In an era of quick transfers, K.J. Henry stayed the course

In 2018, freshman defensive end K.J. Henry asked head coach Dabo Swinney to redshirt the rest of the year following the Texas A&M game. The request came as a surprise, seeing as Henry, a five-star defensive end, was coming off his best performance early in his career.

That Clemson defensive front featured a lineup of future NFL players, including Clelin Ferrell and Austin Bryant at defensive end. Swinney recalled those two players specifically as the reason for Henry’s decision.

“He was looking at Cle. He was looking at Austin Bryant. Just big strong, and more physical. He’s looking at them and going, ‘That’s not me.’ A lot of kids, they don’t recognize that,” Swinney said. “That’s a detriment to them– when you don’t have that type of self-awareness.”

For the rest of this story, head over to ClemsonSportsTalk.com

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Here’s video of Dabo Swinney’s meeting with reporters earlier this week:

Clemson faces Boston College on the road this weekend.