Leading From Behind: Clemson's Secondary Driving Defensive Success

While the Clemson Tigers' defensive line was a force to be reckoned with in 2018 — and that has been the case for the better part of a decade — if the team had one vulnerability during its championship run, it was arguably in the secondary. That has not been the case in 2019.

CLEMSON—Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney has spent a great deal of time this year singing the praises of his back-seven, which includes a bevy of talented, NFL-ready linebackers and secondary members.

"I mean I personally think that this could be as good a back seven as we've had," Swinney said before the season. "I just really am excited about the personnel that we have. We'll have a little younger depth at linebacker, but I think we're athletic.

"I think we got guys that can run, guys that know how to play the game, and it's going to be a really good group," he said. "But Isaiah (Simmons) and (James) Skalski and Chad (Smith) — that's a pretty good starting point to go out there. And Skalski's one of those guys that the football world, y'all know who he is, but the football world didn't really know who Skalski is, but if he stays healthy they will."

While the Clemson Tigers' defensive line was a force to be reckoned with in 2018 — and that has been the case for the better part of a decade — if the team had one vulnerability during its championship run, it was arguably in the secondary.

That has not been the case in 2019. This year, the defensive line skews to the young side, and it is the secondary, behind seniors K’Von Wallace, Tanner Muse and Denzel Johnson, that fans and coaches are the backbone of the defense.

And through the first eight games of the season, Swinney's comments have been proven true.

"I think a good front can get neutralized in a heartbeat if you're not good in the back end because they can scheme you up and if you're not disciplined," Swinney said. "We had that one year, might've been 2015, we were dysfunctional. Dysfunctionally good. one of the best defenses in the country and we were like 110th in big plays given up. We were pretty good up front, but we'd give up a 50-yard play in a heartbeat because we were just weren't as disciplined and detailed as we needed to be.

"This year, those guys have really come through for us up front. Those guys have kind of been out of the spotlight but they've just been doing job. The back end has made it all go."

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If the Tigers are looking for a direct spot to credit their success, Swinney believes that he knows—the linebackers. 

After losing Tre Lamar to the NFL Draft, J.D. and Judah Davis and Kendall Joseph to graduation and Shaq Smith to the transfer portal the linebacker position was thin at best to start the season with Jamie Skalski and Chad Smith being thrust into starting roles alongside the Tigers' only returning starter, Isaiah Simmons.

But the play of the linebackers has allowed the secondary to do what they do best—find  the ball.

"It starts with our 'backers... cannot say enough about those guys," Swinney said. "It's just been awesome. Isaiah Simmons and Jamie Skalski could probably get players of the game every week. Chad Smith, he's gotten better and better and he was our player of the game on Saturday. Mike Jones, Jake Venables, Baylon Spector, probably had their best games on Saturday. Kane Patterson is getting better and better. Baylon really is probably a co-starter, he's at that level. And then we have grown men in that secondary.

"But it really starts those 'backers setting the tone down the middle and with Tanner Muse and K'Von Wallace. They've taken a lot of ownership of what we do. Just super proud of them."