Two recruiting cycles ago, Clemson signed four-star linebacker Jake Venables, the son of Tigers defensive coordinator Brent Venables, as part of the 2018 class.

Fast forward to the 2020 cycle, and the Tigers are now recruiting another one of Brent’s sons in Tyler Venables.

The 5-foot-10, 190-pound athlete from Daniel High School was one of the top performers in The Opening Regional combine in the Charlotte area last Sunday, and The Clemson Insider spoke with him there.

“It’s a great experience,” Venables said of The Opening. “Great to learn from great coaches, too, and great to see where you’re at amongst all the competition.”

Venables stacked up very well in a talented field of competitors at The Opening Charlotte, recording the third-highest testing rating (106.17) among all defensive backs at the combine. He logged a time of 4.53 seconds in the 40-yard dash and had a 34.4-inch vertical jump to go with a 39.5-foot power ball toss and 4.40 shuttle time.

As a junior last season, Venables saw action on both sides of the ball at quarterback and safety. He is being recruited by Clemson to play the latter, and worked out with the DBs at The Opening, but says he does not have a positional preference.

“I like them both,” he said. “Safety’s good because I’m a very aggressive guy when it comes to competition, and quarterback’s also really nice because you’re in control of the game. So, both.”

Venables received his first scholarship offer from Nevada in November 2017. Clemson followed suit with an offer later that month, and he has since picked up offers from Jacksonville State, Coastal Carolina, Wake Forest and Army, in that order.

Where do the Tigers stand with the legacy recruit at this stage of the process?

“They’ve always been towards the top, and they’re a great school,” Venables said. “I’m never going to forget that. They’re never going to be off my mind. They’re always there.”

Venables feels blessed to have a father who can help guide him through the recruiting process and not only help him become a better player on the field, but a better person off it.

“He’s a great dad, on and off the field,” Tyler said of Brent. “He’s always sharing technique with me, and he’s not always just bugging me to come to Clemson. He just wants me to have a great recruiting experience, and he also wants what’s best for me, so it’s great.”