Venables Pleased With Camp; Excited About D-Line

When Brent Venables says that he is pleased with the way the defense finished fall camp, it is as close to a glowing review as he is going to give.

Clemson Tigers defensive coordinator Brent Venables is a man of few words and a man that is light on compliments. So, when he says that he is pleased with the way the defense finished fall camp, it is as close to a glowing review as he is going to give.

“It has been a good clean camp from a discipline standpoint and understanding just to be in a good competitive position,” he said. “A lot of pre-snap understanding. You see a bunch of young guys that have grown up and improved with their confidence, improved with their understanding, improved with their technique, just playing within the system, and letting the system help them.

“So, it has been very pleasing to see that discipline show up in live situations.”

Under Venables’ guidance, Clemson has finished in the top 15 in the nation in total defense in each of the last seven seasons, the longest active streak in the country. Clemson has finished in the top 10 in that category in six of those seven seasons, tied with Wisconsin for the most such finishes in the nation.

One group that particularly impressed was the backup defensive line—especially Tre Williams, Ruke Orhorhoro, Etinosa Reuben and Darnell Jefferies.

“Those other guys have done really, really well and made improvement,” Venables said. “We just have to get them to be consistent everyday players, as far as showing up and being healthy and all of those little things that it takes to be a good player. But they have really matured and made a ton of improvement fundamentally, pad level and being physical.

“And they are athletic. Ruke, Tre and ET are very athletic guys. They got big bodies and they have some twitch to them, so they are playing within the system and playing with better pad level and fundamentals, that is the biggest thing we have seen from them.”

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