Father, Coach, Tiger Forever: Brent Venables Back on the Clemson Sideline
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It felt almost like old times in Death Valley on Saturday night—Brent Venables back on the Clemson sideline, wearing a Paw again, standing only a few feet from the spot where he built some of the best defenses in school history. But this time, Venables wasn’t calling plays. He was a dad, in town on Oklahoma’s open week to watch his son, senior safety Tyler Venables, play one of his final games in Memorial Stadium.
“I looked up and I was like, there’s Brent—I gave him a sideline pass,” Dabo Swinney said after Clemson’s 24–10 win over Florida State. “I went over there, I said, ‘What do you think they’re gonna call right here on second and 14?’ He’s like, ‘Probably a screen or draw. Probably a screen or draw!!’” Swinney laughed, telling it, the grin of an old friend seeing a familiar face in familiar territory.
Venables’ Oklahoma team is 7–2 and ranked No. 12 in the College Football Playoff rankings, with a huge trip to No. 4 Alabama looming next Saturday at 3:30 p.m. on ABC. But with the Sooners on a bye, the longtime Clemson defensive coordinator made the most of his chance to return home and watch his son compete for the Tigers.
“It was awesome for him to be dad, and to be able to see T-Bone,” Swinney said, using Tyler’s nickname. “Tyler’s just—he’s one of the best leaders that we’ve had here. This kid loves Clemson. He loves this team. He loves everything about Clemson. He’s pretty much grown up here.”
The Venables family spent nearly a decade in Clemson, and Tyler, now in his sixth year, has been part of the program since he was in middle school. Brent’s return carried an unmistakable emotional undertone for the staff and players who know what he meant to the Tigers’ rise. Swinney said Brent wasn’t the only visitor from his Oklahoma staff—James Skalski, the former Clemson linebacker now working under Venables, sat in on Swinney’s team meeting Friday.
“It was great just to see those guys,” Swinney said. “Man, I love Brent, and it was awesome for him to be dad. For him and Julie to be able to get back and just be a part of that, it was awesome. It was a good mojo. We had some good mojo down there.”
That “mojo” ended with a satisfying win for Clemson and another memory for a family that’s woven deep into the fabric of the program. Tyler’s blocked punt last week against Duke, his leadership, and his emotional connection to his teammates have been constants in a turbulent season. For one night, his father got to see it in person, surrounded by the place that helped shape both their football lives.
Brent will be back in the spotlight next weekend, leading Oklahoma into Bryant-Denny Stadium in one of the biggest games of the national slate. But for a few hours Saturday, he was simply back—under the lights in Death Valley, watching his son and soaking up a reminder of what he helped build.
