Clemson Tigers Safety Ricardo Jones's Key to Breakout Year: 'Stay Hungry'

The Clemson Tigers' defense is looking to take a jump from 2024 into 2025, and sophomore safety Ricardo Jones is a player that could take that next step.

Jones saw 146 defensive snaps last season for the Tigers, learning from the likes of Khalil Barnes and R.J. Mickens at the safety position.

Now, with Mickens gone for the NFL, Jones is using a creed that has been with him since playing in high school: staying hungry for opportunity.

“Stay hungry, keep working, come in everyday just hungry,” he said on Monday. “You want to go get it, all my guys in my safety room, they push me everyday, just to keep working.”

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One of his biggest instructors isn’t a coach, it’s sixth-year safety Tyler Venables, son of former Clemson defensive coordinator and Oklahoma head coach, Brent Venables. Most know Venables as “T-Bone”, helping lead the group.

“If I want to meet off the field and just go over some plays, he’s there,” Jones said. “If I’m on the field and I have a question, T-Bone [is] right there to answer it. T-Bone is a good vet that I really need in my room, he keeps me level-headed.”

It was quite the change going from Northside High School in Warner Robins, Ga., to a top 10 school in Clemson, but Jones has gone through the ebbs and flows of what it’s like to be a collegiate athlete. However, the former four-star recruit has taken it as a learning experience, waiting for his time to take advantage of the opportunity.

“I learned a lot,” Jones said. “I learned that everybody’s time comes. You come in as a freshman, everybody wants to play, but it’s a learning curve. You just have to mature a little bit, learn the playbook and really learn the game. You got to learn how to slow the game down instead of letting it speed you up.”

Jones also is a part of a safety room with plenty of comradery. Kylon Griffin, receiver-turned safety Ronan Hanafin and Venables are all viable options to play alongside Barnes on the depth chart. However, all members of the room have confidence in each other to do the job at the position.

“We aren’t really looking for a spot, we got a rotation,” he said. “Anybody can play, so keep working and try to get better everyday.”

Individually, the safety has a chance to come out strong if defensive coordinator Tom Allen decides to choose him for Clemson’s Week 1 game against LSU. He has proved to be valuable before, recording an interception in his limited playing time last year.

For Jones, playing with a chip on his shoulder is how he looks to dominate the season.

“Everyday, I come out here with a chip on my shoulder just because I play for the ones I love and the people that can’t be here,” he said. “All the kids that wish they could come to Clemson, I try to do it for them, so everyday I come out here, I come out here hungry and ready to go get it.”