A November to forget

Dabo Swinney uttered the phrase almost as a public reminder to his team of what it was still capable of accomplishing this season. “They remember November,” Clemson’s coach said two weeks ago leading up to the Tigers’ game against Miami. For the …

Dabo Swinney uttered the phrase almost as a public reminder to his team of what it was still capable of accomplishing this season.

“They remember November,” Clemson’s coach said two weeks ago leading up to the Tigers’ game against Miami.

For the first time in a long time, though, it’s turned into a month supporters of the program would rather forget after starting with so much promise.

Winners of its first seven games, Clemson sat at No. 4 in the initial College Football Playoff rankings released during the first week of November. But the thought that the Tigers were ready to return to college football’s biggest stage after a one-year absence was short-lived when Clemson traveled to Notre Dame on Nov. 5 and got bullied. The Fighting Irish ran for nearly 300 yards and scored on offense, defense and special teams in a dominant win that sent the Tigers crashing from the ranks of the unbeaten.

Clemson had a golden opportunity for a strong finish with a three-game homestand to wrap up the regular season and regrouped a bit against Louisville and Miami, though the turnover bug that began during the Tigers’ final win of October against Syracuse (season-high four) stayed with them. The Tigers combined for six turnovers in those wins.

Yet teams in front of them in the CFP rankings kept losing, and the Tigers, which initially fell to No. 10 after the Notre Dame loss, lurked at No. 8 heading into its rivalry game against South Carolina on Saturday. Clemson had the advantage of playing at home – a place it had won 40 straight games – in trying to extend its Palmetto Bowl win streak to a record eight straight. And if the Tigers could do that and have more chaos break out in front of them nationally, perhaps they could slide back into the CFP picture.

But Clemson doesn’t have to worry about that anymore after blowing leads of 14-0, 23-14 and 30-21 in a 31-30 loss to the Gamecocks. Clemson was a two-touchdown favorite at home, but more big plays allowed on defense, inconsistency in the passing game and another handful of turnovers made for the ingredients of an upset.

Two of the Tigers’ three giveaways came in the final 6 minutes, 37 seconds. And when Antonio Williams fumbled a punt return with just 2:09 left, it sealed the Tigers’ fate in the kind of November that Clemson hasn’t experienced in a while.

“I just hate losing. It sucks,” said quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei, who went just 8 of 29 passing in the loss. “You put in all that work with the offense, and to come out and lose by one point, it definitely sucks.”

Finishing strong has normally been a trademark of Swinney’s teams during time as Clemson’s coach. The Tigers are 45-13 in November in those 15 years and had just five losses over the last decade during the regular season’s final month. This marks the first year Clemson has suffered multiple November losses since 2011.

“It was a tough day, but it comes with the territory,” Swinney said. “This is what we do. It’s my responsibility, and I didn’t get it done (Saturday).”

Clemson still has the ACC championship game to play against North Carolina next weekend when the calendar flips to December, which may be the best news for the Tigers at this point.

Gamecocks rally to snap Clemson’s series, home winning streaks

South Carolina rallied from an early 14-0 deficit and nine-point deficit after halftime to snap No. 8 Clemson’s series and home winning streaks with a 31-30 victory over the Tigers on Saturday at Death Valley. With the loss, the Tigers’ seven-game …

With the loss, the Tigers’ seven-game winning streak against South Carolina, and 40-game home winning streak dating back to 2016, came to an end.

South Carolina, after trailing by as many as 14 points going into the second quarter, took its first lead of the game on a 35-yard field goal by Mitch Jeter with 10:54 left in the fourth quarter.

Clemson, down 31-30, got the ball back with around seven minutes left in the fourth quarter. But on a first-and-10 play from the Tiger 24-yard line, Uiagalelei overthrew tight end Davis Allen and was intercepted by Marcellas Dial at the South Carolina 35.

Clemson’s defense stood strong, though, and forced the Gamecocks to punt the ball away. The Tigers took over, but backed up at their own 3-yard line following a 63-yard punt by Kai Kroeger.

