ARLINGTON, Texas — Few teams have a player of Dexter Lawrence’s pedigree. Even fewer have a backup like Albert Huggins.
Huggins will be relied upon Saturday because Lawrence was suspended, along with offensive lineman Zach Giella and TE Braden Galloway, for the College Football Playoff semifinal against Notre Dame after testing positive for the banned substance ostarine.
“He’s a great, great talent,” Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said of Huggins. “And I don’t have any doubt that he’ll step in and do a great job for us.”
Huggins was a four-star recruit coming out of high school in South Carolina, a prospect with scholarship offers from the likes of Auburn, Alabama and Georgia. The 6-foot-3, 315-pound senior has 7.5 career sacks. In spot duty this season, he has 24 tackles, 3.5 for losses, 2.5 sacks and is tied for third on the team with 11 quarterback pressures.
Of course, Huggins is not Lawrence, a 6-4, 350-pound dominator and projected first-round pick who was an All-ACC first-team selection as a junior.
“You can’t deny Dexter Lawrence isn’t a big physical freak. He’s an imposing defender on the interior,” ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit told The Post in a phone interview. “It’s a loss, but it’s not like they’re going from a 10 to a three. They’re going from a 10 to a 7.8 or an 8.2. They still have players that can play, just not to the level of Dexter.”
Clemson won’t be asking Huggins to take all of Lawrence’s snaps. He will have help from sophomore Nyles Pinckney and freshman Jordan Williams.
“Those guys have played all year long. They have a ton of experience,” Swinney said. “They hurt for their teammate. But you best believe they’re excited for a little more opportunity for themselves.”
When asked what he admires most about Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly, Swinney didn’t point to anything football-related. But to him, it was incredibly important.
“For me it is his golf swing,” Swinney said, drawing laughs from the media. “I don’t know if you’ve seen his golf swing. Crap. … He has got the sweetest golf swing and it is really frustrating. He’s a very smooth golfer. I did not know that, but I had a chance to witness that first-hand back in May.”
“Which is a good thing to have in this business,” Kelly responded in jest.