Jake Venables, the son of Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables, was offered by Dabo Swinney in June.

Not yet a sophomore outside linebacker over at Daniel High School, Venables got word during the first session of Swinney’s camp last June.

“It meant a lot, just kind of put a little bit of a chip on my shoulder and inspired me to work even harder every day,” Jake said.

Texas Tech jumped into the mix a month later. SMU pulled the trigger in October. He visited both schools over the summer, in addition to his camp stops at NC State and Old Dominion with teammate Ben Batson, the 2018 quarterback/son of strength coach Joey Batson.

“They all kind of stand out. They’re all unique in their own ways,” Jake said of the four schools.

From the outside looking in, the shot to see him playing linebacker for his dad is pretty intriguing.

Jake Venables and Dabo Swinney during last June’s camp, the day of the offer.

Jake’s certainly open to the idea.

“It’s kind of unbelievable almost, just because growing up around him all that time and finally getting the chance after watching all these guys play for him, it could probably be my turn to play for him,” he said.

Baylor and Oklahoma have also expressed interest. And Jake does want to evaluate all of his options.

“Just kind of all about the process and stuff,” he said, “Looking everywhere and seeing what they other places are like.”

The 6-foot-2, 197-pound prospect finished his sophomore season with 89 tackles, eight tackles for loss, six sacks, 14 pass breakups, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery.

As a sophomore, Venables had 89 tackles, eight tackles for loss, six sacks and 14 pass breakups. He also forced two fumbles and recovered one.

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