Venables proud of freshman standouts Barrett Carter and Andrew Mukuba

Carter reaches for a fumble against FSU.

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Tue Nov 02 15:32:03 GMT-04:00 2021

CLEMSON – Defensive coordinator Brent Venables has a mix of veterans and youth in his defense, and the fact that a freshman like Barrett Carter gets to learn from James Skalski and that Andrew Mukuba learns from Nolan Turner will pay dividends down the road.

Venables told the media earlier this week that he is proud of how the freshmen have played.

"It's a great group, good football players. It's obviously part of their maturation. The more they play, the better they'll get and find in roles what they can do well -- what you can trust them with,” Venables said. “A lot of times, you go into the year and you think you know, and then things change or it's validated with what you thought. So, two really good young players to go along with the other good players that we have and kind of gives you a glimpse of what you can hope for in the future."

The freshmen who are playing are learning on the job.

"Obviously, you want them to be able to play fast so the more natural things come, the better you feel about putting them in any situation,” Venables said. "And so just having a really good foundation for what it is that you do so that you can apply it and tweak it from week to week once you get into the season. So just having a good knowledge base. (For) some guys it happens sooner rather than later. Again, I would say guys like Mukuba and Barrett Carter, and they've had plenty of struggles. They'll be the first to tell you mentally and things like that. Just transitionally, that's very natural, is that they do understand football. They got good instincts. So, the more they play, the better they get."

Carter scored a touchdown on the last play of the game against Florida State, and Venables said the Georgia native has a bright future.

"Well, it is not really as much as the offense (on when Carter plays). It's really just how he's maturing within our defense. And again, he's a good football player,” he said. "Looking at utilizing him, he runs really, really well. He's a 4.5 (40-yard dash time) guy all day. He's got great hips and feet. And really again, he's got a dynamic skill set. But just trying to continue to develop our team. He's got a great future."

Venables was asked if Carter compares to former Clemson linebacker Isaiah Simmons, who now plays for the Arizona Cardinals.

"A little bit. Some things are similar,” Venables said. “Some things aren't, but he's probably a little more natural at an early age than Isaiah."

The freshmen get to see another dynamic quarterback this week in Louisville’s Malik Cunningham.

"Very dynamic. A little better thrower than a Jordan Travis -- more consistent,” Venables said. “He's just very explosive, very tough to contain. They do a great job moving him around and does a great job in their zone-read game and on their boot game. He can launch it.

"They've got a great understanding of what they do. Play with a lot of confidence and a very aggressive approach. Both of their backs are tight ends, got big long receivers. They got one guy that's averaging 30 plus yards a catch, number eight. And they've done a good job with that offense and he's a great fit for it."