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CLEMSON -- Mike Brown, who died last January after a battle with pancreatic cancer, was always an interesting person to talk to.

Not just because he was Dabo Swinney's agent from the first days of Swinney's head-coaching tenure. But also because he was a Clemson grad who had a wealth of institutional knowledge about the culture and history of the football program. And because he, also an agent for NFL pro head coaches and pro players, was a close follower of the trends in this sport.

With Wednesday's official addition of Trevor Lawrence to the Tigers' quarterback stockpile, it was hard not to think back to some of those conversations with Brown in recent years.

In 2013 and 2014, when it was evident that a high-achieving program was on the verge of becoming a powerhouse, Brown always circled back to one position as he pondered the Tigers' long-term footing among the giants.