Clemson defensive tackle Hevin Brown-Shuler was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma three weeks before it became public. He and head coach Dabo Swinney wanted to keep it quiet, and they let the whole team know that as well.
Nobody said anything, and the redshirt sophomore fully saw how close-knit the Tigers' culture truly is. He was blessed to see that, and he now wants to show his resilience off the field to promote the work happening on the field.
"That's just culture. Like, you can't teach that," Brown-Shuler said to the media on Tuesday. "That's just something that is instilled in our program, and that's one of the reasons why I came here."
Both Swinney and defensive tackles' coach Nick Eason have played an enormous role in the mental battle that the Atlanta native is facing, helping him keep his head afloat. Every day, a player from the defensive tackles room will go hang out with him to lift his spirits.
Brown-Shuler said that a few days ago, Vic Burley, someone he called "my big brother," talked with him for about two hours to get his mind off of everything. He's seeing the culture that every former player talks about, and it's allowed him to get closer with his teammates, even while off the field.
"It's just the little things like that, I take really seriously, and just, like, that couldn't be matched," he said. "Like, that's just a culture thing, like I said earlier, that's just in this program."
Even while off the field, the Clemson defensive tackle wants to remain plugged into the group. He wants to stay a part of everything, and he told Eason to send him the playbooks and be involved in the drills that will be coming up over the summer.
While he's showing his strength every day while fighting this disease, he hopes that his teammates are showing their physical strength on the line.
"I'm also excited about just this season and just my part, what I can do to just help the team out in any way, shape or form I can," Brown-Shuler said. "I know I've talked to Coach E about, just making sure I'm in the playbook, still staying on top of install, we have our skills and drills, just staying on top of everything."
Both Swinney and Eason have told him that this is his first slice of life. Brown-Shuler has lived a football life for his first 20 years, and this process will be one of the first times that he's going through tough adversity.
It wasn't the cancer that hurt him mentally at first, it was the idea that he couldn't play football.
"I'm a 20-year-old kid, kind of getting told that you got cancer, but I think the part that kind of messed with me, which is crazy, was like the football aspect," he said. "I knew I couldn't be out there with my team, and I think that was like the trigger for me was that I couldn't play football for a season."
So, he changed his perspective to make 2026 his "building year." Brown-Shuler is going to build a mindset that will be stronger than that of other college football players. He said that if he can get through this, he can get through anything.
And that is a metaphor for any hardship in life. The defensive tackle just has to experience it earlier than he thought.
"Every person in the world goes through it," he said. "I just happen to be a Clemson football player. Clemson is just attached to my name, so that's why it's just kind of out in the media.'
Throughout the early going of this process, Swinney has been proud of him. He's seeing how Brown-Shuler's perspective is changing, and that will only bring success to him when he hopefully is cleared to play in 2027.
The end goal will be him wearing the Paw while running down the hill. While there are more obstacles to climb, he has the support of his family, coaches and teammates. For now, he's setting a different type of example to motivate his team.
"It's going to be a part of his journey and story for the rest of his life," Swinney said. "But, man, using this year to grow and get better, and when he is back and fully cleared, God willing, that he has a completely different perspective as he attacks it."
"You can kind of lose yourself in a dark time like this," Brown-Shuler said, "so I'm just blessed to have the support of my coaches and even my teammates."
Those interested in donating to help his family can access the GoFundMe link here.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/clemson as Even After Cancer Diagnosis, Clemson DT Hevin Brown-Shuler Still Wants to Make An Impact in 2026 .
