Five More Days: Clemson offseason comes to close next week with big media events

Clemson coach Dabo Swinney will hold court next week for local, regional and national media previewing the 2022 campaign and more.

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Thu Jul 14 08:00:06 GMT-04:00 2022

The unofficial start of college football, at least from a Clemson perspective, takes place in just five short days.

The long offseason and wait for college football is almost over. Clemson will hold its annual media day next Tuesday at the Reeves Football Complex, and then the ACC Football Kickoff takes place next Wednesday and Thursday in Charlotte.

On Tuesday, we should be able to talk with head coach Dabo Swinney and all of the assistant coaches, and we will be able to speak with Swinney, defensive end KJ Henry, left tackle Jordan McFadden, and quarterback DJ Uiagalelei on Wednesday at The Westin in Charlotte.

The Atlantic Division goes on Wednesday this year, and ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips will host the Commissioner’s Forum starting at 9:30 a.m. The event will be streamed and we will be there to provide updates and coverage of what should be an entertaining session as the ACC endeavors to hold its membership together.

The Atlantic coaches and player interviews run from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. on Wednesday. We don’t have the final schedule of when Clemson will be at the microphones but will get that to you as soon as we know.

For the first time in several years, the Tigers head to the Kickoff event with many wondering if their run at the top is over. For the first time in more than a decade, Clemson is coming off a season that was a disappointment to many (even though I still say it was Swinney’s best coaching job).

The Tigers went 10-3 and had their streak of six consecutive ACC titles and six consecutive College Football Playoff berths come to an abrupt end. We all know that the Clemson defense will once again be loaded, but there are questions that surround new co-defensive coordinators Mickey Conn and Wesley Goodwin simply because we have exactly one game to judge them on (even though it was a good one).

Swinney thinks the defense has a chance to be special.

“It can be really good, they can be as good as they want to be,” Swinney said. “They have the type of depth that gives you a little bit of room for error, but I think we have a chance to be a really special group in the defensive line. I think we are going to be fast and athletic at linebacker and I think we are going to finally have some great experience in the secondary.”

Clemson is deep along the defensive line and at linebacker, but the secondary will have to break in new starters at corner and safety. However, Swinney likes what he sees.

“And you saw Toriano Pride, you saw Sherrod Covil, you saw Nate Wiggins, who was a true freshman last year and has really come into his own,” Swinney said. “Sheridan Jones had a great spring and we shut him down this last part so we can get him 100 percent, but we got him in most of the spring which is good. Malcolm Greene is progressing well to get back healthy. Fred Davis has only had five practices but he’s going to be a solid addition as well. So it’s going to be a good group of corners.

“But that safety group is a very experienced and talented group.”

Swinney said that he thinks seven players from the defensive line will be drafted next spring.

“I think all three levels will have experience, talent and depth, and it’s not always the case that you have that, but it’s going to start with those guys up front,” Swinney said. “I think we have seven guys up there that will get drafted this time next year, so it will start through them — and if those guys do their job — and those young guys behind them can step up, it’s going to be a deep group that can lead the way for us.”

However, the Tigers will go only as far as the offense takes them. Rich Cirminiello, the Vice President of College Awards for the Maxwell Football Club and a contributor to Phil Steele, joined a national sports radio network last week and gave his opinion on what he sees out of the Tigers this season.

“That defense, to me, will be like a poor man’s Georgia of 2021. I think they could be that good,” Cirminiello said. “And that’s why it’s so curious to me that Dabo loses his co-offensive coordinator, Tony Elliott, to Virginia, now the head coach down in Charlottesville, but no changes at quarterback. D.J. (Uiagalelei) looked OK in the spring. It doesn’t appear that he’s made any great strides from last season. Was quite frankly horrible as a sophomore. Now, they got Cade Klubnik from Texas, the five-star recruit, but I’m not sure if Dabo’s going to try to make a return to the ACC penthouse with a true freshman quarterback.”

Cirminiello added what we all already know – the Tigers need better quarterback play this season.

“Now, I think they win a lot of games because of that defense,” he said. “But offensively, you’ve got Will Shipley out of the backfield. But man, they need a hell of a lot out of the quarterback play this year.”

The good news for all of us is that we can start asking more questions – and getting some answers – in five short days.