There was no question that Nick Eason was always going to have an impact on Clemson’s defensive line.
But how much of an immediate impact he was going to have was undetermined at the time that Dabo Swinney hired him away from Bryan Harsin’s program. You might figure that would probably be more tangible once the season rolls around, but Eason’s impact is already noticeable.
Just ask Myles Murphy.
Before leaving Jervey Meadows on a hot, muggy Friday afternoon, the junior defensive end weighed in on how much Clemson’s defensive tackles coach has been a presence in trying to improve the Tigers’ pass-rush from the season before.
“It’s been a huge improvement using his NFL knowledge and his expertise, coming down,” Murphy said. “Really, he’s working on the little things, whether it be timing, hand placement, eyes. A lot of the stuff that the people on the outside looking in don’t see and don’t really recognize that very important, whether it’s your footsteps, where my eyes are on the tackle’s hands, how the tackle is setting.”
“He’s really teaching us the game and making sure that we understand pass rushing and playing the run,” Murphy continued. “It’s been great having him down here.”
When asked about his goals for the upcoming season, Murphy said that he wanted to stay a consistent run-stuffer and improve on being a more consistent pass-rusher.
Enter Eason.
Murphy, who comes into the 2022 season, with 11.0 career sacks to his name, left some sacks out on the field the season before. In fact, his position coach, Lemanski Hall, said earlier in the offseason that Murphy had just missed on about three or four sacks last season.
“I’m the biggest critic of myself more than anybody,” he said. “I already remember two sacks from N.C. State that I had the quarterback wrapped up and let him go. Those two I really dread, but there is always room to improve.”
Besides taking what he learns from Eason, what’s the key to finishing those plays this season?
Murphy said that it revolves around effort and staying true to his technique.
“I know a lot of times when I get to the quarterback, I can kind of get lazy sometimes and I thought it was just a given that I got the quarterback, he’ll go down, but I got to finish the play,” he added.