CLEMSON — Clemson returns a ton of production for the 2025 season, and on both sides of the ball, but that doesn’t mean there are no holes to fill.

One of the biggest resides in the secondary, where RJ Mickens served as the veteran presence among the safeties a season ago. Mickens, who was taken by the Chargers in the sixth round of the NFL Draft in April, spent five years playing for the Tigers, earning All-ACC recognition twice over his final three seasons.

Mickens’ 85 tackles last season were the third-most on the team. He also had six tackles for loss, seven pass breakups and two interceptions. One of those picks came in the College Football Playoff loss to Texas in Austin last December.

“RJ was like a coach on the field,” safeties coach Mickey Conn said during Clemson’s annual media outing at the Allen J. Reeves Football Complex on Tuesday. “I would never say you replace RJ, but you get Khalil Barnes, who has now had a lot of snaps. He is going into his third year as the starter, and he takes over that leadership role. That is how we do things. You get that experience and pass it down to the next guy in line, and I think KB is that next guy that brings that knowledge and the ability to play all the positions back there.”

Some on the outside looking in might have concerns about who steps in to fill the void that Mickens’ departure leaves, but not Conn. He believes he has multiple options.

“I don’t have any question marks,” he said. “We have done a good job recruiting guys, so we’ve got guys in place that are competing for starting positions. Ricardo Jones, you’ve got Ronan Hanafin, Kylon Griffin. Those three guys right there have played, had really good springs, and are hungry to get in there and have an opportunity to start. Rob Billings and Kylon Webb are going into their third years and are excited to compete for those positions as well.”

Jones is a prime candidate to see his role increase dramatically next season. As a freshman, Jones appeared in 12 games, logging right at 150 snaps. Hanafin is another one. After spending his freshman campaign at wide receiver, Hanafin moved to safety ahead of last season. Webb and Billings are now both entering their third seasons and are positioned to take a jump in their development.

“Those guys have to come in and they have to do it, that’s for sure,” Conn said. “I think we have good football players. You have to prove it on the big stage, and there is no bigger stage than playing for Clemson. So those guys have to come in and prove it, but those guys have the ability to do it and do it at a high level.”

“Those guys have been working hard over the offseason, preparing for this moment. Shoot, they have been working hard as backup players in the past to prepare for this moment. It’s a big stage and it’s not an easy transition, but I feel like we’ve got the pieces to do it.”