Jake Venables breaks down his recruiting, his dad and decision timeframe

Venables works out at Clemson's camp last June

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Sat Oct 29 07:01:02 GMT-04:00 2016

Jake Venables has three offers to his credit, but more might be on the way as the Central (SC) Daniel product continues to impress on Friday nights.

Venables, a 2018 outside linebacker prospect, is also the son of Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables and he told TigerNet this week that other schools are beginning to show a lot of interest.

“It's tough to talk to coaches now, because it's the middle of the season,” Venables said. “But I've been talking to a couple of coaches from some different places every two or three weeks. Oklahoma, Kansas St., North Carolina, TCU and Northwestern have all been in contact.”

Clemson, SMU and Texas Tech have offered and he visited UNC in late September. Visits to Oklahoma, TCU, and Texas Tech could happen soon, but he’d also like to see Kansas St., the school his dad played and coached for.

“I went when Oklahoma played there in 2010. I got to see where my dad and my mom lived when my dad was a G.A., and I kind of saw the campus,” Venables said. “But that was six years ago, so things have changed. I would like to see it again.”

Having a dad who is also his recruiter has its benefits, and one of those is being able to figure out exactly how he would be used at Clemson.

“Before anything, he is more of a dad than he is my recruiter. He really wants to make that the number one thing,” Venables said. “But I will get off the phone with a coach from, say, North Carolina. And he will come up to my room and make sure I have all of my stuff done and then he'll ask me about the phone call and what we talked about. He will make some comparisons between schools. As for Clemson, he will tell me how he would use me if I went to Clemson.

“He told me if I went to Clemson it wouldn't be a waste. I wouldn't go to Clemson and just get dogged on because he is my dad. He told me that I would get a head start and have an advantage on guys and how he is playing most of the backers he has now. He told me I wouldn't be a wasted guy and I would play.”

Many schools around the country might see Venables as a lock to Clemson, something Venables believes has affected his offer list.

“Definitely. I feel like that all the time,” he said. “But that isn’t the case, and some school would be getting a linebacker loaded with energy. I have a `good work ethic, I have good length and I have football knowledge.”

Venables said he wants to take his time with the recruiting process, but did detail what he’s looking for from his suitors.

“I don't have a leader right now. I just don't. They are all the same to me right now,” he said. “I am just working on building relationships with coaches from each school. I obviously want to go to a school where I have a good relationship with the coach. That's the big thing. I am looking for a place with a good family environment and a good culture. Good coaches that don't treat their players like employees and they actually care about their guys. I am looking for a very good academic school, and a school with a good winning tradition.”

When does he want to make a decision?

“I want to make a decision before my senior year, and it might even be the week before football starts next summer,” Venables said. “I don't know. That is to help with recruiting purposes.”