Big Dex is still Big Dex.
Hes just not quite as big as he used to be.
That became common knowledge last week when Dexter Lawrence stepped on the scales for the Clemson football teams official weigh-in on the eve of the first practice.
Coaches nor teammates nor even Big Dex, himself, knew what the numbers would reveal.
There was definitely a lot of anticipation for my weigh-in, because there was no telling how much I was going to weigh, Lawrence said. I didnt weigh myself the last few days.
Scales dont lie, at least not the scales in the Clemson weight room, and the news was good.
Ive never been so happy to see a guy weigh 337, Swinney said. I mean, not long ago he was a biscuit away from 350.
Try 360.
I got up to about 355, Lawrence confessed, somewhat sheepishly.
Big Dex didnt get there by chance, as teammate and fellow defensive line mate Christian Wilkins learned rather quickly. On his first day on campus last year, Lawrence ate breakfast with Wilkins, who was left in disbelief.
He probably ate about 10 eggs for breakfast he had, like, two or three omelets, Wilkins said. Im like, How are you eating so many eggs? and hes like, Oh, I love eggs.
Thats not all Lawrence loves.
He also had sides, Wilkins said. He had a waffle in there and all these other sides like breakfast meat.
Lawrence offered a simple explanation.
It was free, he said. So I thought, Why not?
Lawrence also made a habit of ordering four-piece chicken dinners with all the fixings, then inflicting some serious damage on his personal favorite ice cream.
Im an ice cream man, he revealed . I tore it up.
So whats his preferred flavor?
Whatever tastes good, Lawrence said.
That encompasses a wide variety when it comes to ice cream, so its understandable that Big Dexs weight soared.
It also didnt help that Lawrence had offseason toe surgery, which limited his movement for a while and only made it easier to pack on the pounds. He peaked at 355, which he now refers to as his post-surgery weight.
So whats a big guy to do?
Make better food choices, apparently. Lawrence has paid closer attention to his diet of late while also curtailing his consumption of ice cream, resulting in his recent weight loss.
I couldnt have what I wanted lets just say that, he said.
Still, theres no danger of Lawrence being tossed about by a strong headwind anytime soon.
Put it this way: Lawrence might have lost 18 pounds in the past few months, but hes still 39 pounds heavier than Clemsons next-biggest defensive lineman.
But thats OK. Hes also a few pounds lighter than his playing weight last season, when he made 79 tackles, broke the Clemson freshman record with seven sacks, and earned ACC Defensive Freshman of the Year honors.
Hes just a freak athletically, Wilkins said. Hes gifted, just so powerful and strong, just moving people and being disruptive. Hes relentless.
Given that, perhaps Big Dex deserves an occasional scoop or 10 of ice cream, flavor inconsequential.
Whatever tastes good will suffice.
See the original post here:
Clemson's Dexter Lawrence remains 'Big Dex' despite weight loss - The State
