There were not many positive performances on the defensive side of the ball during Clemson’s second scrimmage of fall camp on Saturday, but safety Jadar Johnson was an exception.

On Monday, after Clemson’s first practice since the scrimmage, Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney said Johnson was one of the few players he was pleased with in the scrimmage.

“I think Jadar has been very, very solid,” Swinney said. “I’m excited about him.”

With the uncertainties in Clemson’s secondary, Swinney’s statement should come as welcome news to Clemson fans.

While Swinney has made it clear that he is looking for a second cornerback to step up across from Cordrea Tankersley, he seems to be content with the overall play of the two starting safeties — Johnson and free safety Van Smith — who are expected to anchor the back end of Clemson’s defense.

“I think Van has been very solid,” Swinney added.

Clemson’s coaching staff is pushing Johnson and Smith, as are the young defensive backs.

Johnson said on Monday that with a number of talented freshmen competing for roles in the secondary, he isn’t practicing like he has a starting spot locked up.

“Anybody who is behind somebody on the field and trying to fight for a spot, that’s automatic motivation for the guys that have that spot,” Johnson said. “Knowing that they are hungry, and with them trying to be the best that they can be, that also pushes me to be the best that I can be.”

Johnson was in a similar position a season ago, when he played behind Jayron Kearse.

As a junior, Johnson made the most of his opportunities. In 231 snaps, the native of Orangeburg, S.C. notched 16 tackles, a pass breakup and was tied for second on the team with two interceptions.

The interceptions were timely, too. Johnson hauled in the game-clinching pick as time expired in Clemson’s road win against Louisville on Sept. 17. Five weeks later at Miami, an interception by Johnson early in the game ignited an eventual 58-0 rout of the Hurricanes.

Now expected to be one of the leaders of the secondary and make those plays consistently, Johnson tries to lead by example — with big plays on the field — and not by word of mouth.

“I don’t really do it with words,” Johnson said. “I just come out here every day and show the coaches what I can do. It’s no need to get into a word battle with anybody about who’s doing this and who’s doing that, I just come out here every day and give it my all.”

Meanwhile, Smith also made his mark in limited action throughout the 2015 season.

A second-teamer behind T.J. Green, Smith logged 75 snaps, 16 tackles and an interception, which also occurred against Miami.

To this point in fall practice, Johnson feels good about where he and Smith are.

“I feel like we’ve done pretty good,” Johnson said. “I feel like our chemistry is really strong, and that’s just from us being around each other 24-7.

“Sometimes when we see something on the field, we won’t really have to say anything, We just kind of give each other that look and know what each other are talking about.”

Johnson and Smith have big shoes to fill after the departures of Kearse and Green to the NFL, but Swinney isn’t worried.

“It’s a good situation,” Swinney said of the two safeties. “We’re going to be fine there, but right now we’re just going to push them.”