Jefferies, a redshirt freshman defensive tackle out of Covington, Ga., struggled to maintain his weight during his first 18 months on campus, dropping as low as 260 pounds prior to the start of last summer. Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney and defensive coordinator Brent Venables both said publicly that Jefferies needed to gain weight – and keep it – if he wanted to be a part of the rotation at defensive tackle.
It was a battle Jefferies was losing, but a trip home and a conversation with his mother changed everything.
“I went home, and while I was there my mom mentioned that she knew I couldn't keep the weight on,” Jefferies told TigerNet.