Jalyn Phillips has practiced his share of patience at Clemson.
Phillips is beginning his fourth year in the program after signing with the Tigers in 2019 out of Archer (Georgia) High, where he was teammates with a more high-profile Clemson signee that year, Andrew Booth. Unlike Booth, a two-year starter who’s widely projected to be a first-round pick in this year’s NFL Draft, Phillips has yet to carve out a consistent starting role on the back end of the Tigers’ defense.
In fact, Phillips has started just seven games for the Tigers to this point while competing amid a crowded room of talented safeties the last handful of seasons. He sat behind Tanner Muse, Nolan Turner and K’Von Wallace, a fourth-round draft pick in 2020, as a freshman. He then bided his time the last two seasons at free safety behind Turner, an All-American in 2020 who’s hoping to hear his name called in this year’s draft after playing in 65 career games over six seasons at Clemson.
Not everyone was willing to wait it out. Joseph Charleston, another safety who was also part of Clemson’s 2019 recruiting class, entered the transfer portal midway through last season, but Phillips said that thought never crossed his mind.
“Trust the process,” Phillips said.
That process appears to be paying off.
Phillips is now the favorite to be Turner’s successor at free safety entering his senior season. The 6-foot-1, 205-pounder has repped there almost exclusively with the first-team defense this spring, though Phillips said he’s doing some cross-training at strong safety, too, something his position coach, Mickey Conn, is having most of the safeties do in order to create and maximize versatility at the position.
While Phillips wasn’t exactly content with being a backup the last few years – “(starting) should be everyone’s goal when they come in,” he said – he was confident he’d eventually rise to the top of the depth chart at what he admitted was one of his dream schools. Having grown up approximately 90 miles down the road, it’s also a more convenient trip for his family to make to watch him play at Clemson, which is one of the primary reasons he said he stuck it out.
“And playing under a guy like (defensive coordinator) Wes (Goodwin) and a guy like Coach Conn,” Phillips said. “Genuine men. Guys that love you on and off the field. Coach (Dabo) Swinney, another guy that loves you on and off the field no matter what it is. Playing under them and playing for my family is really the big reason why I go so hard.”
Phillips saw the most extensive playing time of his career last season. He played in 12 games and started six of those filling in for an injured Turner, using a skill set that he believes is different from those that came before him at the position to finish the season with 47 tackles and three pass breakups.
“I’m more like a mixture of all of them,” Phillips said of his playing style. “A guy that can come in the box and fit. A hard hitter. Go in the slot and cover and has got range over the top. Just being able to do it all.”
But in an ironic twist, Phillips believes it’s what he learned from his successor that has him in position to play his largest role yet on Clemson’s defense. Phillips credited Turner for helping him grow his mental capacity for the game in the film room, where Phillips said it was a daily “routine” for the two to watch tape together.
“I appreciate him the most,” Phillips said. “Some people, they hate on the guy that’s in front of them, but I never in my life will hate on another man. I just really learned the game from him. He really slowed things down for me player-wise. That’s the reason he’s one of my close friends to this day.”
Phillips said it’s helped him take his game to another level, and he’s not the only one who holds that opinion. Conn said he’s seen a different level of confidence from Phillips this spring and has watched him emerge as the leader in the safety room, a role Phillips said is still taking some getting used to for him in some aspects.
“Coming in, I always did what was right, did what coach needed me to do and did a little extra, so I feel like I’ve always been a leader about what I’ve been doing,” he said. “But this year, taking on that role, I’m trying to be more vocal and get some of the young guys in and watch some film because I know how it was for me when I first came here. Everything was fast and everything is fast on the field. You might know it on the paper, but as soon as you get out here (on the field), your mind goes crazy.”
Said Swinney, “He’s been around here. He’s been a good player and he’s started some games for us, but he’s just really kind of come into his own as a fourth-year guy.”
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