The time may be now for one of Clemson’s young defensive ends after biding his time.

That is, if Zaire Patterson wants to seize the moment.

“He’s got all the talent in the world, but he’s got to make up his mind that he wants it,” Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said.

With the Tigers’ depth chart newly fluid at the position, Patterson is one of a handful of young edge defenders vying for more playing time next season. Veterans Xavier Thomas and Justin Mascoll are back as presumed starters, but with Myles Murphy, K.J. Henry and Kevin Swint (transfer) having moved on from the program, rotational spots are up for grabs.

Patterson has played in just one game during his first two seasons at Clemson, but those departures present the 6-foot-5, 260-pounder with his biggest opportunity since signing with the Tigers as a four-star recruit in 2021. Swinney said there’s still inconsistency in Patterson’s effort and preparation, though, an assessment with which Patterson’s position coach didn’t object.

“You look at that dude, and he walks in the room, you’re like, ‘Wow,’” said Lemanski Hall, who coaches the defensive ends. “He has the height, weight and all the measurables. But he needs to decide if this is what he wants to do. If he ever decides that and that light goes off, he can be a great player. But I can’t want it more than him. Coach Swinney can’t want it more than him. He has to make a decision that he wants to do it.”

There have been flashes. Swinney said Clemson’s most recent scrimmage last week was probably Patterson’s best performance of the spring so far. But there’s still work for Patterson to do if he’s going to be a regular contributor at a position where there’s still plenty of competition for snaps.

While Hall said he’s still working on a pecking order on the edge, fellow third-year player Cade Denhoff may have the inside track on being the top backup there heading into the summer. Denhoff has gotten some first-team reps this spring with Thomas and Mascoll limited at times. Coaches have praised Jaheim Lawson’s ability to rush the passer, a skill set they insist will be used to get the redshirt freshman on the field come the fall. And early enrollee T.J. Parker is also making a bid for early playing time with the spring he’s had.

“I want to know for sure I can count on them in any situation at any position on the field,” Hall said of his third-year ends. “I think that’s the big deal. I can’t have mental errors on the practice field and then for these guys to expect on gameday that you’re going to play. That’s not going to happen. If you’re not going to get the job done on the practice yield, you’re not going to play.

“I need Zaire to understand that if you’re going to play for us, you’ve got to do things the right way. You’ve got to know what to do.”

Hall said he’s seen progress from Patterson there as well, but Swinney said he needs Patterson to take the next step in his approach to the game.

“He’s just got to grow up. He’s got to mature,” Swinney said. “If he does that, he’ll turn out to be a good player. He’s made progress, but he’s just not as accountable as we need him to be right now.”