Tag: Andrew Mukuba

Andrew Mukuba didn’t begin playing football until he was in middle school after moving to the United States from Africa with his family when he was a youngster.

Last Saturday, Mukuba became the first true freshman defensive back to start a season opener for Clemson in records back to 1973. The 6-foot, 185-pound safety contributed eight tackles and a pass breakup in his college debut vs. No. 5 Georgia in Charlotte.

Although Mukuba didn’t have any collegiate experience prior to Saturday, Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables knew Mukuba would be able to handle the spotlight of the marquee matchup against the Bulldogs and would be just fine starting the primetime game on such a big stage.

“He’s got a lot to learn and he’s not polished yet. He’s beyond his years in some ways, but he’s got a lot of growth to do still,” Venables said during his media availability Monday. “But some guys, the moment isn’t too big for them. When they get out there, it’s just football. But he’s got a great undying attitude and perspective that’s a little bit different, a lot of maturity. So, it’s easy to pull for guys like that.”

Mukuba, who committed to Clemson last September before signing with the program in December, was ranked as the No. 6 safety and No. 154 overall prospect in the 2021 class by ESPN.

A two-way player at LBJ Early College High School in Austin, Texas, Mukuba won District Offensive Player of the Year as a senior when he had 27 receptions for 427 yards and six scores to go with 173 yards rushing and two rushing touchdowns on 20 carries. Defensively, he posted 60 tackles, six interceptions and four caused fumbles as a senior in 2020.

Venables believes the reason the Tigers were able to land a prospect of Mukuba’s caliber from the Lone Star State is because he was “looking for the right things” and “made of the right stuff in regard to his values.”

“He’s about his business and just a great son, a great brother and a great uncle,” Venables said. “He’s a good young guy and he’s a great teammate and super humble, very hardworking. I don’t know how many times he’s gone out of his way to come up and say, ‘Thank you, coach,’ and he’s done it to a lot of people since he’s been here – ‘thank you for bringing me, thank you for believing in me,’ and stuff like that. It’s like, who does that when they’re 18 years old?

“So, it’s a breath of fresh air. He’s easy to coach, and he’s coldblooded when he’s out on that field. He’s got ice in his veins.”

Venables went on to say that Mukuba, who enrolled at Clemson this past January, is easy to pull for because he is “such a remarkable young guy.”

“First and foremost, he epitomizes what we want all of our program to be about — trying to get our players to think the right way and have the right kind of perspective, and have a thankfulness and appreciation and see the positive as opposed to the negative, and let anything that’s been bad that he’s gone through growing up, or seen maybe family members go through, that he’s allowed that to fuel him instead of destroy him or define him. He’s let it develop him,” Venables said.

“From the very first conversation I remember having with him, he knew so much about Clemson, like what we’re really about – not the winning, everything else. Then he bragged on how big of a fan his brother was, Vincent, who’s like the father figure of their family and was advising him on schools to look at and things of that nature. So, at the end of the day, when it’s all said and done, that’s how we got Andrew, because of his own familiarity, doing his own homework. But what a great fit.”

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As Andrew Mukuba waited to take the field for his first career start, Clemson’s safety took a minute to soak in the environment that came with more than 70,000 people packed inside Bank of America Stadium.

“It was crazy loud,” Mukuba said. “Never really been in an environment like that other than recruiting and going to games.”

Only once since 1973 had Clemson started two true freshmen in a season opener — Jeff Walls and James Farr in 1980 — but Mukuba and offensive lineman Marcus Tate added to the short list in the Tigers’ 10-3 loss to Georgia on Saturday, one in which the Tigers didn’t allow an offensive touchdown. With senior safety Nolan Turner nursing an injury, Mukuba got the start alongside junior Jalyn Phillips at the position, though defensive coordinator Brent Venables made it sound like Mukuba, who got plenty of first-team reps during the preseason, could be a mainstay even when the Tigers are at back at full strength on the back end of their defense.

“He would’ve started had Nolan been healthy,” Venables said. “Nolan would’ve been on the other side in all likelihood.

