Ashleigh Snyder
Ronan Hanafin has quickly established himself as a playmaker in Clemson’s secondary after switching from wide receiver to safety only a year ago.
Around this time last year, Ronan Hanafin was acclimating to guarding routes instead of running them. Now, he’s proving he can be more than just a converted wideout, becoming a real playmaker in the secondary to start the 2025 season.
The junior has fully embraced life as a safety after beginning his career as a wide receiver. The transition paid off nicely — Hanafin became a starter after the fall camp.
“We were going through fall camp and you’re in the heat of it, so you don’t really think about (starting) that much,” Hanafin said this past weekend. “I tried to work for (the starting position) and think I’ve worked for it for a while. At the end of the day, I’m trying to play the best I can and control the controllable.”
The move might feel new to Clemson fans, but Hanafin is returning to his roots.
Coming out of Buckingham Browne & Nichols School, he was rated a four-star athlete and top-15, two-way player in the country, according to 247Sports. Hanafin thrived as a pass catcher, but also attracted offers to play linebacker or safety at several Power-4 programs, including Alabama.
Still, he chose to stay on the offensive side at Clemson to carve out a role. However, after limited action outside of special teams during his first year, the switch to defense felt like a natural next step.
“In high school, I kind of always just found the ball, and that’s how I try to play today,” Hanafin said. “Obviously, I’m working on the technique and the knowledge of the game from a defensive perspective, but at the end of the day, you just gotta find the ball.”
During the 2024 season, he played in all 14 games and leaped snaps. However, he still needed time to learn the system and get comfortable before taking that next step in the position, crediting former Clemson standout and now Chargers safety, R.J. Mickens, for his development.
“He always helped me learn the position back when he was here last year, and he’s been a huge part in helping me get all the details down at the position,” Hanafin continued. “He’s obviously very good at it in the NFL right now, so he brought up making (weekly goals) to me and I said, ‘That’s a good idea,’ so I started doing it.”
Those lessons have carried over into the fall, and the results are already showing.
In the first two weeks of the 2025 season, Hanafin hasn’t just held his own; he’s been one of Clemson’s most impactful defenders, making plays in coverage and delivering the kind of physical presence that cements him as a difference-maker in the secondary.
In the season opener against LSU, the 215-pound safety racked up a game and career-high 12 tackles, including one for a loss. He also tallied a pass deflection and forced fumble on LSU’s Chris Hilton Jr.
“I’m always a harsh grader to myself. The missed tackle kept me awake at night, but I think I had a decent game; always room to improve,” Hanafin said after LSU. “For our first showing, I don’t think (my performance) was that bad.”
That performance set the tone for his season, and he followed it up with another strong outing against Troy this past weekend. The junior finished with six tackles, an interception and a pass breakup on a play where he nearly came down with another interception.
Once just a player searching for his role, Hanafin has become a standout safety, making plays that swing momentum and set the tone for Clemson’s defense. His story is still being written, but the opening chapters already read like the rise of a future leader.