Still trailing by a point with just over four minutes remaining, Clemson had to punt again after picking up one first down via a penalty. A 61-yard punt gave South Carolina the ball back at its own 16-yard line, and the defense held up once again to force another punt and seemingly give the Tigers one last chance to get a late score and win the game.

However, on the punt return, a fumble by freshman Antonio Williams was recovered by the Gamecocks’ Nick Emmanwori at Clemson 44 with a little over two minutes remaining.

South Carolina was able to pick up one final first down and then take a knee to run out the clock.

What was a nine-point game at halftime in favor of Clemson went into the fourth quarter with the Tigers leading by two after South Carolina found the end zone twice in the third quarter.

Jaheim Bell cut South Carolina’s deficit to 23-21 on a 2-yard touchdown run before Clemson answered back with an 11-yard touchdown run by Shipley. Just two plays in the Gamecocks’ next possession, Rattler connected with Wells Jr. for a 72-yard touchdown strike that made the score 30-28 with less than four minutes left in the third quarter.

Clemson took a two-score lead into the locker room after a wild first half that featured a slew of momentum swings.

Following a near pick-six on Clemson’s first possession, South Carolina threw a pick-six on its next offensive play. Linebacker Jeremiah Trotter Jr. returned quarterback Spencer Rattler’s interception 35 yards for a touchdown less than three minutes into the first quarter, giving the Tigers an early 7-0 lead.

Clemson (10-2) jumped out to a 14-0 lead with an eight-play, 90-yard touchdown drive on its second possession, which Uiagalelei finished off by weaving through defenders for a 9-yard touchdown run.

South Carolina (8-4) started to get some momentum toward the end of the first quarter and was able to cut its deficit to 14-7 with a 4-yard touchdown pass from Rattler to Antwane Wells Jr. after the Gamecocks elected to go for it on fourth-and-goal early in the second quarter.

Clemson’s defense got its second score of the first half after Aidan Swanson’s 52-yard punt pinned the Gamecocks’ offense at its own 2-yard line. On the first play of the possession, Rattler was called for intentional grounding in the end zone, resulting in a safety – the second in as many games for Clemson’s defense — that gave the Tigers a 16-7 lead with 10:05 left before halftime.

The Tigers got the ball back thanks to the safety, but trickeration on the return – which saw Shipley hand the ball off to Phil Mafah in a scrum huddle — ended with Mafah fumbling the ball back to South Carolina.

South Carolina capitalized on the turnover, with Rattler capping a four-play, 37-yard drive with a 4-yard touchdown run that cut the Gamecocks’ deficit to 16-14 at the 8:24 mark of the second quarter.

Clemson answered right back, though, to regain a two-score lead. Uiagalelei hooked up with Williams for an 11-yard touchdown that made the score 23-14 at the 6:14 mark.

Clemson will return to action next Saturday to face North Carolina in the ACC Championship Game. Kickoff at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte is set for 8 p.m. on ABC.

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‘Can’t wait’: Four years later, Clemson eager for Carolina’s return to Death Valley

Whether Clemson supporters needed the pep talk given how long the wait has been is debatable. But with the latest rendition of the Palmetto Bowl set for an early start, Dabo Swinney delivered the plea anyway. “I know a lot of people don’t like anoon …

“I know a lot of people don’t like anoon game and all of that stuff, but we need the biggest noon crowd we’ve ever had,” Swinney said in reference to Clemson’s home game against in-state rival South Carolina on Saturday. “Come Friday if you can come Friday. Pitch a tent. Whatever. Let’s have a great crowd and let’s be ready.”

They’ve had four years to get there.

Normally, the site of the annual rivalry game alternates between Clemson’s Memorial Stadium and Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia each year. So after Clemson won at South Carolina to end the 2019 regular season, the game was slated to shift back to Clemson the following year.

But the Tigers lost the chance to host Carolina that season when the SEC implemented a conference-only schedule for its teams in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

The teams stayed consistent with that alternating-years model when the series resumed last season, so Clemson again made the trip to Columbia and blanked the Gamecocks to run its winning streak in the rivalry to seven. When the Tigers try for what would be a series-record eighth straight victory over the Gamecocks on Saturday, they’ll do so in the first Palmetto Bowl played at Memorial Stadium since 2018.

