ATTENTION SUBSCRIBERS: Our NETWORK-WIDE, all-access pass allows you to read every premium message board in the Rivals.com network as part of a bundled add-on to your subscription!

Subscribers can add the All-Access Pass or a 3-Site Bundle in your account profile, under the Subscriptions tab: HERE

----------------------------------------------

CLEMSON -- Brent Venables made his return to Clemson last week, getting in belated visits to people he hadn't had time to see since leaving for Oklahoma in December.

As cool as it was for a lot of folks to see the man who was so crucial to all the success that's come over the last decade, in another way it was probably at least a little weird.

Put yourself in the shoes of one Wesley Goodwin. It's guaranteed that you're going to be constantly compared to the man you replaced, relentlessly held up to the immensely high standards Venables set.

You're trying to step out of his shadow, yet there he is standing right there on the side of the practice fields on back-to-back days.

We're not speaking for Goodwin, not claiming to know his innermost thoughts on the topic of Venables' visit.

But we do know the following exchange with a reporter was interesting, if not revealing.

Reporter: "Coach Venables was here today?"

Goodwin: "I think I saw him over there."

Reporter: "You haven't seen him to talk to him yet?"

Goodwin: "Not today. Shoot, I've got enough going on. We talked the other day and stuff. Shoot, I'm all business. I'm about Clemson. It was great to catch up with him the other day and stuff. I waved to him. But yeah, I'm really focused on our football team and making us better. We'll chit-chat in the offseason, that sort of deal. But my focus is on how great I can make this Clemson defense. That's my mindset."