The 2022 season for the Clemson cornerback room was one the group felt like they left a lot on the field in. Heading into this season, the Tigers have a lot more experience at the position to work with.

Two freshmen were thrust into role last year in Toriano Pride Jr. and Jeadyn Lukus. The pair combined to play over 400 snaps as first-year players, and while they had mistakes, it was valuable experience according to fifth-year corner Sheridan Jones. Both have shown a lot of improvement in camp, and Jones detailed what he’s seen.

“Seeing those guys taking that next step going into their sophomore year looking like they wanna be dependable,” Jones said. “They had a couple bad plays, a couple good plays last year. You know, that’s freshman year, everybody gets a learning experience and you learn from those lessons. We never take long losses, we just learn from them.”

Jones also said “time waits for no man” and these two are making every rep count in practice. While last year may not have been perfect, it’s been invaluable for Pride and Lukus to gain that confidence heading into their sophomore year and they’re better for it.

Lukus is a larger corner at 6-foot-2 and all the talk was a big hit he delivered on tight end Sage Ennis. That’s no small man to come downhill on, and Jones laughed when talking about the hit that shocked him.

“I heard it because I was coaching up somebody else on the sideline. I was like wait, who was that, Jaedyn Lukus, I was like oh!” Jones said. “It was real exciting just to see and just know how he’s dealt with injury. You know injury can really take a toll on you mentally and physically, so to see him come back and just play with a level of confidence that he knows he came here for a reason, that’s good.”

The South Carolina native played in just 87 snaps as a freshman, but it’s clear those reps were a key part of his development. That sentiment also goes for Pride, and the two are going to be key for the cornerback room behind Jones and Nate Wiggins. A once-concerning position has a lot of confidence and experience for the Tigers.