“I can’t wait,” sophomore linebacker Barrett Carter said. “I think this game is always marked on the schedule for all Clemson fans just because they know just how intense the rivalry is. I don’t think the time of the kickoff matters with the energy there. Whether it’s a noon kick or if it’s a 7:30 p.m. kick, it’s going to be rocking there. I’m excited for the atmosphere.”

With that long of a wait in between home rivalry games, most of Clemson’s players have yet to experience gameday against South Carolina in Memorial Stadium. Quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei was in attendance as a recruit for that 2018 game, one the Tigers won 56-17. But all he has to go off of in terms of being in the competitive arena against the Gamecocks at home, he said, is stories he’s been told.

“I remember the last time I was here for a visit, it was at home,” Uiagalelei said. “The stadium was rocking. It was a night game. But I’m super excited to play South Carolina here at home. It will be unbelievable.”

Even the few who have experienced a home environment against the Gamecocks are eager to see what the weekend holds at Death Valley. One of those players is fifth-year offensive lineman Jordan McFadden, who was a true freshman the last time Clemson hosted Carolina.

Throw in the added dynamics at play on each side – Clemson is trying to stay in the College Football Playoff picture against a Carolina team fresh off a 25-point undressing of then-No. 5 Tennessee – and McFadden said he expects the buzz in Clemson’s building to reach a fever pitch come Saturday afternoon given the anticipation that’s been building for years.

“I knew for sure it would be crazy anyway just because of how our fans show up for any game, but with (South Carolina) obviously beating Tennessee this past weekend, I think this will be a great environment,” McFadden said. “It’ll be an early game, but I know our fans will show up and it will be an awesome atmosphere.”

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Clemson picks up Thanksgiving Day commitment

The Clemson football program has picked up a Thanksgiving Day pledge from a standout local prospect. Greenville (S.C.) High School wide receiver Tyler Brown announced his verbal commitment to the Tigers on Thursday afternoon. Brown (5-10, 175) …

The Clemson football program has picked up a Thanksgiving Day pledge from a standout local prospect.

Greenville (S.C.) High School wide receiver Tyler Brown announced his verbal commitment to the Tigers on Thursday afternoon.

Brown (5-10, 175) becomes the third receiver commitment in Clemson’s 2023 class, joining Buckingham Browne & Nichols (Cambridge, Mass.) four-star Ronan Hanafin and Rockwall (Texas) four-star Noble Johnson.

Brown decommitted from Minnesota on Oct. 11 and then visited Clemson for the Syracuse game on Oct. 22.

Clemson also played host to Brown for the Louisville game on Nov. 12, when he received an offer from the Tigers, and he returned to campus again for last Saturday’s game against Miami.

In addition to Clemson and Minnesota, Brown held power conference offers from Georgia Tech, Louisville, Virginia Tech and Northwestern.

Brown’s pledge brings Clemson’s commitment total for the 2023 class to 23.

He marks the Tigers’ third commitment in five days, as Central (Phenix City, Ala.) four-star defensive end Tomarrion “T.J.” Parker committed to Clemson’s 2023 class on Monday and Carrollwood Day (Tampa, Fla.) four-star cornerback Tavoy Feagin committed on Sunday to become the first member of Clemson’s 2024 class.

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5 things to be thankful for this Clemson football season

The time has come for Clemson to wrap up its regular season with its annual rivalry tilt against South Carolina. That will happen Saturday at Memorial Stadium. But first, it’s Thanksgiving. So in the spirit of the season, here are five things the …

The time has come for Clemson to wrap up its regular season with its annual rivalry tilt against South Carolina. That will happen Saturday at Memorial Stadium.

But first, it’s Thanksgiving. So in the spirit of the season, here are five things the Tigers should be thankful for this season with some meaningful games still to play.

Improved quarterback play

There’s no reason to act like D.J. Uiagalelei has been perfect this season. That’s far from the truth.

But Clemson enters this week’s game still in the College Football Playoff mix (though in need of some help to get there) at least in part because he’s been better overall.

