Kylon Griffin's opportunistic attitude is serving him on and off the field

Kylon Griffin got his hands on a pick during the Wake Forest game. (Photo: Jim Dedmon / USATODAY)

by Grayson Mann - Correspondent - Tue Oct 15 17:15:02 GMT-04:00 2024

CLEMSON - When Kylon Griffin sees an opportunity, he will take it. That mentality has served Griffin well, not just on the field but also off of it.

Over the summer, Griffin was described as an opportunistic player. His mindset has also been the spark for initiating his own unique life experiences through Clemson's PAW Journey program.

In May, Griffin joined several teammates for a trip to South Africa, where they enriched themselves within the community of Cape Town. The group engaged with the local culture for an entire week, spending time with local families and experiencing a different culture abroad.

This kind of trip impacted Griffin, as he knew opportunities like this don’t come often. Much like he can snag an interception against Wake Forest, he took a shot to grow as a person off the field and made sure he was on that flight overseas.

"Those opportunities don't come as often, and not to say that they were paying for it, but they were paying for it, and I know how expensive those trips can be out of pocket if they weren't paying for it,” Griffin said. “So I just wanted to travel the world and see how it was, and it was a great experience. Honestly, if I had to do it again, I would.”

It gave Griffin something that he certainly hopes to apply on the gridiron: an appreciation for the moment.

“The biggest one is how stubborn we can be because people across the world don't have what we have, so we can be like I said, stubborn, and I'm grateful at times, so I really try to be thankful for everything that we have,” Griffin said.

For the redshirt sophomore, every moment is important, and Griffin’s experience with the local community will forever have an impact on the young corner.

“Yeah, our tour guide, he gave us energy, the whole trip, the little kids that we helped out, they were just so excited to see us and the teachers over there,” Griffin said. “But yeah, I really, really connected with them. Like I said, we try to take advantage of the opportunity, not just go.”

Not only has he attempted to make the most of his opportunities as an ambassador of Clemson, but he’s also begun to make a name for himself on the field.

In six games, Griffin has recorded his first career start and a career-high in tackles earlier in the season against App State (5). As he ran across the field with an interception against Wake Forest, he knew he had an opportunity for six in his hands, but he tripped up on the way.

He’s built a reputation as an opportunistic guy, but it comes down to much more than reading the quarterback’s eyes on the field. Griffin is searching for maturation on and off the gridiron, and he’s certainly begun to find that.

Much like he’s begun to make his mark overseas, Griffin is doing the same all over the field as the Tigers look to return to the playoffs.