Talented freshman defender Jeadyn Lukus has 'lockdown corner' mentality

Jeadyn Lukus is an Upstate product seeking to be Clemson's next lockdown corner.

by Nikki Hood - Staff Writer - Wed Aug 03 14:15:56 GMT-04:00 2022

CLEMSON – Lockdown corner.

It's what every young cornerback dreams of becoming. It's what freshman Jeadyn Lukus aspires to be.

The 6-3, 190-pound Mauldin (SC) native said the mentality of every cornerback is to control one side of the field, and he's no different.

"I want to be a lockdown corner," told TigerNet at the recent Dear Old Clemson freshman meet and greet. "I feel like that's how every corner should feel, honestly. If you don't have that mentality, then I don't think you should be playing corner. Obviously, you have to answer that question carefully because you want to help the team wherever you can, but I feel like as a corner, the best way to help a team is to take away one side of the field."

If he's asked to step up and help in the run game, Lukus said he definitely doesn't mind hitting people.

"That's defense. You're going to have to tackle somebody eventually. Hitting is also part of being a corner," Lukus said.

Lukus' spring was cut short due to a shoulder injury, so he spent much of the practice sessions taking mental reps and trying to learn as much as possible.

"I had to make up for it on the mental side of things because I couldn't get the physical reps after a couple of weeks," he said. "The shoulder feels great now. I'm just rehabbing it every day. I'm just ready to get back to it."

As for the summer, Lukus spent his time learning the playbook and the nuances of playing cornerback for Mike Reed.

"I'm just working on the playbook and taking it all in," he said. "Adjusting to the speed of the game is probably the biggest thing. Probably just the playbook. Learning the different formations, the callouts, and the signals in a game. I'm working on everything, really."

Having Reed as a teacher makes learning everything a little bit easier.

"He's great. He's one of the best corner coaches I've ever had," Lukus said of Reed. "I'm soaking up everything he's trying to teach me, Toriano (Pride) and Myles (Oliver). He's a great coach."

With fall camp just around the corner, Lukus is already looking forward to his first-time entering Death Valley as a player.

"Probably coming down the hill the first time as a player, that's the biggest thing I'm looking forward to," he said.