Dabo Swinney Reveals Why Falcons’ Terrell Brothers Reunion Will Be Special

The Atlanta Falcons paired up the Terrell brothers over the weekend, drafting Avieon Terrell out of Clemson in the second round. He will come to Atlanta to play alongside his older brother, A.J., who also played for the Tigers.

On the evening of day two of the NFL Draft, Sports Radio 92.9 The Game in Atlanta welcomed Dabo Swinney onto their draft show on Friday night. The Clemson head coach had some understandably high praise for Ian Cunningham’s decision to bring the brothers together.

“If one Terrell is good, two is even better,” Swinney said with some clear excitement. “Y'all have got y'all got the best secondary in the NFL now with those two guys.”

Avieon has followed A.J. every step of the way, starting with their high school careers at Westlake High School in Atlanta. Swinney recruited both out of high school, and each went on to a successful career at Clemson. While they have never played together, Swinney highlighted the synergy that the brothers will have right away.

Swinney told the story of his conversation with Avieon from when he was first recruiting A.J. in the mid-2010s. Avieon was a “pudgy little seventh grader,” but Swinney joked that “the only reason we're recruiting him is to get to you one day.”

Sure enough, that worked out.

Avieon went on to have a successful career with the Tigers, wearing the same number as A.J. during his final year at Clemson (No. 8). He did not win a national title as his brother did, but he did take home an ACC title.

The two had a lot in common, Swinney said, “From the moment they showed up” at Clemson. Both were about their business, ready to play, loved to compete, and knew what winning looked like. He likened it to a “blue-collar spirit.”

In the days after the draft, much of the conversation has been about how Avieon compares to his brother, A.J. Swinney made it clear that Avieon is his own person and player, independent of his older brother.

“Obviously, AJ's a great player, but man, AV [Avieon] is his own guy,” Swinney explained. “They’ve got the same last name, but they've got different games. AV is not quite as long as A.J., but he plays long. He's got more positional diversity, and AV can play three positions. He's a freaking ball hawk, and he's the all-time forced fumble guy in the history of Clemson in the secondary. He’s just always around the ball and an elite, elite competitor.”

In Atlanta, the Falcons will certainly be hoping to see more of those parallels with his brother. Since being taken in the first round in 2020, A.J. has been a steady member of the Falcons' secondary. He notched his first All-Pro selection in 2021 and signed a four-year extension in 2024.

The younger Terrell is not the same size as his brother (loses 2 inches and 15 pounds), but he makes up for it with his quickness and high football IQ. Swinney is confident that his abilities will translate into immediate success in the NFL with the Falcons.

“He's an instant playmaker, and he's ready to play,” he finished. “He's incredibly smart, understands the game. He's got great short-area quickness. He's a tackler. He's physical and still just developing.”

Avieon will compete with incumbent starter Mike Hughes for the starting cornerback role opposite his brother. Should he win that job, Swinney is confident the Falcons can rest assured that the Terrell brothers will lock them down for the foreseeable future.

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