How Keon Sabb fits into Clemson defense

CLEMSON — Four-star athlete Keon Sabb became Clemson’s ninth verbal commitment in the class of 2022 on Saturday and another four-star pledge to join the haul.

The versatile defensive player hails from New Jersey but plays his high school ball at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida with fellow Clemson commitment Jihaad Campbell. Ranked No. 60 overall in the 247 Sports Composite Rankings, Sabb is the eighth blue-chip prospect in the class and the second top-100 recruit.

How does Sabb fit into Brent Venables’ defense? The elite prospect has a chance to be a multi-dimensional player that could give the Tigers a schematic advantage over most offenses.

Personnel

Nolan Turner is set to be a super senior this fall, and the veteran will lead the defense from his safety position. After that, Clemson has a plethora of talent returning in 2022.

Joseph Charleston, Jalyn Phillips, and Lannden Zanders will all be seniors next year. R.J. Mickens, Ray Thornton Jr., and Tyler Venables will be entering their junior campaigns. Class of 2021 signees Barrett Carter and Andrew Mukuba will be sophomores.

Clemson will be veteran-heavy at the safety position sooner rather than later. Sabb and Sherrod Covil will provide some needed youth to the position.

Fit

When turning on the tape, the first thing that jumps out is versatility. This is a safety who can be effective deep in zone coverage playing centerfield and in the box as a run defender. On offense, Sabb is a very effective receiver. On the hardwood, this is a player who can play some hoops while being a highlight factory as a dunker.

Talk about a dynamic athlete.

Venables has shown a willingness to use hybrid defenders in the past. Sabb could potentially be used as a linebacker in some nickel or dime looks, giving the unit some more coverage ability. However, this is a prospect that has the range on a 6-foot-2 frame to be a deep coverage safety who can help fill in run support.

Sabb is a player who can play many positions at the next level. Venables has landed a quality schematic chess piece.

Outlook

Clemson continues to pull in really good talent at the safety position that can make a difference.

Barrett Carter is a true freshman out of Metro Atlanta that Clemson will try out at multiple positions this fall. In the future, the Tigers will be able to team Carter and Sabb together to create quite a schematic advantage. Every defense is looking for versatile players that can play multiple positions.

The thought of having two top-100 talents that can do this is an excellent development for Clemson.