Clemson signed 21 players as part of its 2022 recruiting class, some of whom still have yet to make it to campus.
Nine signees went through spring practice as early enrollees while the rest, including transfer Hunter Johnson, will arrive on campus this summer. The Clemson Insider is taking a closer look at each newcomer and the likelihood of him contributing immediately this fall based on development and positional need.
TCI previously highlighted Keith Adams Jr., T.J. Dudley, Sherrod Covil Jr. and Robert Gunn III. Next up is Kylon Griffin.
Position: Safety
Height: 5-foot-11
Weight: 185 pounds
Ranking: 3 stars (247Sports Composite)
Previous school: Montgomery (Alabama) Catholic Preparatory
Early enrollee? No
The skinny: Griffin might be the less heralded of Clemson’s two safety signees in a class that included Covil, a four-star recruit, but Griffin was productive in the Alabama prep ranks during his time at Montgomery Catholic Prep, where he was teammates with Dudley, a linebacker signee. An all-state performer as a senior, Griffin was credited with 161 tackles during his high school career along with three interceptions and 12 pass breakups. He was a key part of a suffocating defense that allowed just north of three points per game last fall.
Griffin is joining a safety room that’s still relatively deep even with the loss of Nolan Turner. Veterans Lannden Zanders, Jalyn Phillips, R.J. Mickens and Tyler Venables along with Andrew Mukuba, a freshman All-American last season, are returning to lead the way at the position. And Covil doesn’t seem too far from joining that rotation after impressing this spring as an early enrollee, a head start to his collegiate career that Griffin doesn’t have. If the Tigers are able to stay healthy at the position, Griffin may have to wait until 2023 for his first chance at a more significant role on defense, though seeing the field on special teams as a true freshman is always a possibility.
Photo courtesy of Jake Crandall/Montgomery Advertiser via Imagn Content Services
