http://espn.go.com/blog/acc/post/_/...ns-freshmen-have-exceeded-expectations-so-far
Brent Venables says Clemson’s freshmen have ‘exceeded expectations’
David M. Hale - ESPN
Clemson kicks off spring practice today, and on the defensive side of the ball, there are some big questions looming after so many stars have moved on to the NFL. To find out where things stand, we caught up with Tigers defensive coordinator Brent Venables.
Q. Having replaced so much talent last year with great success, does that make it a little easier to do it again, like a template is there?
A. There are a few spots, and it’s pretty obvious, where we have players with experience returning or quality backups. A year ago, we had a bunch of guys that had played a bunch of snaps, Shaq [Lawson] and [Kevin] Dodd and B.J. Goodson, that had played significant snaps. T.J. Green. All those guys inside. We had a bunch of experience coming back. This year, not quite as much. Quality, talented young guys. That’s the issue. That’s the concern. We’ve got to grow some guys up quickly. We’re replacing guys with young guys when you look at D-end or corner or safety.
Richard Yeargin, Chris Register. He’s a hybrid kind of guy that we’re hoping he develops into a quality D-end. It’s a huge spring and huge opportunity for a guy like him. We really need him to come through.
Q. How have those young guys that will be stepping in at defensive end responded?
A. I like how those guys work. I’m not just throwing coaching cliches out there. Those guys know how to work. They’re an intelligent group of guys. They’re athletic. And we have some length there. If I was worried about some immature guys there or we weren’t as athletic as we’d like them, those would be issues you’d be concerned about. But Austin and Cleland are both around 263, 268. Yeargin’s at 260. Register is around 255. We’re not dealing with 230-pound guys. We’ve got some good length, guys that can run, and guys that know how to work. So there’s a set of intangibles there that makes