Almost every Clemson player has spoken about the Clemson offense and the potential that it brings. On Friday afternoon, it continues through safeties R.J. Mickens and Tyler Venables.
In the second season under offensive coordinator Garrett Riley, the secondary has continued to see more progression as the team entered full pads for fall camp earlier this week.
“Coach Riley’s an incredible offensive mind,” Venables said. “His ability to adapt and adjust, be unpredictable, motion and all this kinds of stuff that he’s doing constantly to make his game better [and] our game better.”
Tyler Venables
A lot of it comes with the way that Riley is “adapting and innovating” throughout practices, according to Venables. It brings uncertainty to the defense during scrimmages, which makes it more competitive.
“We’ve got a lot of explosive playmakers on that offensive side of the ball,” Mickens said, “so it really gives us a good challenge each and every day.”
A lot of this starts with quarterback Cade Klubnik, who begins his junior season with more confidence and experience than the beginning of last season. Not only has he improved as a player, but he has grown as a leader, according to the two experienced safeties.
“Cade’s really grown,” Mickens said. “His leadership, his whole mentality [and] everything that he has been through has built him into who he is now. The adversity, the tough times that he’s had to go through were all growing pains, and he learned from those and really developed into a great player. He was good before, but he is a lot better.”
Not only has he been more “vocal”, according to Venables, but Klubnik is also gaining more maturity, as an upperclassman entering his third season.
“So with years in college, you gain maturity and the game slows down for you the longer you’ve been in the game, which I don’t think is a surprise to anybody,” he said about the starting signal caller. “But he’s a great leader. . .and people are willing to get behind him. I think that’s a really special and needed thing for a quarterback.”
Tyler Venables
Most of the hype surrounds freshman standouts Bryant Wesco Jr. and TJ Moore, who look like they will make an impact on the Tiger offense early on. For the two safeties, the hype is very real.
“They’re the real deal and they can absolutely fly,” Venables detailed. “Their route running ability, ability to read defenders and read coverage is top tier. Their stems, quickness, top end speed [and] hands. I can go on and on about how good they really are.”
“He does a really good job. The run game is really good, just the way they can be precise and spread the ball with the quick game and all the stuff that they do. It’s really hard to prep for early on in camp.”
For Mickens, a fifth-year senior, the duo receives praise as “the best freshman receivers” that he has ever seen.
“They’ve got explosiveness [and] that deep vertical threat,” Mickens said. “Wesco can do it all. They just bring a whole different element to the offense.”
However, with both being veterans on the squad, they warn others that Wesco and Moore are not the only two that opposing defenses need to worry about. Players like Antonio Williams, an All-American, and Tyler Brown, who led the team in receiving yards as a true freshman, seem to be less noticed throughout the offseason, to name a few.
“We already have deep threats like Adam Randall, Cole Turner, Antonio [Williams], we already have got guys,” Mickens said. “But, we also got those new guys in the room, and they’re really explosive, young and bring that spark to the offense.”
Venables talks about the tight end room as well, with starter Jake Briningstool leading an underrated group that hopes to make waves throughout the college football world next season.
“The good news is our receiving corps doesn’t stop with those two,” Venables said. “We’ve got guys everywhere, at all four positions, who could really do it. Our tight end group is incredible. . .our passing game I’m excited for.”
With a more vocal leader as a quarterback in Klubnik, a strong running game with the return of Phil Mafah and the addition of Wesco and Moore to a loaded wide receiver room, much of the secondary has seen firsthand the damage that Riley can do with the weapons that he has. In almost three weeks, the offense looks to showcase that against the Georgia Bulldogs on Aug. 31.
