and chase down running backs.

“Corey is special. He is a special player and a special person,” Swinney said. “He is a leader and is fully committed.”

Tavaris Barnes, 6-4, 275, Jr. – He is listed as a co-starter opposite Beasley as well. Like Beasley, Barnes has been moved inside, then back outside, then back inside and now back outside, where it appears he finally has a home. The Jacksonville, FL native had a good spring where he moved up the depth chart and had earned the opportunity for some serious playing time this fall.

“Those three guys right there – Beasley, Crawford and Tavaris—are really good players and it is fun to have some guys like that, who understand and have been through the battles,” Swinney said. “That gives us a good group.

“Tavaris is the most talented guy across the board that we have, but he has been through a maturation process. He is still not close to what he can be, but he is on track.”

Shaq Lawson, 6-4, 260, Fr. –  Because he spent last year at Hargrave Military Academy last year, Lawson is probably the more ready player between him and fellow freshman Ebenezer Ogundeko. Both enrolled at Clemson in January, but Lawson, who is originally from nearby Daniel High School in Central, SC, excelled in the spring and might see the playing field this fall. He will be part of a three-man rotation opposite Beasley.

Kevin Dodd, 6-5, 280, So – Dodd will back up Beasley this fall. He is probably the lost man at defensive end as he had six tackles as a reserve, while playing in eight games last season. He had a really good spring and has earned himself the right to play more often.

“His progress in one year is amazing, it really is,” Swinney said. “No one asks me about Dodd, but after this season everyone is going to be asking me about Dodd. I promise you.

“Kevin Dodd is going to be an outstanding player. I’m really proud of him and his development after one year. This time last year, we were talking about putting him on the shelf for a year and we will dust him off and see if anything sticks, next year. Towards the end of the year, Dodd was competing. He has changed his body and is big and strong. He has some burst to him.”

Martin Aiken, 6-2, 255, Fr. – One thing is for sure, Clemson is loaded with potential talent at defensive end, and Aiken, who will sub with Beasley and Dodd, could be in line for serious playing time, too. After redshirting last year, the Bamberg, SC native got bigger and stronger and showed marked improvement during spring drills. Another productive defensive end out of Bamberg-Ehrhardt High School—Ricky Sapp’s and DaQuan Bowers’ high school—Aiken is built more like Sapp and has the capabilities of being a very good rush end, though he has the potential to get as big as Bowers.

Ebenezer Ogundeko, 6-3, 230, Fr. – It’s doubtful Ebo will play this year, though he did well in the spring. He needs to get his weight up and get stronger at the point of attack. But the coaches really like his burst and think he has a chance to be one of the great ones at Clemson before his college career is over.

“Ebo and Shaq Lawson are probably as talented as any guys we have signed here in a long time,” Swinney said. “We have some depth at that position that we did not have last year. Literally, we came out of the spring feeling we had one guy last year, and we feel good about six of them right now.”