The primary reason Clemson was already out of the playoff picture this time last year was because he simply wasn’t good enough. It was a rough first outing against eventual national champion Georgia, and Uiagalelei (and, frankly, the rest of the offense) had a hard time recovering. Uiagalelei threw more picks than touchdown passes, and his completion rate hovered around a pedestrian 55%.

But Uiagalelei’s completion rate is nearly 10 percentage points higher than it was last year. He’s flipped his touchdown passes-to-interception ratio (21 to six) from last season and has accounted for nearly three times as many touchdowns (27) as turnovers (10) overall. He’s also been a newfound threat on the ground, using his legs to run for nearly 500 yards and six scores this season.

That doesn’t mean Clemson has always gotten what it needs from him. He’s been temporarily benched twice and has had at least one turnover in four straight games, which has kept Clemson’s offense from putting together that elusive complete game. The running game has been there to help when Uiagalelei struggles, but the Tigers will need more from him if they plan on winning the ACC championship and a playoff game, albeit that’s putting the cart well before the horse at this point.

But if you’re Clemson, you have to be thankful the quarterback play isn’t where it used to be.

Continuity up front

Speaking of the running game, the Tigers own the nation’s No. 46 rushing offense. It’s much closer to the kind of production Clemson had during most of the Travis Etienne era.

Clemson averaged at least 194 rushing yards from 2017-19. The previous two years, the Tigers’ per-game average dipped to 153.8 (2020) and 167.9 (2021). This season, the Tigers are rushing for 183 yards per game.

With Uiagalelei, Will Shipley and Phil Mafah, Clemson is taking more of a committee approach to getting it done on the ground this season. But an offensive line that’s stayed largely intact deserves a lot of credit as well.

Veterans Jordan McFadden, Will Putnam and Walker Parks joined sophomore Marcus Tate and true freshman Blake Miller as the starters up front in the opener against Georgia Tech. That’s been the starting five in all but one game to this point (Parks was held out of the Louisville game while in concussion protocol but has since returned).

Compare that to last season when a combination of mass attrition and a lack of production resulted in season-long musical chairs. The Tigers started eight different combinations on the offensive line in those 13 games. Not coincidentally, the offense finished outside the top 50 nationally in every major statistical category.

The line was hit with some permanent attrition last week when Tate went down against Miami with a knee injury that will require surgery. Mitchell Mayes will fill in at left guard for the rest of the season. It’s not ideal, but the core of a much improved group remains intact and playing at a high level.

1-2 punch at tight end

Perhaps Antonio Williams deserves a spot on this list somewhere. The true freshman has been a dynamic infusion of young talent into Clemson’s offense with a team-high 48 receptions.

But he’s the only receiver with more than 27 catches this season. It hasn’t helped that Beaux Collins (shoulder) has been on the shelf the last couple of games, but the consistency from the receiving corps has been hard to come by this season.

If not for the production the Tigers have gotten out of their tight ends, it might be worse.

Davis Allen and Jake Briningstool have been more than just safety valves for Uiagalelei this season. Featured often in the passing game, the duo has accounted for nearly a quarter (22.4%) of Clemson’s receptions. Allen is having a career year in what may very well be his final season in a Clemson uniform with 32 catches, second-most on the team.

Meanwhile, 20% of Briningstool’s catches have gone for touchdowns (4). Allen also caught his fourth touchdown of the season last week against Miami, making for the first time in program history that Clemson has had multiple tight ends with at least four touchdown receptions in the same season.

Given the matchup problems they can cause for opposing defenses – Allen goes 6-foot-5 and 250 pounds while Briningstool comes in at 6-6 and 240 pounds – the argument can be made that both should be targeted even more, particularly in the middle of the field. But they’ve helped provide a much-needed boost to a passing game that’s been rather pedestrian (228 passing yards per game).

Second-level strength

The question was posed almost immediately once James Skalski and Baylon Spector exhausted their eligibility after last season: How is Clemson going to replace that kind of production at linebacker?

Skalski and Spector, more affectionately known as the Bruise Brothers during their time at Clemson, were veteran leaders at the second level of the defense that had the talent to go with it. They were multi-year starters who were at or near the top of the Tigers’ tackles list during that time.

That’s where this year’s group of linebackers finds itself, too.

