The Clemson defense has bred some elite talent at the second and third level, but the bread and butter of the Tigers will always be in the trenches. The stars of the show for 2023 are the obvious Xavier Thomas and Tyler Davis, but there’s a name that remains underrated.

Justin Mascoll, a sixth-year senior, has been a consistent contributor on the defense but the historic talent has overshadowed him for a majority of his career.

Myles Murphy, KJ Henry and Bryan Bresee just to name a few. Headed into his final season as a Tiger, the path is wide open for him to be a strong starter for Lemanski Hall’s unit.

”I just want to see Mascoll make plays. I want to see him not overthink things and just make the plays he’s supposed to make,” Hall said at the 2023 Clemson Media Outing. “He’s putting the work in, he’s studying, he’s leading, he’s taking care of his body. He just looks great and that’s what I’m looking forward to for him.”

Over his career, he has 86 tackles in 53 games, 13 of which were starts. He’s proven that he can take the next step, he just has to do it.

When a player improves, it happens everywhere, and Hall has seen it in the classroom. All the details of the defense and what it takes to be a star are showing up for Mascoll.

”He’s learned the defense, right, but also he’s never been asked to lead us another thing and now he’s a leader,” Hall said. “He’s growing in leadership and just being available for the guys to lead them, teach them, coach them.”

Hall mentioned the potential for Mascoll, who has the frame at 6-foot-4, 255 pounds and said “he can get to the quarterback,” but the blade still has to be sharpened for him to become a star in Wes Goodwin’s defense.

Stars don’t mean everything but he was a four-star coming in for a reason and it’s his moment in 2024. Lined up across from Thomas, Hall has high hopes for the sixth-year veteran.

“He’s been working hard on the skills and the techniques of that,” Hall said. “I expect to see more sacks from Justin Mascoll this fall.”

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