He played college football for the South Carolina Gamecocks, where he won the Ted Hendricks Award, and was selected first overall by the Houston Texans in the 2014 NFL draft.

Clowney was a member of the Texans for five seasons, earning three consecutive Pro Bowl selections during his final years with the team.

[4] In his sophomore year he joined rising seniors Stephon Gilmore and DeVonte Holloman (both four-star recruits) on a South Pointe varsity coming off a 9–4 season.

South Pointe made the state finals for the second time in three years, but lost 23–27 to Myrtle Beach at USC's Williams-Brice Stadium.

[8] Afterwards, Clowney headed to New York City, for a photo shoot for an ESPN the Magazine feature story that appeared in the journal's February 2011 issue.

[16] Sources: Clowney was also on the school's track & field team, where he competed as a sprinter, shot putter and discus thrower.

[21] Clowney attended the University of South Carolina where he played on the Gamecocks football team under head coach Steve Spurrier from 2011 through 2013.

In South Carolina's 30–13 win over Nebraska in the Capital One Bowl, Clowney recorded four tackles and two sacks of quarterback Taylor Martinez.

[28] It was also a Clemson Memorial Stadium record, topping the previous mark jointly held by Notre Dame's Ross Browner (1977) and Virginia Tech's Bruce Smith (1984), both College Football Hall of Famers.

The hit knocked Smith's helmet off and forced a fumble that Clowney himself recovered, which then set up a touchdown on the next play.

[36][37] After a slow start to the season, while being plagued by minor injuries, Clowney's Heisman chances began to fade.

[38] His decision to sit out the Kentucky game with a muscle strain near his rib area caused media controversy.

[41] Clowney finished his junior season with 35 tackles, 10.5 for a loss of yardage, and three quarterback sacks—considerably lower in each category compared to his sophomore year.

[43] However, after receiving unanimous All-American honors in 2012, Clowney was only selected to one 2013 All-America team—by the American Football Coaches Association.

[44] After South Carolina's 34–24 win over Wisconsin in the 2014 Capital One Bowl, in which Clowney had five tackles including one for a loss, he announced that he was going to forgo his senior year and enter the NFL draft.

[47][48] "Clowney's a rare talent, basically to the defensive end spot what Andrew Luck and RG3 were to the quarterback position," said ESPN analyst Mel Kiper, Jr. "These type of prospects just don't come along very often.

"[48] NFL media analyst Bucky Brooks described Clowney as a "meaner, nastier version of Julius Peppers.

[46] At the NFL Combine in February 2014, Clowney excelled in the 40-yard dash, posting an official time of 4.53 seconds, the fastest among defensive linemen,[55] which caused USA Today calling him "by far the most freakish physical specimen in this draft".

[64] Clowney made his regular season debut on September 7 against the Washington Redskins, making one tackle for a loss but left the game early in the second quarter due to a knee injury.

Clowney was placed on injured reserve to undergo further surgery on his knee on December 4,[67] ending his rookie season with seven tackles in four games.

[69] After a spate of injuries the previous year, Clowney did not play in the preseason, but returned on September 13, 2015, against the Kansas City Chiefs, making four tackles, of which one was for loss, in the 20–27 defeat.

[75] On January 7, 2017, in the Wild Card Round against the Oakland Raiders, he recorded his first NFL interception against Connor Cook, in a 27–14 win.

[78] In Week 2, on Thursday Night Football, cornerback Kareem Jackson caused a fumble on rookie Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver John Ross, which Clowney recovered and took back for 49 yards to set up the Texans offense on a field goal scoring drive.

[90] His first-ever regular season interception took place in Cardinals on September 29, 2019, off a screen pass from rookie quarterback Kyler Murray; he returned it to the end zone for a touchdown in Seattle's 27–10 win.

[91] On October 3, Clowney forced a fumble from running back Todd Gurley and recovered it as the Seahawks went on to win 30–29 against the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday Night Football.

[92] In week 8 against the Falcons, Clowney recorded a strip sack on Matt Ryan which was recovered by teammate Ziggy Ansah in the 27–20 win.

[95] In the NFC Wild Card Round against the Eagles, Clowney recorded five tackles and sacked Josh McCown once in the 17–9 win.

During the first quarter, Clowney made a helmet-to-helmet hit on Eagles' starting quarterback Carson Wentz which knocked him out of the game.

[102] Clowney had a productive first season in Cleveland, appearing in 14 games, posting 37 tackles, nine sacks (his most since 2018), and two forced fumbles, while being named a 2022 Pro Bowl alternate.

[114][115] His father, David Morgan, was released from prison in 2006 after serving nearly 12 years for robbing a Rock Hill check cashing business in 1995.