The Clemson cornerback room has a family legacy as a freshman, just a few years after the previous played for the Tigers. Avieon Terrell is the younger brother of A.J. Terrell, who played for Clemson from 2017-19 before being drafted in the first round to the Atlanta Falcons.

A.J. Terrell has since become an All-Pro in the NFL and cemented his place as one of the best corners in the world. Avieon Terrell came into the Tigers’ program in 2023 and it’s almost a mirror image when you put the brothers next to each other.

Sheridan Jones is the veteran leader of the cornerbacks as a graduate senior, and it’s a surreal moment for him to have Terrell in the room because he was a freshman when his older brother was in his final Clemson year.

“For me, it’s a little personal just seeing Avieon come in here knowing that my freshman year, A.J. was on his way out,” Jones said. “So just me gelling with him and learning from him every day, all I could soak up from him my freshman year and just seeing his younger brother not only makes me feel old but just Clemson is just a different place, there’s so much love and just watching him and excited to see what he is going to do.”

Terrell enrolled in the summer, and has spent this time learning from the veteran guys like Jones, and it’s rare to see family lineage so close together. Given the COVID year, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Jones to play with both Terrell brothers and he isn’t taking it for granted.

On the football side of things, Jones echoed what we saw in practice and even laughed about the similarities between the two.

“They look identical,” Jones said. “Like from the first day, I was working out with him before camp. He was already in the summer time, out there in Atlanta and his technique, they look just alike. It’s just crazy, just seeing how fast and how open he is to learning the game. He wants to know everything, every little detail. He’s like a sponge and that’s good to see.”

It’s clear that Terrell wants to make an impact early as a Tiger and the bar was set high for football by his older brother, so it’s no surprise he’s hungry for success. On top of the connection with Jones, safety Andrew Mukuba was impressed by Terrell.

Mukuba has a ton of experience at nickel, and the freshman didn’t hesitate to ask him questions and build up the knowledge to perform. Turns out he’s a quick learner too.

“He don’t even play nickel. Coach didn’t even ask him to play nickel but he would jump out there and he would come up to me and ask me questions,” Mukuba said. “What do I do on this, what do I do on that and I would tell him, then he’d just go out there and do it and he would do it well. He’s just a young guy that he’s hungry and he wants to get a chance to go out there and play. He wants to learn and he wants to help the team in whatever way he can.”

This freshman year for Terrell could see extensive playing time or be a learning experience, but it’s clear from the experienced players that he’s doing things the right way and learning quick. Whatever comes in his first season, it’s clear that he’s well on his way to carrying that torch in the Terrell family.