Sad news surfaced on Thursday as former Florida State assistant coach Brad Lawing passed away at the age of 65, according to his brother-in-law. Lawing was a respected member of the coaching industry who developed some of the top defensive prospects across college football and the NFL during his standout career.
Lawing spent three years in Tallahassee as defensive ends and outside linebackers coach under former head coach Jimbo Fisher. He was instrumental in the continued growth of defensive end DeMarcus Walker, who finished second in the nation in sacks (16) in 2016 while being named a consensus All-America and ACC Defensive Player of the Year. As a team, the Seminoles led the country in sacks per game (3.92) as fellow defensive ends Brian Burns (9.5 sacks) and Josh Sweat (7 sacks) shined alongside Walker.
All three players are currently playing at the professional level. Walker was selected by the Denver Broncos in the second round of the 2017 NFL Draft. Sweat went in the fourth round to the Philadelphia Eagles the following year while Burns was drafted by the Carolina Panthers in the first round in 2019.
Lawing also coached plenty of other standout defensive linemen, including six first round picks. He mentored 2014 No. 1 overall selection Jadeveon Clowney and 2013 first-round pick Melvin Ingram at South Carolina. Lawing coached 2014 first-round pick Dante Fowler and 2015 first-round pick Dominique Easley at Florida. He was also involved with a pair of 2000 first-round picks; Julian Peterson at Michigan State and John Abraham at South Carolina.
Outside of his time at Florida State, Lawing coached at Appalachian State (1983-88), South Carolina (1989-98, 2006-12), Michigan State (1999-02), North Carolina (2003-05), Florida (2013-14), and Georgia State (2019).
Lawing is survived by his wife Laura, son Will, daughter Susie Hughes, and grandchildren Natalie, Mary Brooks, and Claire Hughes. Will is a member of the Houston Texans staff in the NFL.
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