CHARLOTTE — DJ Uiagalelei wasn’t Clemson’s only representative at the ACC’s annual football media day at The Westin Charlotte, who elected to get in better shape this offseason.
KJ Henry has slimmed down a little bit himself.
“I lost about 10-pounds myself,” Henry said Wednesday. “I was fine with how I played (last season) and the weight I played at, but definitely felt like — I’m about 255-260 right now — talking with honestly some of the older guys before me and hearing kind of the weight they played in, just letting me know that I can slim down a little bit still and be ready for the next level. Hearing that, I thought that would be better for my body and my joints and things like that.”
This season will be Henry’s final at Clemson before he takes his shot at the NFL. This season and the production that comes with it will be imperative to not only Clemson’s defensive success, but Henry’s draft stock going forward.
That includes finishing on sacks, which has been a point of emphasis for Clemson’s defensive line this offseason. The Tigers felt like they left a lot of sacks on the field last season and the addition of Nick Eason to Dabo Swinney’s staff has brought a different perspective to the room.
“It’s been a great improvement,” Henry said. “It’s definitely been a point of emphasis. Adding Coach Eason to the mix this year, he’s given us a deeper layer and appreciation for rushing the passer, bringing his NFL knowledge to our room and has allowed us for some schematic advance in what we’re trying to do this year. So really just more attention to detail than anything and definitely a bigger emphasis for sure.”
Henry was asked about his personal goals for the upcoming season. While it’s nothing concrete and won’t grab any headlines, it’s detrimental to his success for his final season at Clemson on and off the field.
“Number one is being a great leader for my team and in order to do that, I have to watch extra film every day, knowing my responsibility and knowing I have to be in the right place where my team needs me to be,” he said. “Being another voice for the coaches. There’s so many ways that come with being a great leader and a great teammate and in order to do so, there’s a lot of things that I have to do outside of football to allow me to do that.
“Being consistent is another thing. I think being consistent in my play is something I want to see. I’ve shown y’all and myself that I’m able to play at a high level, but it has to be consistently at a high level. That takes attention to detail and practice…and just all the little things throughout the week, in order to play my best consistently at a high level on Saturdays.
Henry says that his goals really do mean a lot to him because if he’s committed to that mindset and ideals that he laid out above, a lot of great things will come out for him.
— Photo by Jaylynn Nash // ACC
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