Devon Lawrence wasn’t the only person who was excited to see his big brother make his Clemson debut.
The 2018 running back from Wake Forest High School (N.C.) was among the 50,000 or so folks at Memorial Stadium earlier this month to see Dexter Lawrence and the rest of the Tigers in the annual Orange and White spring game.
“It was good, it’s always good to see him,” the younger Lawrence recently told TheClemsonInsider.
Dexter, a former five-star defensive tackle, enrolled at Clemson in January, after considering Alabama, Ohio State, NC State and Florida.
“It’s really cool. He’s playing on one of the best teams. Really just watching him and seeing what he does — still learning from him, even though he’s in college,” Devon said.
Now it’s his turn to be wooed by college recruiters. Clemson, Alabama, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Maryland, UNC and NC State have all offered the 5-foot-11, 195-pound prospect.
Clemson, UNC and NC State have hosted him for visits this spring.
“It was fun,” he said of the trip Tigertown. “It’s always fun being around them. They’re great coaches.”
Devon liked what he saw on the field, particularly from his big brother, who’s now sporting No. 90 in orange and white.
“(Trevion Thompson), he was good. But I mostly watched my brother. He stood out,” he said. “Ray Ray McCloud and I was just looking mainly at skill positions, to see what they do — (Wayne) Gallman, I watched him. He stood out some.
“I was mainly watching my brother, but those few stood out for a little bit.”
Dexter figures to be a prominent figure on Clemson’s defense in 2016 and beyond. And though he’s been in college for about four months now, Devon’s already heard plenty about the move up from the high school level.
“He’s telling me that it’s a big transition, from school-wise,” Devon said. “On the field, it’s more workouts and it’s more intense, but it’s still the game you love.”
Trips for the summer haven’t been arranged yet, but he hopes to see Georgia Tech and Maryland.
With two years of high school ball still ahead of him, there’s no rush to make a decision, and it’s not a given that he’ll follow in big brother’s footsteps.
“If the path for me is Clemson, then I’m going to take it,” Devon said. “But if it’s somewhere else, it’s not going to be a really hard decision…to be responsible and be on my own. But if that’s the path for me, then yeah.”
As a sophomore, he rushed 1,335 yards and 23 touchdowns and caught nine passes for 103 yards.