“It says we’ve got some good, young players. Building some depth there at some critical positions, and guys stepped up.”

It’s taken less than a year for Mukuba to rise to the top of the depth chart after signing with Clemson in December and going through spring practice as an early enrollee. But that’s only scratching the surface of Mukuba’s journey.

Mukuba was born in Zimbabwe, and his parents are from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, a poverty-stricken area in central Africa ravaged by civil wars. “I would still see my dad around,” Mukuba said, but more often than not, he and his six siblings lived together in a one-parent household. Walking miles to retrieve clean water and going days without electricity weren’t uncommon.

“He’s easy to pull for,” Venables said.

When Mukuba was 9 years old, his family left for America “just trying to find a better life,” Mukuba said. The family settled in Austin, Texas. And at that time, rugby was the only sport resembling football that he was familiar with, but Mukuba began playing football in the sixth grade as a running back.

That’s because he was always faster than other children his age, which is when Mukuba said he realized football might be the sport for him long-term.

“I used to just run around people,” Mukuba said.

That changed, Mukuba said, when he got to Early College High School. He also figured out quickly that he liked delivering hits more than absorbing them, so he made the switch to defensive back.

“This is probably the only time you can hit somebody and not get in trouble for it,” Mukuba said. “That’s one thing I liked.”

Mukuba evolved into one of the top recruits in Texas by his senior season. Ranked a four-star prospect by ESPN and 247Sports, Mukuba was sought after by plenty of Power Five programs, including the one in Austin whose campus was located across the street from the hotel where his mother works.

Texas went hard after Mukuba, who said he talked to former Longhorns coach Tom Herman “a lot” during the recruiting process. Mukuba said he grew up going on field trips to Texas and attending games there, but that was mainly because it was in such close proximity rather than Mukuba being a fan of the Longhorns.

Texas and Clemson were among his finalists. Mukuba’s older brother, Vincent, who essentially served as an advisor for his young brother when it came to weighing the pros and cons of each school, was also impressed by what Clemson had to offer, which, in Venables’ opinion, didn’t hurt.

But Mukuba said he ultimately made the choice that he felt was best for him, which helped Clemson pluck a recruit out of the Longhorns’ backyard.

“At the end of the day, when it’s all said and done, that’s how we got Andrew, because of his own familiarity and doing his own homework,” Venables said. “What a great fit. He’s looking for the right things and made of the right stuff in regards to his values. But he’s about his business.”

Learning the intricacies of Venables’ defense can sometimes be overwhelming for a first-year player, and Mukuba admitted he wasn’t playing as fast as he could in the spring because “I was still learning and I was still hesitant on a lot of things.”

Physical ability for the 6-foot, 185-pounder has never been much of a question, but Mukuba took it upon himself to flatten the learning curve by watching more film on his own time. And he didn’t do it alone.

He picked Turner’s brain during film sessions in order to get a better understanding not only of how Clemson’s defense operates but also how opposing offenses might try to operate against them. Mukuba said poring over that tape with the Tigers’ sixth-year safety has gone a long way in improving his comfort level within the defense.

“Just the little things like how the offense lines up, what to expect out of that formation and what’s coming your way,” Mukuba said. “I feel like stuff like that can really elevate your game. Stuff like that is really important because it’s going to put you in position to make a lot of plays.”

Mukuba looked anything but out of place Saturday night against the Bulldogs. He tallied eight tackles — third-most on the team — and broke up a pass as part of a defensive effort that limited Georgia to 256 total yards and 4.2 yards per play.

“For my first start, I would probably give myself like a B-minus,” Mukuba said. “There was some stuff that I kind of messed up on as far as alignments and coming in with the run fits and helping out.

“But going out there in a top-5 matchup and being able to do what I did on the positive side, that definitely helped my confidence.”

Keeping things in perspective has gotten easier for Mukuba considering how hard life used to be.

“Positive things happened. A couple of bad things happened,” Mukuba said. “It was a difficult process, but everything is coming together. There’s a lot of positive going on, and I just feel like we’re blessed as a family.”

Football season has finally arrived. Time to represent your Tigers and show your stripes!