The second level has been arguably the most consistent part of the defense, a strong statement considering all the talent and experience Clemson returned along a defensive line that’s been good but not always great this season. Jeremiah Trotter Jr., Trenton Simpson and Barrett Carter are three of Clemson’s four leading tacklers, combining for 181 stops heading into the weekend.

Much was expected of Simpson as the lone returning starter among the group, but Trotter and Carter have started fulfilling their potential as former blue-chip recruits. Trotter has been a revelation as Skalski’s replacement in the middle with 65 tackles (second-most on the team) and six tackles for loss. Carter, meanwhile, has been used in a variety of ways at the Sam/nickel position. He’s second on the team with 8.5 tackles for loss and has four sacks and five pass breakups.

Simpson is a next-level talent that’s been steady at Will for most of the season (62 tackles), but the group has shown over the last couple of weeks just how versatile and athletic it is. When Simpson had to miss the Louisville game two weeks ago because of an ankle injury, Carter moved inside in his absence and responded with a career game.

Clemson has elected to keep Carter inside and move Simpson back to Sam for the time being. Regardless of where they’ve lined up, though, the linebackers have produced at a level that’s dissuaded any doubt about what’s next at the position.

The Syracuse penalty

Let’s revisit the Tigers’ game against Syracuse in mid-October, just a couple of weeks before that ugly loss at Notre Dame.

It was a sloppy one for Clemson, which found itself trailing the Orange 21-7 at one point and facing an 11-point deficit heading into the fourth quarter thanks in large part to a season-high four turnovers. Three of those were committed by Uiagalelei, who was benched midway through the third quarter for true freshman Cade Klubnik.

Klubnik’s first series wasn’t going well. He looked like a freshman on a second-down sack that came after he bailed from the pocket early and tried to unsuccessfully scramble away from Syracuse’s defense, setting up a third-and-25 at Clemson’s 43-yard line with time running out on the third quarter.

With Syracuse dropping eight into coverage, Clemson was going to have to punt again as Klubnik scrambled toward the sideline well short of the line to gain. Klubnik took another lick from Syracuse defensive lineman Elijah Fuentes-Cundiff. This time, it happened when Klubnik was already a couple of yards out of bounds.

That drew a penalty for a late hit, and it gave Clemson a fresh set of downs. The Tigers ended that drive in the end zone, giving them the momentum they needed for a thrilling 27-21 victory.

Could Clemson still have rallied without the benefit of that good fortune? Sure. The Tigers (who had a season-high 293 rushing yards that day) moved the ball consistently when they actually held onto it.

But Phil Mafah didn’t score the capper on that penalty-aided drive until more than a minute into the fourth quarter. If Clemson ends up punting on that possession, Syracuse might score again. At a minimum, the Orange milk a couple of more minutes off the clock before punting it back to Clemson, which would’ve had a little more than half a quarter left needing to score twice. In that scenario, the Tigers might have been forced to abandon the run quicker than they would’ve liked and start pitching it around with a young quarterback that hadn’t been thrown into that kind of do-or-die situation all season.

Who knows how things play out in that scenario? But one thing is certain: If Clemson is able to win out and wiggle its way back into the CFP, Dabo Swinney should add Syracuse to his list of Christmas card recipients.

Don’t miss Cyber Week Deals at Dear Old Clemson’s online store. Deals will run through midnight Monday.

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Free Avengers unsigned poster with the purchase of a signed Avengers football
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Nation’s No. 1 LB gives latest, expects to visit Clemson this weekend

The Clemson Insider caught up with a priority Clemson target, ranked as the nation’s No. 1 linebacker in the 2024 class, to get the latest on his recruitment. Jefferson (Ga.) five-star Sammy Brown, who collected Clemson’s first 2024 offer back in …

The Clemson Insider caught up with a priority Clemson target, ranked as the nation’s No. 1 linebacker in the 2024 class, to get the latest on his recruitment.

Jefferson (Ga.) five-star Sammy Brown, who collected Clemson’s first 2024 offer back in March, continues to stay in contact with head coach Dabo Swinney and defensive coordinator/linebackers coach Wes Goodwin.

