Clemson got plenty of contributions from some of its true freshmen this past season, but others saved a season of eligibility.
Of the Tigers’ 20 scholarship signees in their 2022 recruiting class, 12 played four games or fewer, which allowed them to redshirt, according to NCAA rules. The Clemson Insider is taking a closer look at what kind of impact each redshirt player made this season if any and what his role may look like in 2023.
Next up is Kylon Griffin
Position: Safety
Height: 5-foot-11
Weight: 190
High school: Montgomery Catholic Prep (Alabama)
The present: A high school teammate of fellow Tiger freshman T.J. Dudley, Griffin went through a developmental year this past season at a position where the numbers were heavy. Griffin played in just two games on the back end of Clemson’s defense, one of those coming on special teams. He got just four defensive snaps late in the Tigers’ ACC championship victory over North Carolina.
The future: Griffin now has a full season in defensive coordinator Wes Goodwin’s system, but playing time still won’t be easy to come by. That’s primarily because, as things stand now, Clemson isn’t losing any significant contributors at safety. Starters Jalyn Phillips and Andrew Mukuba are returning. So are rising seniors R.J. Mickens and Tyler Venables as well as fellow 2022 signee Sherrod Covil, who played in all 13 games as a true freshman. Griffin could see a bigger role on special teams, but he may be staring at a reserve role on defense next season with so much experience in front of him on the depth chart.
Coachspeak: “Kylon is, I think, very similar to K’Von Wallace. That’s kind of how I would describe him. Very, very similar. He’s got range. He’s got diversity to his game. He’s a thumper. He’s got good length and I think has the potential to really develop into a great player for us.” – Clemson coach Dabo Swinney on Griffin
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