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While the Clemson Tigers' defensive line was a force to be reckoned with in 2018 — and that has been the case for the better part of a decade — if the team had one vulnerability during its championship run, it was arguably in the secondary.

That might not be the case in 2019. This year, the defensive line skews to the young side, and it is the secondary, behind seniors K’Von Wallace, Tanner Muse and Denzel Johnson, that fans and coaches are looking to potentially be the backbone of the defense.

Earlier this year, head coach Debo Swinney said the Tigers’ secondary could be the best group he’s had since taking over the program midway through the 2008 season.

"That's a good feeling obviously,” Johnson said about Swinney’s comment. “We've got a lot of experience back there. We've got great players that want to compete and make plays."

Johnson, who will no doubt be an integral part of that defensive secondary, finished last season with 40 tackles and three breakups. He has amassed 56 tackles (3.0 for a loss) in his career with Clemson.

Meanwhile, Wallace is set to enter his senior year with 97 career tackles (2.5 for a loss), 12 pass breakups, three interceptions and two forced fumbles.

"It means a lot,” Wallace said earlier this month about heightened expectations in the secondary. “We work super hard to be in this position. We do everything we can to gain his (Swinney’s) trust and Coach (Brent) Venables' trust. I feel like we're that way because we are unselfish. Everybody matters and is accounted for. We just hold ourselves to a higher standard.”

For his part, Muse has 164 career tackles (4.5 for a loss), 10 pass breakups and 2.0 sacks at Clemson. He also has three interceptions including a 64-yard return for a touchdown, a forced fumble and a 63-yard fumble return for a touchdown.

During the ACC Kickoff this summer, Muse said he returned for his senior year because he had “unfinished business.”

He seemed to downplay Swinney’s comment about this year’s secondary being the best, noting that the entire defense needs to play well for the team to succeed.

"Makes me feel pretty good," Muse said at the time. "We've had some good back sevens in the past. For him to say that ... me being one of the seniors, a part of, that I feel very privileged and honored. But it doesn't stop there. We have 11 guys on the field, so that seven has to really lead the other four to be able to all work together as a cohesive unit.

"If you have one bad player on the field, it can end up in a touchdown. It really doesn't matter about what group's the best, as long as that defense is tip-top shape, all the bolts are tightened, then we'll be just fine."