“I’ve been talking pretty consistently with Coach Goodwin, really just about hunting and school and what not,” Brown told TCI. “I get on the phone with Coach Swinney once every two weeks or so. It’s good to catch up with them and talk about stuff other than football.”

As Brown keeps in touch with the coaches, he has also been keeping up with the Tigers this season and likes what he’s seen from them on the defensive side of the ball especially.

“I thought that the defense has played lights out all year,” he said. “They’ve had a couple slip-ups here and there, but they’re playing good football on a consistent basis. I’ve been very impressed.”

As far as his recruitment goes, Brown – who boasts more than two dozen scholarship offers – feels Clemson is among the schools recruiting him most heavily at this point in the process.

“It’s been pretty consistent,” he said. “Clemson, Georgia, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Notre Dame and Ohio State have been probably the hardest.”

Brown has been to Clemson, Ohio State, Georgia and Tennessee this season.

“We planned on (visiting) Oklahoma this (past) weekend but couldn’t make it because of prices,” he said.

The 6-foot-2, 227-pound junior most recently visited Death Valley for the Oct. 1 NC State game after attending the Sept. 10 game vs. Furman, where both of his parents went to college.

Brown told TCI that he and his family have considered a return trip to Clemson for this weekend’s game against South Carolina.

We checked in with Brown again earlier this week to ask whether they’ll be back in The Valley on Saturday.

“I’m pretty sure we are,” he said.

Brown is rated as a five-star prospect and ranked as the nation’s No. 1 linebacker in the 2024 class by both 247Sports and the 247Sports Composite. 247Sports considers him the No. 6 overall prospect in his class regardless of position, while he is the No. 12 overall prospect in his class according to the composite rankings.

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Swinney ‘can’t imagine’ Palmetto Bowl being affected by potential schedule change

As Clemson and South Carolina prepare for the latest rendition of the Palmetto Bowl, Dabo Swinney on Wednesday shared his thoughts on the future of the longstanding rivalry. The in-state rivals will meet for the 119th time Saturday when the Tigers …

As Clemson and South Carolina prepare for the latest rendition of the Palmetto Bowl, Dabo Swinney on Wednesday shared his thoughts on the future of the longstanding rivalry.

The in-state rivals will meet for the 119th time Saturday when the Tigers host Carolina at Memorial Stadium. Clemson, which improved to 10-1 with its win over Miami last week, jumped to No. 8 in the latest College Football Playoff rankings while South Carolina is already bowl-eligible and coming off a beatdown of then-No. 5 Tennessee last week.

As for the game’s future beyond this season, Swinney said he doesn’t know exactly what that entails given the reported preference the SEC has to increase the number of conference games its teams play in the near future.

“I have no idea what they’re going to do as far as conference,” Swinney said.

According to ESPN, there is some favor among SEC schools to go to a nine-game conference schedule once Oklahoma and Texas join the league, which could happen as soon as 2024. SEC teams currently play an eight-game league schedule.

Should that happen, that would leave one less non-conference game for South Carolina to play. Swinney said he will “let everybody else figure that out,” but he added he has a hard time believing the matchup with Clemson would be the one that’s scratched from the Gamecocks’ non-conference slate in that scenario.

“I can’t imagine Clemson-South Carolina going away after 100-something years,” he said.

The Palmetto Bowl has been played every year since 1909 with one exception. The team’s scheduled meeting in 2020 was canceled after the SEC went to a conference-only schedule that season in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Clemson has won the last seven meetings with Carolina.

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For Swinney, Clemson-Carolina rivalry has ‘natural’ feel

Dabo Swinney still remembers his first time on the recruiting trail in South Carolina. It was the spring of 2003, shortly after he’d been hired as a 33-year-old receivers coach at Clemson. Making the rounds at local high schools, Swinney, usually …

Dabo Swinney still remembers his first time on the recruiting trail in South Carolina.

It was the spring of 2003, shortly after he’d been hired as a 33-year-old receivers coach at Clemson. Making the rounds at local high schools, Swinney, usually donning attire with Clemson’s paw logo, felt a degree of animosity from half of the people with which he came in contact.

Yet Swinney wasn’t all that surprised.

