Clemson football: Some fans have apparently given up on Brent Venables

Some Clemson football fans have apparently given up on Brent Venables

Clemson football defensive coordinator Brent Venables is the best in the nation, but that distinction clearly doesn’t reign true with every Tiger fan.

Despite the Clemson football team finishing the 2020 season with one of the top (statistically speaking) defenses in the nation, there are many Tiger fans who believe the unit is broken.

Even with veterans like James Skalski, Nolan Turner, Derion Kendrick and Xavier Thomas returning, there has been a contingent of the fan base with the same response: “Who cares? The defense wasn’t good in 2020 and having those pieces back isn’t going to help them get any better.”

I would like to point out here at the beginning that it’s not fair to judge the defense based off the Ohio State game alone. Ryan Day had clearly schemed for months on what he would do if the Buckeyes saw Clemson again.

That being said, we can still acknowledge that there is a problem, but the response is different.

There’s no doubt the Clemson football defense wasn’t as dominant in 2020 as in years past, but to give up on Brent Venables seems like a mistake

We talked all season long about the shortcomings of the defense. The defensive line struggled to get any type of a pass-rush for the majority of the fall and the defensive backfield was suspect all year long.

There’s nothing wrong with having concerns. There’s nothing wrong with saying they’ve got to get better.

But there’s a contingent of the fan base that just seems to be in a state of depression.

Venables’ defense wasn’t the best of his career this past year. But you know what we’ve seen from him every single year in the past? He develops. He moves forward. He finds answers that no one saw before.

He is the best defensive mind in all of College Football and you’ve got to believe that he’ll break down and analyze the mistakes and miscues of this defense and come out with a plan to attack those shortcomings this spring and into the fall.

We are at a crossroads for Clemson football on the defensive side of the ball.

The Tigers have to find a way to improve the defensive backfield and to get a more consistent pass-rush. They’ve got to find a way to get the elite athletes on the field and to use team speed better than what they did at times last year.

All of that is true, sure.

But it’s also true that Brent Venables is still in Clemson. If you think he’s going to just let the game pass him by, you’re sadly mistaken.

It’s okay to have concerns, but Tiger fans should be excited about the veterans who are choosing to return and the prospect of what that defense could look like under Venables’ leadership next season.