Note: The following appears in the Virginia Tech football digital gameday guide, available HERE.
When senior safety Kylen Webb looks back on his time as a Tiger, he is certain about one aspect.
“It’s been more than just a ball with air,” said the graduate.
While football is ingrained in Webb’s past, present and future, it is not what he remembered most when looking back on the opportunities Clemson has given him.
“This program allowed me to be a graduate. It allowed me to be a friend, a brother, a teammate and a part of something that carries so much volume.”
The value of his education and degree is immeasurable to Webb, who graduated with a degree in sports communication in May and is now pursuing his master’s degree.
Webb’s professional future lies in coaching. He looks to his mentors as examples for how to lead and shape young men into the best versions of themselves, especially his current position coach, Nolan Turner, and Clemson football legend Jeff Davis.
“Coach Turner pours into me on and off the field, not only as a player, but as a man. It's one of the best player-coach relationships I’ve ever had.
“As for Jeff Davis, he's been in my corner since I've been here. I see him as a second father figure. He's always poured into me spiritually and mentally. He wants to see me take full advantage of the opportunities that are being given to me while I'm in college that will propel me forward into life.”
Webb, who was the No. 16 prospect in Florida out of high school, did not always envision a Clemson future. His plan was to stay close to home and play college ball at one of the 10 Division I programs in the state of Florida.
Things like “how Clemson players carry themselves and represent themselves” are what separated the Tigers from those Florida schools and “showed that they have more to offer than other schools.” One of those offerings was P.A.W. Journey, a program Webb is using to learn more about who and what he wants to be.
This past spring Webb completed a microinternship with the New York Islanders, an NHL team based on Long Island. This experience took Webb far from home and “opened his eyes and his perspective on how to operate and perform as an athletic organization as a whole.” He plans to apply the lessons he learned about preparation and work to his future in athletics.
Another coaching philosophy Webb holds near and dear is teaching young men to overcome and battle hard things as a team. Even as Webb recalled the 2024 ACC Championship Game victory on a last-second field goal as his favorite moment as a Tiger, he uses the moment to reflect on what it took to get there.
“The walkoff field goal when we won the ACC Championship Game was very special. We spent that entire year overcoming adversity, and we kept going. So when everyone’s running onto the field I was thinking about the tears and all the hard work that was put in. It was because of the work that I was able to rejoice in that victory.”
More important than the result in that game was the people Webb got to experience it alongside. He takes the culture and person-first environment Head Coach Dabo Swinney teaches personally.
“We are a brotherhood here. Being around my teammates every day and the relationship that goes into it, I see it further than just a face-to-face conversation every day or meetings on my own. I see that there are people who look out for me, for life, people who have my best interests at heart and want to see me do good and want the best things for me.”
Cultivating these relationships, winning these crucial games and working together through every roadblock are all moments that have shaped Webb’s Clemson experience, and it is not an experience he takes lightly.
“Clemson football is a way of life. Being a Clemson Tiger has allowed me to be a part of something bigger than me. The Paw is more than just a logo. It has been an honor and something that will stick with me forever.”