“People (in South Carolina) didn’t know me, but as soon as I walked in the school, half the people didn’t like me,” Swinney said. “‘Oh, it’s their Clemson guy.’ You know?”

In the nearly two decades since, Swinney, who’s been Clemson’s head coach for most of that time, has gotten used to catching ugly looks from a portion of the state that supports the Tigers’ in-state rival. He’ll coach in his 19th Palmetto Bowl on Saturday when Clemson and South Carolina renew their rivalry at Memorial Stadium.

For Swinney, though, he didn’t necessarily need all of those matchups to know what things would be like when he made the move to South Carolina all of those years ago. A Pelham, Alabama native, Swinney grew up in the thick of a rivalry that’s equally as bitter.

Swinney used some hyperbole this week to emphasize that point.

“When you grow up in Alabama, that’s it,” Swinney said in reference to the Alabama-Auburn rivalry. “You don’t even leave the hospital. You’ve got to declare right there. Which way are you going? They put it right on your birth certificate. Otherwise you just stay in the hospital. They don’t let you leave.”

In all seriousness, Swinney said, it’s the reason why embracing the Clemson-South Carolina rivalry has come organically to him. Beyond the allegiances that normally come with fandom in Southern states where professional sports don’t exist, Swinney, a receiver on Gene Stallings’ Alabama teams of the early 1990s, was part of 13 Iron Bowls as a player and a coach for the Crimson Tide before his time at his alma mater ended in 2000 following then-Alabama coach Mike DuBose’s resignation.

“It’s just in your blood. You live with it,” Swinney said. “I’ve been on both sides of it, so I get it. I know how it is. I’ve won them and lost them. Won some on the last play and lost some on the last play. Won some big and lost some big. I’ve experienced every part of it. And when you grow up in a place like Alabama and you come to South Carolina, it’s no different. I’t’s exactly the same.”

Swinney has had more success than failure against Clemson’s biggest rival. Swinney won his first Palmetto Bowl as the Tigers’ interim coach in 2008 before Clemson lost five straight to Carolina. But the last eight years have belonged to Clemson, which has won seven straight meetings with the Gamecocks (the teams didn’t play each other in 2020 when the SEC played conference-only schedules in response to the coronavirus pandemic).

A win Saturday would give Clemson the longest winning streak in the series on either side. Regardless how things play out then, Swinney has been part of these kinds of games long enough that he’s prepared for the impact that will be felt throughout the state.

“Coming here was a very natural thing for me,” Swinney said. “It just felt normal that people don’t like you. And it felt normal to go on the road recruiting the state and have people instantly judge you because you have a logo on your shirt. … It’s a big deal to a lot of people.”

Dear Old Clemson is excited to announce a limited edition football and poster signed by Clemson’s Avengers.

5-star WR talks ‘fun’ first Clemson visit, new offer from Tigers

A five-star prospect, ranked among the nation’s top wide receivers in his class, traveled to Tiger Town this past weekend. Ryan Wingo, one of the country’s highest-rated 2024 prospects regardless of position, made his first-ever visit to Clemson for …

A five-star prospect, ranked among the nation’s top wide receivers in his class, traveled to Tiger Town this past weekend.

Ryan Wingo, one of the country’s highest-rated 2024 prospects regardless of position, made his first-ever visit to Clemson for Saturday’s game against Miami.

In fact, it was the first time the St. Louis (Mo.) University High standout has been in the Palmetto State.

“It was fun. I had a lot of fun,” Wingo said of the Clemson visit in an interview with The Clemson Insider. “I got a few fan interactions and stuff like that. I also was there with my friends, so that also made it fun. I got offered, also, so that was a big thing as well. So, it was a fun visit.”

Dabo Swinney extended the aforementioned scholarship offer to Wingo, making the 6-foot-2, 200-pound junior just the third receiver in the 2024 class to pick up an offer from Swinney’s program.

“I was talking to Coach Swinney before the game, and he ended up offering me then,” Wingo said. “My reaction was, I really can’t even explain it. It was a good reaction for sure, because they were just telling me how they don’t really offer a lot of people and stuff like that. So, when I was hearing that, it just made it even better that I was getting the offer then.”

