With the large exception of freshman All-American defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence, Clemson defensive back Trayvon Mullen played the most snaps of any of the Tigers’ true freshmen defensive players in 2016.
Mullen appeared in 12 games and recorded 15 tackles, half a tackle for loss, a pass breakup and a quarterback pressure in 115 snaps as a reserve corner and dime defensive back.
Looking back on his first season, the former second-team USA Today High School All-American from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., is happy with the progress he made as a player.
“I feel like it went well,” Mullen told The Clemson Insider at Clemson’s Media Day in Tampa, Fla., before the national championship game. “I feel like me coming in and competing and getting a chance to play has really opened me up. Getting a chance to play with the older guys and learn, I feel like I’ve grown a lot more. I’ve gotten better technique-wise and learned all the principles of playing.”
Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables spoke highly of Mullen this season, citing him as an up-and-comer who made the most of his opportunities in games and took the next step in his maturation as a player.
Mullen said he heard similar praise from the coaching staff.
“They like the way I compete, the way I work hard,” Mullen said. “They’ve been telling me I’m ready. They just feel like I can be a leader, and I feel like I can, as well.”
Mullen, a consensus top-120 prospect and top-10 cornerback nationally in the 2016 recruiting class, came to Clemson with all of the skills he needed to be successful.
Like most young players, those skills and his knowledge of the game just needed to be developed, and Mullen said the in-game reps he received helped him accomplish that and grow as a player overall.
“It helped me a lot,” Mullen said of the playing time as a freshman. “Playing dime, it just opens you up to playing corner. You get a chance to learn different things. Coming in as a freshman, it’s good to play and just learn everything because you never know where you’ll end up.”
Mullen named senior cornerback Cordrea Tankersley and senior safety Jadar Johnson, two first-team All-ACC performers on defense, as a couple of the players who served as mentors in helping him learn and adjust to the college game.
“Cordrea, he has (helped) a lot. I look up to him a lot and like playing behind him,” Mullen said. “Jadar as well. Me and him, we’re cool buddies. We talk a lot. Van Smith, Ryan Carter as well.”
Mullen feels some of his strengths as a defensive back are his tackling ability and technique in addition to his length and athleticism. The 6-foot-2, 185-pounder is continuing to work on playing smart, knowing the principles of the game and reading keys.
Moving forward, he believes he can step into a leadership role on the defense.
“Just being a leader, being that premier athlete,” Mullen said of what he can bring to the table, “that person who stands up and lets everybody know what we have to do to be that good team and good defense and things like that.”
From a team standpoint, Mullen’s true freshman season couldn’t have turned out any better — one year, one national championship.
The title has Mullen excited about what’s to come during the rest of his career.
“I’m real excited,” Mullen said. “Just where we’re at right now, we work hard. I feel like moving forward, we’re going to still keep pushing. Because the way coach (Dabo) Swinney runs the program, I feel like we have a lot ahead of us.”
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