Clemson’s defensive line isn’t the only part of the team adopting an identity for itself this year.
While the group up front is referring to itself as The Avengers, the back end of the defense is going with The Mob. As for why the secondary came up with that specific nickname for itself, rising senior safety Jalyn Phillips said the reason is simple.
“Just a group of (defensive backs) that’s just some savages,” Phillips said. “Relentless.”
And there are a pair of freshmen that are fitting that moniker to a T.
Sherrod Covil and Toriano Pride are two of the three defensive backs that enrolled in January after signing with Clemson in this year’s recruiting cycle. Cornerback Jeadyn Lukus is the other, but the Mauldin native is out for the rest of the spring after recently undergoing shoulder surgery.
With Malcolm Greene also still recovering from a shoulder procedure, Pride is one of just four scholarship corners available for the Tigers the rest of the spring. Meanwhile, Covil is repping with Phillips, R.J. Mickens and Andrew Mukuba at safety.
“You can tell they’re really good at football,” Phillips said. “They’re coming in, making some noise and making plays. … Those young guys are really coming in prepared.”
The two have particularly impressed with their aggression at their respective positions. Defensive coordinator Wesley Goodwin has noted Covil’s physicality and ball-hawking tendencies, something his teammates were also quick to point out about the 6-foot, 190-pounder.
“Y’all are going to hear about him a lot,” Mukuba said. “He’s relentless. He doesn’t care. He’ll come down and hit you. He’s laying the wood. I like Sherrod a lot. I like his game.”
Added Phillips, “He doesn’t care what size you are or how big you is. He’s coming with a purpose.”
As for Pride, the depleted numbers at corner have given the St. Louis native more opportunities to get quality reps during his first spring with the Tigers. Pride isn’t the biggest corner at 5-11 and 185 pounds, particularly compared to most of the receivers he’s lining up against in practice. Joseph Ngata, Beaux Collins and Dacari Collins are all 6-3 or taller.
But those that rep alongside Pride daily said he’s usually able to make up for what he lacks in size with strong technique and a tenacious mindset. Pride flashed some of his playmaking ability during the Tigers’ second scrimmage earlier in the week when he had one of the defense’s two pick-sixes. Mukuba said the defense was in zone coverage on the play and that Pride “had good eyes” in intercepting the pass and taking it the other way.
“He runs with the twos sometimes guarding guys like Ngata, Dacari and Beaux,” Mukuba said. “He’s smaller than them, but he doesn’t back down from no competition or any type of competitiveness. He’ll go out there, play hard and play big. Even though he’s a small guy, he’ll go out there and play hard. That’s what I like about him. And he’s really physical for a guy his size.”
Based on everything he’s seen so far this spring, Mukuba said, of all the corners on Clemson’s roster, he’d pick Pride to win more one-on-one matchups than not.
“I feel like wherever he came from, they prepared him for this moment,” Mukuba said. “He’s been out here balling.”
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