Swinney on What He Learned About His Team This Spring

Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney made an appearance Monday on ACC Network’s ACC PM show.

Co-host Mark Packer asked Swinney what he learned about his football team this spring, from the Tigers’ April 6 spring game and spring practice overall.

“The spring game, it’s fun,” Swinney said. “The best part about the spring game is it allows you to kind of create an environment for some guys, like a (freshman receiver Bryant) Wesco for example, who the first time they play a college game, it’s the real deal – no scrimmages, no nothing. But the main thing is we had 127 guys go through spring, so the majority of our team is here, and I would say the main thing that we learned is we’ve got the ingredients, we’ve just got a lot of work to do.

“But I think we’ve got an eager group. They’ve got some good self-awareness. We’ve got good leadership on both sides. I think we’ve got a chance to be strong up the middle, if you will, in the trenches, and we’ve gotten some guys back from injury, and we’ve got a chance.”

To cap off last season, Swinney’s team overcame an 11-point fourth-quarter deficit for a 38-35 win over Kentucky in the Gator Bowl at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. on Dec. 29. As a result of the victory, the Tigers (9-4) finished the 2023 season on a five-game winning streak and boasting a postseason victory in an FBS-record 13 straight seasons.

Last year also marked Clemson’s 13th consecutive season with nine or more wins, the nation’s second-longest active streak.

“This is a team that I think carries some momentum from, we had a little five-game winning streak,” Swinney said. “We were in a mess there, and man, these guys played some good football down the stretch and it culminated with a great bowl win and a game-winning drive, and I think that’s kind of fueled these guys into the spring. But we’ve got the ingredients, we’ve just got to put it all together and have a great summer so that we can kind of take the next step in this year’s journey.”

The spring game wrapped up Clemson’s 15-session spring practice window as the Tigers prepare for their marquee season opener against the Georgia Bulldogs in Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Aug. 31.

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