Dabo Swinney provides final update before home opener

Swinney says Cade Klubnik's "spirit, leadership, and attitude are what you want to see.”

Grayson Mann - Staff Writer - Wednesday, September 04 2024

CLEMSON - The final preparations for the home opener are being finalized.

Dabo Swinney addressed the media for the final time on Wednesday ahead of Clemson’s first home matchup against Appalachian State.

In that span, Swinney addressed the status of Marcus Tate, Cade Klubnik’s continued leadership, and much more.

Here’s what we learned.

*One of the bright spots for Clemson following the loss to Georgia was that the Tigers came out relatively unscathed.

Starting guard Marcus Tate had to exit the game after a teammate rolled on the back of his leg, leaving Collin Sadler to take over in his absence.

At the time, Swinney believed Tate had escaped a major injury.

That statement appears to be the case, with Swinney saying that Tate is “getting better each day.” He did not comment on whether Tate will play on Saturday.

*If there is a situation where Tate misses time, it seems that Sadler would be the choice to fill that role.

Swinney raved about Sadler’s ability on Wednesday, saying the lineman is considered one of their starting-caliber players in the trenches.

Sadler played relatively well in Tate’s absence, having only one play on which Swinney says the sophomore got the call wrong: pulling right into Tate on a designed run.

*Swinney was asked about having any concerns about putting Phil Mafah as one of the primary kick returners.

He told us that there’s no concern, and there’s a precedent of putting starting backs into that role. Swinney mentioned how C.J. Spiller and Will Shipley occupied those roles, wanting to put the “best guy back there.”

Swinney added there are multiple guys they want to see in the return game, but Mafah was the right choice for the Georgia game.

*As to what the rotation will be at receiver on Saturday, here’s what Swinney told us.

“They all compete every day,” Swinney said. “I see it every week. They compete every day. They hopefully will compete within the game, too, and we will just continue to hopefully get better.”

*Behind Wade Woodaz and Barrett Carter, Swinney confirmed that Sammy Brown and Kobe McCloud are the ones who are backing them up.

Swinney called McCloud “a dependable guy who we can trust.”

*Swinney hopes there will be more opportunities for the backs behind Phil Mafah on Saturday, alluding to the lack of offensive snaps overall, which led to how the rotation played out.

*Much has been made of Cade Klubnik’s leadership following the Georgia loss.

We asked him how that energy has translated onto the practice field this week. Here’s Swinney’s complete response.

“Cade’s been the same guy every day,” Swinney said. “It is one of the things I really like about him. He’s been the guy since January that you would never know the difference between one day or the next. That’s a great step for him. Whether you come off a big win, a tough loss, or an open date. He’s really bought into every rep and having a game mindset. If you practice like that, you don’t have to change anything on gameday. He’s done a great job and stepped up as a leader for us. He was great after the game and got right back at it. His spirit, leadership, and attitude are what you want to see.”

Swinney also added that the team has followed suit, embracing the idea that one game won’t define how the rest of the year plays out.

“It isn’t just him; it is the whole team getting back to work,” Swinney said. “You can’t have one game ruin your season. We have a long way to go, and every week is a great opportunity for us in college football. Every week is Opening Day. You have to have that same type of fire and excitement to compete, get better, and find a way to win a game.”