Returning ‘Bruise Brothers’ lead deep pack of Clemson linebackers
James Skalski’s legacy at Clemson will be one for the books.
The sixth-year senior has one more chapter left to add, though. On Feb. 11, he tweeted out a video accompanied by three words: not done yet. Once considered an NFL Draft prospect, the linebacker opted to return to school as one-half of the “Bruise Brothers,” a nickname coach Dabo Swinney gave Skalski and Baylon Spector.
Skalski ended up only playing nine games and started in eight while dealing with a groin injury. Still, the Mike linebacker and team captain managed to end the season with 44 tackles and 1.5 sacks while making history as the first-ever player to play in five ACC championship games.
Spector, the other Bruise Brother, made the most out of his year as a full-time starter in 2020. Playing Will linebacker, the redshirt senior led the Tigers in tackles (72) and sacks (4.5) as the defensive unit finished second in the ACC behind Notre Dame, which won’t be in the conference this year. Between Spector and Skalski and the seven other listed scholarship linebackers, defensive coordinator Brent Venables won’t be short of viable options, despite losing nickel/sam linebacker Mike Jones, Jr.
Jones transferred to LSU in February.
While the Bruise Brothers are expected to be the starters, Jake Venables, Brent’s son, returns with starting experience as well. The redshirt junior filled in for Skalski in the season opener, getting his first career start against Wake Forest when Skalski had to sit out for a targeting penalty that carried over from the 2019 national championship against LSU.
Jake Venables had three more starts on the year before he, too, went out with an arm injury against Virginia Tech in the last game of the regular season on Dec. 5. By the time Clemson’s spring game rolled around in April, though, Venables had been cleared to play and led the Orange team with nine tackles and a quarterback sack.
Right behind Venables in the spring game was Trenton Simpson, who made six tackles with a sack and stood out in his collegiate debut last fall. In April, Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney said Simpson has been working at both Will and Sam linebacker during the offseason
“He’s a guy that we can do a lot of things with,” Swinney said of the Charlotte native. “He’s made a lot of progress, great for him as a true freshman. He’s on his way to having another great year for us if he stays healthy because he’s just at another level from a knowledge standpoint.”
Kane Patterson adds to the deep linebacker core and was counted on last year when the Tigers got hit by the injury bug. Despite not starting, the junior played in every game in 2020 and had a career-high seven tackles in the 49-28 loss to Ohio State during the College Football Playoff semifinals. Even with Skalski and Jake Venables back and healthy, Patterson, who continues to learn from his older teammates, has shown he can be counted on when needed. He ended the 2020 season with 23 tackles, two for loss, and an interception.
“I’ve grown a lot just with my knowledge every week,” he said in December. “You’re either moving forward or going backwards, and I’d say every week, I’m getting smarter and starting to know (Brent Venables’ system) better and better.”
Other returners include LaVonta Bentley, Keith Maguire, Sergio Allen, Kevin Swint, who has been cross training at defensive end during the offseason, and walk-ons Matt McMahan, Matthew Maloney and David Cote.
Even with all those weapons coming back, Swinney still made sure to pick up one linebacker from the Class of 2021 in Jeremiah Trotter, Jr., which says more about the young player than anything. The four-star recruit from St. Joseph’s (Penn.) was ranked the fifth-best linebacker in the country by 247Sports and third-best in the state of Pennsylvania.
The son of former Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Jeremiah Trotter, Sr., he enrolled at Clemson in January, which allowed him to be able to participate in the spring game. Trotter took advantage of the opportunity and made three tackles, one for loss, as part of the Orange team.
Having depth at a position leads to competition, which is something any coach would want. Swinney will have that and more when it comes to the linebackers for his Tigers defense. The Bruise Brothers will lead the way with Skalski eyeing a chance at more history by appearing in a sixth conference title contest.
Clemson is set to open the season against Georgia on Sept. 4 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte.
