Re: Hill Watch...137 days!!!

To put it bluntly: Clemson WR Airese Currie (2001-2004) could fly. Something tells me the man could still hold his own in a footrace even today!

Before Clemson:

In an excellent interview with SportsShop27, Airese Currie mentioned that although he graduated high school in Columbia, SC, he actually lived in several places growing up as a military kid. “Several places” even included his time in Germany where he began his high school education. When he returned to the U.S. in the 10th Grade by coming to Columbia, he played the two sports he had always loved: basketball and track. He did not play high school football until he was in the 11th Grade.

Of note, in this interview, he told some great personal stories – including how he got to Clemson. He was considering UGa and Clemson when he got together with Tymere Zimmerman and Ben Hall. The three of them decided they would play together and stay in state. Staying in state made the decision easy because that meant either Clemson or South Carolina. As Currie put it, “Of course, the obvious decision at the time was Clemson, because Carolina was trash.”

In this same interview, Currie also discussed his track career. As he put it, “If someone got in front of me, I was going to run them down.” He described his senior year 4A High School State Championship (against many of the fastest high school runners in the state) by saying “I fell on my face out of the blocks.” He looked at the gunner hoping for a restart that didn’t happen. So he just took off. He proceeded to run everyone down and still won the state championship. Regarding the fall, Currie said his only regret was being “upset about it because I really wanted to break Stephen Davis’ record” in the event.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47OtG3hhie0

Gracious that is fast! (Great interview. Long, but worth it if anyone is interested.)

At Clemson:

According to Sports-Reference.com, Currie registered the following stats at Clemson:

Airese Currie (2001-2004):
- 137 Receptions for 2,025 Yards (Average: 14.8)
- 10 Receiving Touchdowns
- 14 Carries for 26 Yards (2.9 Average)
- 8 Kickoff Returns for 212 Yards (26.5 Average)

https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/players/airese-currie-1.html

In discussing Currie’s 2024 season, ClemsonTigers.com added the following information:

“Currie led the ACC in receptions (61) and reception yards (868), the first Tiger receiver to lead the league in both categories since Perry Tuttle did it in 1980. He finished his Clemson career ranked in the top 10 in receptions and reception yards. He was a first-team All-ACC selection in 2004.”

https://clemsontigers.com/currie-and-hill-named-strength-all-americans/

Being a world-class speedster, Currie was also a track star at Clemson. According to Wikipedia:

“Currie was also a track star. He was a three-time All-Atlantic Coast Conference selection, and as a senior, he won the NCAA Regional East title on the 100 meter dash, posting a time of 10.22 seconds.

In 2004, he ran anchor for the Tigers' 4 x 100 meter relay team, which was ranked as the 14th-fastest time of that season. He also ran the 60 meters and 200 meters, posting personal bests of 6.79 seconds and 20.65 seconds, respectively.”

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airese_Currie

In the interview with SportsShop27 cited above, Currie described how he did not always give his body the rest that he should have. He recalled the time that he played in the Spring game. Then proceeded to the track field where he won the 100 and then won the 200. He then went back and finished the Spring Game.

After Clemson:

The Chicago Bears drafted Airese Currie with Pick 140 (5th Round) of the 2005 NFL Draft. He also spent some time in the Canadian Football League with the BC Lions and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. More recently, he has been mentoring and training young athletes to achieve their own greatness, including coaching at AC Flora as well as working with a private medical clinic, Lyons Health Care.

Another Outstanding Clemson Man for sure!

As always, thank you to Scott Rhymer for the Tiger Pregame Show videos. Great video on Airese Currie:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NxNnHmBELfA

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137 - Brent Venables Coached 137 Clemson Games

Apr 16, 2024, 12:04 AM

When Dabo was looking for a new Defensive Coordinator in January 2012, he apparently had a number of coaches under consideration. One, however, made an impression unlike any others. As a result, Clemson Nation will be forever grateful to DC Brent Venables - and to Dabo for making the perfect hire!

