HOOVER, Ala. -- South Carolina defensive end and Heisman Trophy hopeful Jadeveon Clowney said he's getting more and more comfortable speaking with the media, and it showed on Tuesday when he said Clemson's Tajh Boyd and three SEC quarterbacks were "scared" to face him and the Gamecocks defensive line.

"I can tell Tajh Boyd is scared back there," Clowney said. "He ain't no sitting duck, but you can see in his eyes that he's scared of our D-linemen."

Clowney recorded a career-high 4.5 sacks in the regular-season finale against rival Clemson last season as the Gamecocks beat the Tigers 27-17 in Death Valley. Boyd threw two interceptions and was sacked six times in the game.

"We know that coming into the game that we have him shook already," Clowney explained. "We get a couple hits on him and it changes the whole game. He's scared every time we play them. I know he's probably listening to this right now, but I'm just telling the truth, man."

Clowney, who is a member of both the Lombardi and Bronko Nagurski watch lists this season, said he doesn't taunt other players on the field other than to say, "Block me." But the 6-foot-6, 247-pound athlete knows fear when he sees it in an opponent's eyes. He said he saw it in Georgia quarterback Aaron Murray, former Arkansas quarterback Tyler Wilson and a third SEC quarterback he didn't name.

"You can look at a guy and tell that he's scared," Clowney said. "If he's staring at me before the ball is snapped and he's staring at me every play before the ball is snapped, oh we got him. I tell the players that he's shook."

A likely top pick in the 2014 NFL draft, Clowney finished with 54 tackles in 2012, including a South Carolina record 23.5 for loss. The consensus All-American had 13 sacks on his way to being named the SEC's Defensive Player of the Year.

Clowney also said Tuesday he ran a 4.46 in the 40-yard dash.

Equally important to coach Steve Spurrier: Clowney has avoided some of the pratfalls of that fame. He hasn't made headlines for off-the-field troubles, unlike some of his peers.

"Jadeveon has done an excellent job staying out of the limelight all summer," Spurrier said at Southeastern Conference media days. "He's been a good teammate.