Clemson Football: LB Jake Venables will be a pleasant surprise
The Clemson football linebacker room will be looking to replace a couple of starters and Jake Venables will be a pleasant surprise.
Don’t be surprised to be hearing a lot of rave reviews about ‘Venables’ in the Clemson football spring and fall camps this season. And it won’t be Brent Venables.
The Clemson football defense will be looking to replace two starters off of last year’s unit- Isaiah Simmons and Chad Smith– and one of the major competitors for Smith’s vacant spot will be Defensive Coordinator Brent Venables’ son Jake Venables.
Though Jake Venables saw minimal playing time in 2019, he proved that absolutely has the talent and ability to develop into an elite linebacker for the Clemson football program.
Venables finished with 9.5 tackles for loss last season– third on the team- in minimal playing time. It should be noted that 5.5 of those tackles for loss came against Wofford and Charlotte, but it’s still impressive nonetheless to see him getting on the field and making plays, even if it was against lesser opponents.
Working on Clemson's projected defensive depth chart for tomorrow and this stat popped off the page: LB Jake Venables had 9.5 tackles for loss. That ranked third on the team, only behind Isaiah Simmons and Justin Foster, both of whom started at least 13 games. Venables started 0.
— Grace Raynor (@gmraynor) January 21, 2020
When you watch Venables on film and in person, the one thing that stands out is his physicality. He isn’t afraid to initiate contact and does an excellent job getting to the ball-carrier. He will certainly have to prove himself in pass-coverage, but I believe Clemson football fans are going to be pleasantly surprised by Venables’ play in 2020.
He’ll be in competition for that MIKE and WILL spot- depending on where the Tigers elect to play James Skalski– and will earn a solid amount of playing time during the 2020 season.
Don’t be surprised when we get into spring practice and you hear a lot about a man named ‘Venables’ and they’re not talking about Brent.
Projecting the perfect 2020 schedule for Clemson. dark. Next
Jake earned his spot on the team and has the talent to contribute this season as one of the most physical linebackers in the room.