RJ Mickens says young players in secondary are 'ahead' of 'typical freshmen'
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Graduate safety, RJ Mickens sat down on Wednesday to discuss the start of spring practice and what he is looking forward to in the 2024 season. Mickens decided to return to Clemson for his fifth and final year, following the Gator Bowl in December. Following Andrew Mukuba’s transfer to Texas, Mickens’ return is a huge boost for the Clemson secondary.
Mickens stated that the decision to return was not a tough one, but did take some thought. He stated that once he made his decision to return, he stuck with it and was fully committed to the program. Mickens knew this was the best thing for him after having conversations with Coach Swinney and his father.
On the Team Meeting Before Spring Practice and the New Team Members
Even though everyone on the team is always a little antsy, Mickens was trying to be in the moment and trying to be in the best mindset for the first practice. Being a fifth-year senior, Mickens had his eye out for young guys in the weight room leading up to Wednesday.
He stated, “all those guys have done a great job of going in and watching tape… I feel like they are really ahead of what typical freshmen would be like.” He expressed that he knows the safeties more closely than the rest of the guys and that they are always asking the more experienced guys questions to get better and learn from the older guys.
On Goals for the 2024 Season
Mickens stated that from the time the team got back in January, they have been fully committed day in and day out. He expressed that the team has been putting in hard work and knows what they are capable of. Following the Gator Bowl win, Mickens knows that there were a couple of busts in the secondary and that is something that the defense is focusing on heading into the new season.
“Of course, we had a couple of busts. I take responsibility for them. I just feel like we played a great game up until then-- had a great year in the secondary with passing defense,” Mickens noted. “Still had a decent game up until then. I just got a little bit too wide on that one post route and the other one we busted on the little wheel route.”
In 2024, Mickens hopes to be more consistent than he was during the 2023 season. He hopes that the team grows and gets the opportunity to play for a ring and get to compete against the best at the highest level. The safety hopes that in 2024 he wants the team to be more consistent in every game and not have a bad week. He wants to pass his knowledge and experiences from the university, community, and program to the new players on the team.