Before Clemson

Brent Venables played linebacker at Garden City Community Center and at Kansas State. After graduating from K St, he went into coaching. According to Venables’ Wikipedia page, Venables' coaching career progressed as follows:

“In 1993, Venables began his coaching career at Kansas State as a graduate assistant. In 1996, Venables was promoted to linebackers coach and served in that capacity until 1998.

Oklahoma

In 1999, Venables began coaching at the University of Oklahoma, where he served as co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach for the Sooners under head coach Bob Stoops, with whom he previously worked at Kansas State. He shared oversight of the defense with Stoops’ younger brother, Mike Stoops, until Mike became head coach at Arizona in 2004. Venables then became sole defensive coordinator, and was also promoted to associate head coach.

In 2006, he was one of five finalists for the Broyles Award for the nation's top assistant coach.”

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brent_Venables#cite_note-7

While at Clemson

Venables’ journey to Clemson almost seemed like destiny! According to Tigernet:

“Swinney needed to move quickly and had a list of candidates in mind, but one name kept sticking out: Brent Venables. Venables was 41 at the time and had been a full-time defensive coach at the FBS level for 16 years. All 16 years the teams played in a bowl game, including eight in BCS Bowls. Four of those bowl games were for the National Championship. Swinney knew Venables had a winning pedigree. What he didn’t know was if Venables would mesh with the Clemson program.

The two connected on an early-evening phone call, and like two love-struck teenagers who couldn’t bear to say goodbye, the conversation lasted until the wee hours of the morning. A few hours after hanging up, Venables was on a plane to Clemson with his wife and the conversation reignited.

The decision was an easy one for Swinney, who loved Venables’ winning ways.

“We are getting one of the top coordinators in the nation,” said Swinney.

https://www.tigernet.com/clemson-football/story/brent-venables:-the-simple-man-turned-into-dabo-swinneys-best-hire-18889

So true, Coach Swinney! So true!!

Brent Venables was named Clemson's Defensive Coordinator in January 2012. He quickly elevated Clemson’s defense in spectacular fashion. Sports Illustrated gives the stats for Venables’ defenses at Clemson. These amazing numbers speak for themselves:

2012: Total Defense Rank: 65 / Scoring Defense Rank: 46

2013: Total Defense Rank: 25 / Scoring Defense Rank: 24

2014: Total Defense Rank: 1 / Scoring Defense Rank: 3

2015: Total Defense Rank: 10 / Scoring Defense Rank: 25

2016: Total Defense Rank: 8 / Scoring Defense Rank: 10

2017: Total Defense Rank: 4 / Scoring Defense Rank: 2

2018: Total Defense Rank: 6 / Scoring Defense Rank: 1

2019: Total Defense Rank: 3 / Scoring Defense Rank: 3

2020: Total Defense Rank: 14 / Scoring Defense Rank: 18

2021: Total Defense Rank: 9 / Scoring Defense Rank: 2

https://www.si.com/college/oklahoma/football/oklahoma-coach-brent-venables-the-clemson-years#:~:text=25%2Drated%20total%20defense%20in,2020%20Clemson%20defense%20finished%2014th).

Venables’ passion for excellence was so pervasive that Dabo had to assign him a “get-back coach” to keep him from leaving the sidelines while coaching in the heat of the moment during games. According to ClemsonTigers.com:

A big part of Clemson Football’s success in 2014 was their No. 1 ranked defense, orchestrated by now fourth-year defensive coordinator Brent Venables. Venables is unique in that he has an “assistant” of sorts to help him on gamedays: his own, personal “get-back” coach, who comes in the form of Adam Smotherman.

Of course, being a “get-back coach” is not his only job — Smotherman works full-time as an assistant strength and conditioning coach for the Tigers under the direction of Joey Batson.

https://clemsontigers.com/clemsons-get-back-man-a-hit/#:~:text=A%20big%20part%20of%20Clemson,the%20form%20of%20Adam%20Smotherman.

