Not too long ago,
Jadeveon Clowney was a sophomore at
South Pointe (Rock Hill, S.C.), beginning to make waves with a 65-tackle, four-sack campaign in 2008.
Clowney earned
MaxPreps Sophomore All-American honors and quickly became a household name for high school and college football fans alike.
See more video of Jadeveon Clowney in high schoolHis sophomore season was Clowney's first on varsity. As a ninth-grader, he played running back on South Pointe's freshman team, amassing a whopping 37 touchdowns.
"I wanted to be a running back, but they said I got too tall," Clowney
told MaxPreps years later. "I was upset with my coaches changing my position. I was mad, but I played anyway."
Clowney used that running back-caliber speed to register 144 tackles and 23 sacks as a junior, earning
MaxPreps Junior All-American honors in the process.
As a senior Clowney was the nation's No. 1 recruit, ultimately announcing his commitment to South Carolina.
At 6-foot-5 and 266 pounds, Clowney wowed scouts and fans at the 2014 NFL Scouting Combine by clocking an unofficial time of 4.47 in the 40-yard dash, faster than all but a handful of actual running backs.
His official time — 4.53 seconds — is still incredibly fast for a defensive end of Clowney's size.
Clowney was equally impressive physically during his high school days. Check him out in action in the photos below.
