Jadeveon Clowney’s Freakish 40 Time

September 15, 2012; Columbia, SC, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks defensive end Jadeveon Clowney (7) celebrates a sack against the UAB Blazers in the second half at Williams-Brice Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Blake-USA TODAY Sports

The legend of Jadeveon Clowney has slightly enlarged after Monday’s team evaluations at South Carolina.  Not only has Clowney gained recognition for “The Hit,” he has now been clocked running the 40-yard dash at 4.46.  Yes, you read that correctly, the 6’6″, 256 pound defensive machine ran a sub 4.5.  Mike Davis, tweeted Clowney’s 40 time via twitter with one simple sentence. “Think Clowney ran a 4.46.”  Once that line hit the timelines of Davis’ followers the frenzy surrounding the nation’s best player began to pick up once again.

While many people do not understand the feat, allow the following statistic to sink in.  In this year’s NFL Draft, only 31 players were clocked with a 40-yard dash time under 4.5.  However, none of those players were defensive ends.  All 31 of those combine attendees who ran the 40 under 4.5 were either a wide receiver, a running back, or a defensive back.

Clowney has now established himself as the biggest “freak,” in college football.  Jadeveon Clowney is without a doubt one of the most impressive physical specimens that the college football world has ever seen.  His frame is massive, his first step is lethal, and his motor never runs out.  He strikes fear into the hearts of opposing offensive linemen, and with good reason.  In two years, Clowney has amassed 35.5 tackles for loss, ranks fifth all-time at South Carolina in sacks with 21, and has forced 8 fumbles in 13 career starts.  With numbers like that and the addition of his incredible speed, there is no doubt why Jadeveon Clowney is a Heisman candidate in 2013.