Of course, what did Clemson get for all of this outstanding defense?

During the ten seasons in which Brent Venables coached:
- Clemson secured double-digit wins in each season
- Clemson won six ACC Championships
- Clemson appeared in the College Football Playoffs in six seasons
- Clemson appeared in the National Championship Game in four seasons
- Clemson won two National Championships

If all of these accomplishments are not enough, ClemsonTigers.com adds the following:

- Guided Clemson as it led the ACC in total defense (326.8 yards per game) in 2020 for the fourth time in five years.

- His 2020 group produced 46 sacks, tied for the most in the nation, despite no single player producing more than 4.5. A total of 21 Clemson players contributed at least half a sack, the most in the country and the most in a season in the Dabo Swinney era.

- Helped linebacker Isaiah Simmons earn the 2019 Butkus Award as the nation’s top linebacker. Simmons was Venables’ seventh career Butkus finalist and third career Butkus winner. Simmons earned ACC Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2019 as one of Clemson’s eight All-ACC selections on defense.

- Coordinated a 2019 unit that did not allow its first 12 opponents to reach 300 yards, the first unit on record since 1996 to do so. Clemson finished in the Top 10 in total defense (228.3 yards per game) for a sixth straight season, the longest active streak in the country, and finished third in the country in scoring defense (13.5 points per game).

- Helped Clemson hold opponents to 20 or fewer points in 16 consecutive games across the 2018-19 seasons. A streak of that length had not occurred at Clemson in 79 years, when Hall of Fame coaches Jess Neely and Frank Howard combined for a 31-game streak across the 1937-40 seasons.

- Led the country in scoring defense (13.1 points per game) for the first time in school history in 2018. Ranked fourth in rushing defense (96.3 yards per game), fifth in total defense (285.9 yards per game).

- Unit set a school record with 54 sacks in 2018, the third-most by any FBS team in a season since 2000.

- His 2018 defense produced five first- or second-team All-Americans, including two consensus selections (Clelin Ferrell and Christian Wilkins). Ferrell also won the Ted Hendricks Award as the nation’s top defensive end and Wilkins won the Campbell Trophy, known colloquially as the “Academic Heisman.” Linebacker Tre Lamar was a finalist for the Butkus Award.

- His 2017 defense was second in the nation in scoring defense (13.6) and fourth in total defense (276.7).

- Helped linebackers Dorian O’Daniel (2017) and Tre Lamar (2018) earn Butkus Award finalist selections.

- Recipient of the 2016 Frank Broyles Award as the nation’s top assistant coach. His 2016 group amassed 130 tackles for loss and a then-school-record 49 sacks. His teams led the NCAA in tackles for loss four seasons in a row from 2013-16.

- Ben Boulware was a first-team All-ACC performer and second-team Walter Camp All-American in 2016, as well as ACC Co-Defensive Player of the Year.

- Was FootballScoop’s Defensive Coordinator of the Year in 2014 and Rivals’ Recruiter of the Year in 2015.

- Finalist for the 2015 Broyles Award after his defense finished fourth nationally in third-down conversion percentage (27.7) and in sacks per game (3.2) and fifth in tackles for loss per game (8.4).

- His 2014 defense led the nation in total defense (260.8), pass efficiency defense (98.3), first downs allowed (185), third-down conversion percentage defense (27.4) and tackles for loss (131).

- His 2013 unit led the nation in tackles for loss (122).

- Named one of Rivals’ top-25 recruiters in the nation in 2013 and one of 247Sports’ top-50 recruiters in the nation in 2013.”

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brent_Venables

After Clemson:

Venables was named Head coach at Oklahoma on December 5, 2021. Of note, Venables did not take get-back Coach Adam Smotherman with him.

Brent Venables might now be coaching the Sooners, but he will always be a Clemson legend!

If interested, this video breaks down Venables’ approach to coaching defense:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97m7siGwLwQ

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Clemson: Academic Excellence! Athletic Excellence!

Hill Watch...137 days!!!