CLEMSON RECRUITING

Jake Venables: LB is recruiting at Shrine Bowl, making sure dad stays at Clemson

Jake Venables: LB is recruiting at Shrine Bowl, making sure dad stays at Clemson


by - Staff Writer -

ROEBUCK – Jake Venables is doing his best impersonation of his dad this week, recruiting top-notch players to the Clemson program while also taking time to enjoy the game he loves.

As for his dad leaving the program to take a job somewhere else? Well, that isn’t happening, either. Not on Jake’s watch.

Jake is the 2018 linebacker commit out of Central (SC) Daniel who also happens to be the oldest son of Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables. He is competing this week at the Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas along with fellow commit Derion Kendrick and top Clemson target KJ Henry.

“It's a big honor. It's always something at Daniel, that while it's not really for everybody, people look at you a different way when you get selected for that type of stuff, so it's a big honor,” Venables told TigerNet. “It means something. I'm really excited to be here and to represent my school and my city.”

While he’s enjoying the practice schedule and meeting new friends, he’s also making sure Henry – a 5-star out of Clemmons (NC) West Forsyth – knows he is wanted at Clemson.

“I'm definitely recruiting. We just got back from the bowling alley and the South Carolina team was going up against the team from North Carolina with Jordyn Adams and K.J. Henry,” Venables said. “I've been trying to talk to him (Henry) a little bit here and there and just tell him that, 'Hey, you'd look better in the Clemson orange.' I give him a tough time because we're both wearing No. 24 on Saturday, so I told him I was going to be the real No. 24 out there.”

The Clemson coaching staff is busy with in-home visits for the top targets and committed prospects, but Venables isn’t sure when his will come – his future defensive coordinator lives with him and the head coach lives a few hundred feet away.

“I think we're going to do one, but I'm not sure when. I know it's going to be really soon,” Venables said with a laugh. “It might be as soon as I get back. We live in the same neighborhood and he lives less than 100 yards from my house.”

The elder Venables’ name has been mentioned for several job openings over the past few weeks, but Jake says he didn’t pay any attention to the rumors – he’s not letting his dad be anywhere but in Clemson.

“I wasn't focused on it at the time. My friends from Oklahoma messaged me and showed it to me first,” Venables said of the rumors. “I was just like, 'Well, that's news to me.' Usually, if that stuff pops up, my dad would talk to me and my family about that stuff first. We didn't really talk about it much around the house and it was never really a big deal. I wouldn't have allowed him to leave anyway, so he didn't really have an option.

“I know it's one of his dreams to be a head coach one day, but he's really just waiting for the right time. I think it was just a bad time over these past couple of weeks.”

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