On August 18th, Tyler Venables alluded to a potential coaching career following this season. When asked if he would pursue such a career, Venables answered humorously but honestly: “I’m waiting for my multibillion dollar business idea, but I don’t think that’s gonna happen. So, I’ll go be an intern, a GA, whatever I need to be to get my foot in the door. So, whoever’s watching this, I need a job.”
Venables is a 6th year senior out of Daniel High School, who has amassed an impressive career as a rotational safety and key contributor on special teams. He is the son of Oklahoma Head Coach and former Clemson Defensive Coordinator Brent Venables, originally coming to Clemson to play for his father. Tyler spent his first two seasons playing for his dad, alongside his brother Jake. When Brent left Clemson to pursue a head coaching role at the University of Oklahoma, Tyler made the shocking decision to finish out his career as a Tiger: “Clemson is an amazing place. So I was like, why would I ever want to leave something like this? Even though it’s amazing to play for him for two years. It’s a great experience…I had two great years with him, and this is my place to stay.”
Tyler’s upbringing in football has allowed him to become one of the more intelligent and mature members of the team. His veteran presence has allowed him to be incredibly valuable both on and off the field, as he’s been able to lead the rest of the safety room throughout this offseason: “Any questions the guys have, I’m here to answer it. I’m here to help.” The way Venables describes players is incredibly reminiscent of his father, oftentimes humanizing and adding character to more arbitrary elements of an athlete’s playstyle. For example, he praised teammate Ricardo Jones on Monday:
Understanding players’ to this level is one strong element to Brent Venables brilliance, and Tyler clearly inherited that level of awareness.
While this is his final season putting on a Clemson uniform, one can hope that Venables will remain in the building for seasons to come, bringing that competitive spirit, sharp football mind, and natural leadership into a coaching role. Whether it’s in orange or elsewhere, it’ll be exciting to see the career Tyler can carve out as a coach.
