Finish: Payton Page ready to close Clemson career the right way

Payton Page aims to deliver a big senior season.

Grayson Mann - Staff Writer - Sunday, August 04 2024

CLEMSON - The job's not finished yet.

For senior defensive tackle Payton Page, his last season holds a simple message: finish.

For Page, it is to finish a career that started with overcoming his own challenges to get on the field. Page, who admitted this week that he was a few pounds short of 400 when he first stepped on campus and weighed 307 last week, is proud of where he's ended up.

"I know Coach Swinney is proud of me," Page said. "I'm proud of myself too. I'm ready to get to work this season."

Page enters his final season having played 39 career games, logging 527 snaps within his journey.

This season will prove to be a different story. With the departures of long-time starters Tyler Davis and Ruke Orhorhoro, Page will be in the mix for a starting gig.

Not only does Page want to carry his message as a motivator for a shot at the pros, but it has also become the theme of the entire roster. Page wants to finish his career out strong for his own draft stock, but finishing a season in the College Football Playoff would be the ultimate accomplishment.

"I think last season we had a really good finish," Page said. "I think this year we have a whole different goal in mind. The way everyone is practicing everybody wants this money. So, we are going to get this money."

Dabo Swinney has been wearing a new T-shirt with a message identical to what Page echoed after Friday's practice: "Finish."

Uniquely, Page's journey fits the theme that this Clemson team is trying to internalize.

The senior defensive tackle has certainly battled challenges to get to this point. He sees this fall as a culmination of everything he's been through to get this shot. Nobody understands what this journey means for him more than Swinney.

"I'm really proud of those guys," Swinney said. "And Payton, I mean, it's amazing. I mean, he is a big, strong, unique player. He's a unique player. He can really, really move. He can collapse the pocket. He's athletic enough to really rush the passer. He's really become a leader. That's something that I didn't see three-plus years ago, and now he's really bought into leading other guys. And I mean, you don't do what he's done without changing your lifestyle. So I'm happy for him and we expect big things from Payton for sure."

For both Page and Clemson to realize their dreams, the mission must be finished.

If you ask Page, the job isn't done yet, but he can't wait to get to the finish line.