"He was on me so hard my first two years before he left. So hard, I would say 'Coach, why are you always on me so hard?' He'd say 'I get on guys that (aren't) doing anything. Do you want to be great?' I'd say 'You know I want to be great.' He'd say, 'Well I'm here to help you be great, but I've got to push you,'" Clowney said. "When he left, going into that next (junior) season, I was like, 'Well, coach Lawing is gone, I've got nobody to push me now.' So I pushed myself to be great, I had to learn to push myself for the first time. When he was there, I hated him for it, but when he left, I missed it. And I appreciate every bit of it."