Clemson football: Venables brothers will be next great Tigers brothers

Being a coach’s son is never easy, but for Clemson football, it means an opportunity to play for the nation’s best program.

Clemson football players Tyler Venables and Jake Venables were all-state football players for Daniel High School. To college coaches, it was a foregone conclusion that they were going to play for their dad, Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables.

Both Venable brothers were considered three-star recruits and combined had less than a dozen offers. In today’s day and age, people tend to judge players by the number of offers that they have and rankings do as well.

If you need any proof, look at 2021 Clemson football quarterback commit Bubba Chandler. Prior to his Clemson offer, he had zero stars according to all recruiting services. Within four days of his Clemson offer, he shot up to a 3-star recruit and was ranked among the Top 20 quarterbacks for the 2021 class.

Coaches across the country all assumed that both Jake and Tyler were going to play for Clemson and so the offers never came. What we know about Coach Dabo Swinney, is he does not offer actual scholarships to players unless they have earned them.

We have seen plenty of legacies under Swinney have to walk-on and earn a scholarship.

Former brothers Judah and JD Davis were as legacy as one can get at Clemson being the twin sons of former national championship player and Clemson legend Jeff Davis yet even they had to walk-on and bulk up in order to play for Coach Swinney and the Tigers.

The Davis brothers left Clemson as two-time national champions and epitomized what hard work and dedication are.

During the 2020 signing day event, Coach Swinney could not say enough about the addition of Tyler Venables at safety, a position of dire need in 2020. He likened him to his father as far as intensity and demeanor on the field.

That alone should pique everyone’s interest in the younger Venables brother.

Playing time for Clemson football players is earned regardless of your last name or recruiting status

We all know that Clemson football coaches reward players with playing time, though it has to be earned. Because of graduation, both Jake and Tyler are going to get an opportunity to play a lot in 2020. In 2019, Jake took 217 snaps on defense and played in 14 games.

Heading into summer workouts and fall camp, he is currently listed as a backup to fifth-year senior James Skalski and will have an opportunity to play a lot more than he did in 2019.

Tyler will have a chance to battle with RJ Mickens, Ray Thorton III, Lannden Zanders, Jalyn Phillips, and Joseph Charleston for playing time at safety. Coming into 2020, only Nolan Turner has played significant snaps for the Tigers at safety.

Both Venables brothers will provide important depth to the Clemson football defense in 2020 and as we have learned over the years, everyone needs to stay ready because you never know when your name will be called.

Something should tell us that these two were born ready and will take advantage of every opportunity that comes their way in 2020.