A former five-star prospect, Jackson Carman has always possessed tremendous talent, though the Clemson offensive tackle has not always been in five-star physical condition.

When Carman arrived on campus as a midyear enrollee in January 2018, he was overweight and had plenty of work to do to get his body in better shape, but he has done just that over the course of his career – especially this past offseason, according to teammate and fellow veteran offensive lineman Matt Bockhorst.

Listed at 345 pounds last season, the 6-foot-5 Carman weighed in at 333 pounds prior to fall camp and is currently listed at 335 on Clemson’s official roster.

“One thing that people might not know is Jackson came in pretty heavy when he early enrolled, and the job that Jackson has done throughout his career, but especially this offseason during quarantine and all that stuff, is incredible,” Bockhorst said this week. “That dude deserves a lot of respect because he’s worked really hard to get his body where it needs to be, and I think that the younger guys see that work that he’s put in day in and day out and have a lot of respect for that.”

After playing 209 snaps over 13 games as a freshman in 2018, Carman stepped into the starting role at left tackle last season, replacing four-year starter and two-time All-American Mitch Hyatt at the position.

In 2019, Carman started all 15 games en route to receiving third-team All-ACC honors and helped the Tigers finish fourth in the nation in points per game (43.9) and fifth in total offense (school-record 528.7 yards per game). He shared team offensive player of the week honors in helping Clemson to 552 yards of total offense against Florida State in October, and he was at his best at the end of last year when he earned an AP All-Bowl selection for his role in limiting Ohio State’s Chase Young in the Fiesta Bowl.

Based on how hard Carman has worked over the offseason, Bockhorst believes Clemson fans will see an even better version of Carman on the field in 2020.

“He’s a guy that has come in with an unbelievable amount of talent and athleticism,” Bockhorst said. “Being a starter last year, he played really well at an all-conference level, and he’s taking it to new heights this year. So, he’s got a lot of respect from the young guys, and they just see his grind day in and day out, and he’s such a great example.”

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