Heading into the visit, Wingo had already checked the boxes the Tigers look for in a recruit before pulling the trigger on an offer. He only had to cross off one other box, which was simply getting on campus for the first time.

“What they were saying was I kind of filled all the boxes as a player, person, off the field, on the field, stuff like that,” Wingo said. “And the last box was me getting up there, seeing the place, and he was like, you filled out the last box, so now the rest is on us to get you to get here.”

Wingo was accompanied on the visit by his dad, his trainer and a couple of teammates, among others with family ties.

“I’m quite sure they liked it as well,” Wingo said of their Clemson experience. “From just the few words everybody was saying, they all enjoyed themselves.”

For Wingo personally, the visit was highlighted by one particular interaction he had with Clemson fans at the game.

“It was like these dudes holding up ‘We want Ryan Wingo’ on their phone,” he said. “So, that probably was the highlight.

“It was like a text in big letters, like ‘We want Ryan Wingo.’ It was pretty cool.”

Wingo will head to Missouri this weekend for its game vs. Arkansas. He has also attended games at a slew of other schools this season, including Ohio State, Texas A&M, Tennessee, Arkansas, Kentucky, Notre Dame, Penn State, Michigan, LSU and Ole Miss.

Wingo, who lists close to 40 offers, said his recruitment is “pretty wide open” right now.

“But as time goes, I think I’ll eventually hopefully get something out,” he added, alluding to a top schools list.

Now that he’s visited Clemson and scored an offer from the Tigers, can he see them being heavily in the mix for his commitment down the road?

“Yes sir, for sure,” he said.

Wingo is rated as a five-star prospect by Rivals and the 247Sports Composite. He is ranked as high as the No. 2 wide receiver and No. 6 overall prospect in the country for the 2024 class by Rivals, while the 247Sports Composite considers him the No. 3 receiver and No. 14 overall prospect in the class.

Dear Old Clemson is excited to announce a limited edition football and poster signed by Clemson’s Avengers.

Price ‘just doing his job’ en route to first career TD

Six seasons came to an all-time high for tight end Luke Price in Clemson’s latest win over Miami. Besides the fact that it was Senior Day, the sixth-year senior expected Saturday to be like any other gameday in Death Valley, but boy was he in for a …

In the second quarter of the Tigers’ matchup versus the Hurricanes, Price tucked into the back left corner of the end zone and was wide open just in time for a scrambling D.J. Uiagalelei to connect with him for six — scoring the first touchdown of the tight end’s Clemson career in the process.

“It’s pretty cool,” Price said. “You just do your job, and coach always says just wait for your opportunity, so I mean, it’s great. But as long as we win the game, that’s all I really care about. Just be ready for your opportunity, and I was.”

While Price traditionally takes on the offensive blocking role at the tight end position, Clemson’s coaching staff noticed some offensive tendencies in their ACC foe while studying film, prompting the Tigers’ offense to come up with a trick play involving Price.

“We’ve seen it on film that they’re susceptible to some stuff and we saw a couple of clips on some film,” he said. “We took a little bit from that, from some other teams that they’ve played, so we had our own little wrinkle for it, and I mean, it worked, and they fell for it.”

And fell for it they did. With the Tigers having practiced the play throughout their week of preparation for Miami, it was just a matter of a quick turn, catch and score for Price when the time came.

“We’ve been repping it all week,” the Palmetto State native said. “If it was the right look, then I was going to get the ball. I just had to do my job, and he put the ball right up there for me, so it was pretty easy, pretty simple.”

Though Price’s first career touchdown on Senior Day was more than he could have ever imagined, it all goes back to doing the job he has been entrusted to do. For Price, the opportunity to play the game and do his job is far more important than any stat or accolade he could earn.

“At the end of the day, you want to make a difference no matter what your role is, whether you’re on the sidelines, whether you’re on the field, whether you’re on special teams, offense, whatever,” Price said. “Whatever your role is you embrace and then you do the job, and then if you continue to do your job well, I think maybe more opportunities come your way. It’s all about doing your job and doing what you’re asked to do, and then doing it to the best of your ability. That’s what it’s about.”

Dear Old Clemson is excited to announce a limited edition football and poster signed by Clemson’s Avengers.