Clemson looking to pull another highly rated player out of Texas
Clemson is looking to strike big again in the heart of Texas with four-star safety Andrew Mukuba (5-foot-11, 181 pounds) of Austin. Mukuba is ranked the No. 12 safety nationally in the 247Sports Composite. He has Clemson in his top 12 along with Arkansas, UCLA, LSU, Michigan State, Georgia, Alabama, Arizona State, TCU, Auburn, Texas and Missouri.
“I’ve built a really good relationship with coach (Brent) Venables and coach (Mickey) Conn,” Mukuba said. “Those two are really solid guys. Our conversations are different because of the relationships we have. Our conversations really aren’t about football, it’s about life and what’s going on in this crazy time. We know where we stand and understand each other.”
Mukuba said part of that understanding is the plain way Venables has explained his plans for how he would be used in his defensive scheme.
“Coach Venables said he needs a safety that can cover and come down and make tackles and can do anything in the secondary,” Mukuba said. “He just told me that he’s taking one person at my position in my class, and that really opened my eyes. When they reached out to me, it showed me that they don’t just want me but they need me. That was a big thing for me. I feel like I can cover and I can come down in the box and make some tackles. I’m really versatile, you can put me anywhere in the secondary and I’m going to be able to make plays. I’m comfortable anywhere on the field in the secondary.”
Mukuba added that one of the major attractions for him at Clemson is Venables. He loves his the way he coaches and the way he handles everything with the defense.
“Coach Venables, you know how he gets down with the defense, one of the best defensive coordinators in college football right now,” he said. “And the system at Clemson, how they use their DBs in the run and the blitz. And another thing that really stood out to me is Clemson is only taking one player at my position in my class. They’re still communicating with me and talking to me and that makes me feel like I’m going to be a big piece. Coach Venables talking to me just shows the interest they have in me because I don’t just talk to position coaches. The defensive coordinator knows who I am and knows how he’s going to use me and the type of player I am.”
Last season Mukuba recorded 26 tackles with with two interceptions. He also plays receiver and had 33 catches for 641 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Notes:
▪ Clemson offered three-star cornerback Kamari Lassiter (6-foot, 185 pounds) of Tuscaloosa. He also has offers from Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Georgia Tech, LSU, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Tennessee and others. On July 1 Lassiter named a top six of Alabama, Auburn, Georgia Tech, LSU, Florida State and Georgia. He’s ranked the No. 25 cornerback nationally. His coach is former USC quarterback Chris Smelly.
▪ Five-star offensive lineman Amarius Mims of Cochran, Georgia released his top six Wednesday and Clemson is among those not making the cut. He’s down to Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, Florida State, Tennessee and Oklahoma. Also not making it from his previous top 10 are LSU, Oregon and Florida.
▪ Clemson offered 2022 defensive end Shemar Stewart (6-foot-5, 236 pounds) of Opa Locka, Florida. He’s rated as a five star prospect by 247Sports and ranked No. 2 nationally in the class. He’s also ranked as the #1 defensive end in his class and the No. 1 prospect in Florida. USC also has offered as have Power 5 schools from across the country. Last season he had 48 tackles and 15 sacks.
This story was originally published July 16, 2020 at 1:45 PM with the headline "Clemson looking to pull another highly rated player out of Texas."