Young Tigers have Venables upbeat heading into game week

Young Tigers have Venables upbeat heading into game week

CLEMSON—Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables joined the Tigers in 2012 following a 2011 season in which Clemson ranked 71and total defense and 81 in scoring defense. 

In his seven seasons at Clemson, he’s turned the unit into a perennial Top 10 finisher.

Clemson has ranked in the Top 10 in the country in total defense in all five seasons of the College Football Playoff era and has ranked among the Top 10 in scoring defense in four of those campaigns. 

Yet, for all of the success Venables’ defenses had produced in his Clemson tenure, the 2018 unit accomplished a first in school history, leading the country in scoring defense for the first time in program annals by allowing only 13.1 points per game.

All four of the All-Americans that comprised Clemson’s starting defensive line a year ago (Clelin Ferrell, Christian Wilkins, Dexter Lawrence and Austin Bryant) have departed for the professional ranks, providing opportunities for a number of young defensive playmakers.

Those young Tigers have gotten better during fall camp, leaving the normally stoic Venables a little bit more upbeat about his defense than he was when the Tigers opened camp.

"I do think our first group has gotten better, our first group of guys. So, that might be six or seven guys right now, maybe eight guys that have made improvement," Venables said. "It's a young group...and you have to run them into stuff. Run them into a wall and make them like it. 

"Whatever that looks like. Whether that's learning or it's getting them in the ice baths, or eating right, sleeping right, studying the playbook, coming out here and competing, taking failure the right way, it's all of it, helping them grow up."
The Tigers' defense is anchored by what head coach Dabo Swinney has called his "best back-seven" since he has been at Clemson. 

That back-seven is anchored by preseason All-American and preseason All-ACC cornerback A.J. Terrell, as well as a pair of senior safeties in Tanner Muse and K’Von Wallace who have played in a combined 88 career games with 45 combined starts.

But the one area where Venables is glad to have a few extra bodies this season is at cornerback. 

Led by starters Terrell, who led the team with three interceptions in 2018, including a 44-yard pick-six to jumpstart Clemson’s 44-16 national championship victory against Alabama., and wide receiver turned cornerback Derion Kendrick, the cornerback group also returns one sophomores and one redshirt freshman who saw action a season ago.

 Mario Goodrich and LeAnthony Williams, who appeared in seven games as a redshirt freshman–returning has Venables happy for some added depth.

"I've seen a lot of good and some things that we've got to get better at," Venables said."Between (true freshman) Sheridan (Jones) and (true freshman) Andrew Booth and LeAnthony (Williams) and Mario (Goodrich)...you can get thin fast. Real fast."

Skalski is the leader the Tigers needed:

The departure of 40-game starter Kendall Joseph at will linebacker resulted in James Skalski earning the starting role after taking an advantage of new NCAA rules that enabled him to take a mid-career redshirt in 2018.

But what has impressed Venables more than anything has been his leadership.

"Skalski, everything you want to see from him," Venables said. "Leadership, he's a ball-hawk, hard to block, finds the ball, great in space, a guy that cares, he's wide-open at all the right times."