Darien Mayo isn’t your typical defensive end.

At 6-foot-7, Mayo’s height makes him rather unique, seeing as it’s not every day you come across an edge rusher that tall.

At the same time, learning to play on the edge at the college level with that kind of height has presented its own challenge, one that Mayo is beginning to master as he enters his third season with the Tigers.

“I think it starts off with me being so tall, it’s like mobility is a big thing for me,” Mayo said. “Doing extra stretches. Shorter guys, or people who aren’t as big as me can get away with it and not stretch as much, but every little thing I have to do is very important for me for mobility.”

Stretching has actually become a big part of the routine for Mayo. He’s become so determined to get the most out of his body that he took up yoga in the offseason, something he credits for not only helping him become more physically ready, but it’s also taken him to another place mentally.

“Namaste, namaste,” Mayo said with a chuckle.

“I do once a week. With fall camp it is kind of hard because it is so busy, but during the offseason I did it once a week, and it helped me a lot. It has been really good for me.

“It definitely helps with the mental. All that stuff kind of hones in together.”

“There is a certain perception of it, but at the end of the day, you have to treat yourself like a professional. We are getting paid now, so you really have to hone in on stuff like that.”

After coming to Clemson as a four-star prospect, Mayo has logged just 95 snaps over his first two seasons, with 19 of those coming in the Pinstripe Bowl loss to Penn State to end last season. However, with T.J. Parker and Cade Denhoff no longer around, the expectation is for Mayo to become a contributing member of the rotation during the coming season.

Knowing what is expected, Mayo made sure to come into the spring with a different mindset, something that carried over into the summer and now into fall camp.

“Absolutely. My mentality is going to change,” Mayo added. “First two years, I was like, ‘Alright, how can I find a way to play,’ or how can I do certain things. But my mentality is to play this year. It is kind of a different mentality of how I approach the game. Studying more, just being more focused. What can I do to be better as a player? That is really important to me.”