Clemson brands itself as Wide Receiver U. Tigers build strong case to be D-line U
As those around the country heaped praise upon Clemson’s 2018 defensive line, describing it as a generational group and perhaps the best in college football history, Tigers defensive coordinator Brent Venables had a different message.
Venables, who joined Clemson’s staff in 2012, acknowledged that he had a special group. He was also quick to point out that he has had other special groups during his time at Clemson.
“I think it’s as good that we’ve had, that we’ve been a part of. It’s probably the most veteran group. But in 2014, we had eight senior starters on our defense and really, really, really good quality depth,” Venables said. “We played 10 guys the whole year. Shaq Lawson and Kevin Dodd, first and second rounders, were backups. DeShawn Williams was a backup, and he’s still playing (in the NFL) . . . Those are some backups, and Grady Jarrett’s (with) the Falcons. And of course Vic Beasley was a first-round pick.”
While Clemson has branded itself as Wide Receiver U, you can make the argument that the Tigers are also becoming Defensive Line U.
Clemson has had six defensive linemen drafted since 2015, and Christian Wilkins, Clelin Ferrell, Dexter Lawrence and Austin Bryant will all be drafted in 2019. Backup defensive lineman Albert Huggins could also be selected as he was invited to the NFL combine after finishing his time at Clemson with four career starts.
As Clemson’s 2018 defensive line moves on to the next level, it points back to past groups as being the reason the Tigers were able to have so much success.
Ferrell, Wilkins, Lawrence and Bryant each earned All-American honors during their careers.
“The guys that came before us, the defensive line, just the teams that came before us, they put so much pressure on us to do our best, and they don’t even know it,” Wilkins said. “Those guys were able to do something special, so we want to do what they’ve done but also do it better and do it differently than they’ve done, do it our own way. It’s definitely special, and it’s definitely commendable. What the guys have done before us still affects what we do now.”
Clemson was preparing to face Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff semifinal when Wilkins received a text message from Garrett with a video to share with the entire defensive line.
Garrett encouraged Wilkins and the rest of the unit to stay focused and take care of business. The Tigers went on to dominate Notre Dame and Alabama on their way to a second national title in three years.
“That gave me a little extra juice,” Wilkins said. “It’s a good reminder, because they don’t even know. I’m constantly thinking about those guys every time I take the field, every time I go to a practice, every time I’m in a meeting room. In Clemson in our meeting rooms, you still see the guys on the wall. It’s just always kind of a little more motivation.”
Wilkins, Ferrell and Bryant could have left Clemson following the 2017 season, but they opted to return to school to try improve their draft stocks, win a national title and continue to build their legacies.
One of Ferrell’s goals when he came to Clemson was to be a legend, and after helping the Tigers to a pair of national titles during a three-year stretch, it is safe to say he accomplished his mission.
“I just wanted my name to be in the rafters one day with the Vic Beasleys and the Grady Jarretts and the Da’Quan Bowers. I just wanted my name to be up there. That’s who I looked up to coming into college as great defensive linemen,” Ferrell said. “I didn’t really know how I was going to do that. I just kind of had to put my head down and go to work and kind of set a plan, step by step each year, focusing on new things to get better at, new things to change my mindset as a person and as a man to get to that point.”
As this group of defensive linemen move on, another one will step into the spotlight beginning next year.
Guys like Xavier Thomas, K.J. Henry, Justin Foster and Nyles Pinckney will be counted on moving forward, and they will be able to look back at the way Wilkins, Ferrell and others handled themselves as a standard for what is expected at Clemson.
“I want to leave Clemson better than I found it, and just kind of being able to give them all of my knowledge, there’s no doubt in my mind that those guys will be able to carry on that tradition,” Wilkins said. “When you’re young, you kind of just do what you do, just work as hard as you can, but you don’t understand the impact and the influence you have on people. But now, as I’ve gotten older, going into my sophomore, junior, senior years, I really want to leave this place better than I found it. It’s up to me to do so . . . It’s definitely important to me to do all the right things and do it the right way, work as hard as I can, have fun while I’m doing it. Things like that. Continue to do things that other guys will respect and continue to try to emulate and do it in their own way in the future.”
