Clemson safeties look to fuse veteran leadership with young talent

Khalil Barnes looks to build on a standout freshman campaign.

Grayson Mann - Staff Writer - Tuesday, July 30 2024

Veteran leadership fused with young talent.

If there’s a formula for success Mickey Conn plans to use for 2024, he likely will utilize that.

Conn’s position group shuffled around in 2023, mixing freshman talent with established starters such as RJ Mickens and Andrew Mukuba.

Some circumstances were injury-related in that youth movement, and some Tigers were just difficult to keep on the sidelines.

New talent like Khalil Barnes, who played most of the young secondary, received freshman All-American honors in his first year at Clemson. There’s also Kylon Griffin, a redshirt freshman who saw more action, stepping in for a crucial matchup with Notre Dame. Griffin made a significant interception to seal the win for the Tigers.

They might’ve been listed as starters, but Conn consistently preached preparation to his younger guys so they would be ready for their moment when it arrived.

“That's the mindset you got to have in a place like Clemson,” Conn said. “You have to be ready. There are good players ahead of you, but you know what? You're a good player, too. Even though you might be a backup if you're a great player, too, you wouldn't be here. And when your opportunity comes, man, go in there and shine. Go take a job. And that's what Khalil did.”

Conn’s vision for this safety group might have taken a different turn than he likely anticipated, but he believes this unit is in a good spot.

Plenty will be made of the young talent that Conn is tasked with developing, but he also has veteran leadership that complements his group well.

Mickens and Tyler Venables, who both returned as graduate seniors, have plenty of talent and years of experience.

While dealing with an injury that sidelined him for most of 2023, Venables decided to take after his father (former Tigers D-coordinator and now Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables) and student coach for most of the season.

Not only did a different role allow him to embrace a side of football he’d always seen from his father, but it also helped him develop the mental side of his game.

Conn said that Venables took great pride in the role and still found a way to grow despite not putting on a helmet and shoulder pads.

“It was great having him out there,” Conn said. “I wanted him to have a role on the field. He couldn't play, but I wanted him to have a role, so I know he wants to be a coach someday. I thought that would be the best thing to do, man. So we put a headset on him in some of the games and said, Hey man, let's go to work. And he took pride in it, and he was just very unselfish and jumped right in, and he did a great job. He's a lot like his dad. They're the same people. No question about it.”

In Conn’s eyes, there’s no question about the similarities between father and son. There’s also no doubt who will be the leader of this safety group.

Like Barrett Carter, Mickens had to decide whether to declare for the draft or return for one more season at Clemson. Mickens started the most games of his career in 2023 at nine, recording 42 tackles and three pass breakups.

Barnes may command the spotlight within the Clemson secondary, but Conn highlighted what Mickens brings on and off the field.

“I think it's important that he's a leader," Conn said. "I think it's important that Tyler's a leader. Khalil, I think he'll bring leadership. In today's world, having one year of playing experience is a lot of experience, too, but RJ's got a ton. He just doesn't need to overthink things. He needs to go out there and let the defense work for him, not try to do too much, not try to guess play within the scheme as well, not just don't overthink himself. They're smart and will do that.”

The Clemson defense enters 2024 hungry to silence the negative noise that’s built up about the Tigers.

Conn’s safeties will play a role in changing the narrative, with the position coach believing he has the perfect group ready to make a substantial contribution.