LaVonta Bentley on continuing Clemson linebacker legacy: 'We have to keep the flame lit'

LaVonta Bentley is committed to keeping the linebacker production up at Clemson.

by Nikki Hood - Staff Writer - Wed Aug 10 14:38:24 GMT-05:00 2022

CLEMSON – From his play on the field to how he conducts himself off the field, this year is personal for LaVonta Bentley.

The Birmingham, Alabama native is now one of the elder players in the linebacker room. He takes that responsibility seriously because he knows he has a duty to himself and his teammates to carry on Clemson's linebacker tradition.

Bentley has waited behind guys like James Skalski, and now it's his time to show what type of player and leader he has become.

"It's a drive. This year it's personal not just because of the players I had in front of me last year, but for myself," Bentley told the media after Tuesday's practice. "I feel like I'm the oldest in the room, so I've got to be the leader for the young guys and be there for them."

The standard for Clemson linebackers has been set, but it's up to Bentley and Keith Maguire to instill the same expectations in their younger teammates.

"They pass the torch off to us," Bentley said. "Me and Keith are the oldest guys in the room. We have a standard that we have to go by. And like I said, they passed the torch off to us, and we have to keep the flame lit."

The drive to be the best he can be comes from within, knowing he has to set a good example for his family.

"I just say it's self-driven. I say my background like being home," Bentley said. "Everyone has a why and my why is to help my mom out and be that guy in the household that they look up to - my nephew and niece. If I put that work in, then hopefully, I can make it to the NFL and set my family up. I'm self-driven and all about the process. That's my main thing."

Bentley spent time with the defensive line this summer working on his pass rush technique to make him a more complete linebacker.

"A lot of little things that we preach off," he said. "So, over this whole summer, we've been doing yoga, stand behind, doing pass rush and things like that. I know most linebackers don't do that, especially on this level. So, I'm taking the time out to pass rush with Kevin Swint and Tyler Davis, and they were helping me on the part that I know that I don't do things. Doing the little things makes a big difference, all of us working together."

He took up yoga to work on finding his inner peace.

"Some of the coaches told me I probably need to do yoga," he said. "And, also, it's a release thing. I'm big on peace, and you got to have that energy within to change the environment and stuff like that. So I took that time out to do it, like going to one of my classes over the summer and things like that, to work on myself and my inner self. It's not too much of what I'm thinking about. It's just a lot of things going around us that we don't need to be focused on. So, I know if I can control what I can control, and everything else will work out for the best."

As a redshirt junior, Bentley knows his time is now if he wants to have a shot at the next level, so he's putting in the work to make his dream a reality.

"That's what I grew up on. That's my goal," he said. "I've been wanting to go to the league since I played ball. I started playing football when I was four years old, and just seeing the guys from Birmingham, Alabama, that made it. They've been a huge outlet for me and for Birmingham, just showing that you can make it."