Based on what many in the media had to say about the Clemson football program in 2021, you would think the Tigers had a winless season.
There was a sense of doom and gloom and a lot of outside negativity surrounding Clemson over the course of last season despite the fact Dabo Swinney’s team ended up reaching the 10-win plateau for a school-record 11th consecutive season.
During an appearance on ACC Network at the ACC Football Kickoff in Charlotte on Wednesday, Clemson fifth-year senior defensive end K.J. Henry was asked how it felt to hear plenty of people knock the Tigers last season and say “the dynasty is over” after they weren’t able to win the ACC Championship and make it to the College Football Playoff for the first time since 2014.
“Yeah, we were helping Coach pack up his bags, he about got fired. Boring 10-win season last year,” Henry joked.
“But nah, it showed the standard that we have at Clemson, and we love that. We love that that is a down year for us, number one, and that’s the perspective that we have to look into.”
Henry was asked if the Tigers hear the haters and listen to the doubters.
“We definitely hear it,” he said. “Whether we let it come in home and whether we actually care about it is a whole ‘nother story. We definitely hear it. We got TVs, we got radios, what not. … We know what’s being said, we know who’s saying what, and our time will come. There’s no doubt about it, and I think we’ll see a lot of good things this season.”
What was the biggest learning lesson that Henry and Clemson took away from what was perceived as a “down” year for the program in 2021?
“I think for us, we were reminded how to appreciate winning,” said Henry, who had a career year in 2021 and finished the season credited with 28 tackles (6.5 for loss), 4.5 sacks, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery over 13 games (four starts).
“That’s something that we haven’t been told a lot about. We’ve had a lot of great teams up to this point, and not everybody understands that the ACC Championships, we earn those. We play good teams. We had to prepare and we had to take those wins, and now in the year where we don’t make it to that point, it’s the end of the world and now it’s no fluke no more. But we understood that we prepare for those moments, and we were just reminded. It’s that simple. And we know now going into this year, once again, that we’re going to have to prepare every week and do the best we can in order to win every game.”
Dear Old Clemson’s first event is July 24. Now there is a new way to support Clemson student-athletes. Come out and meet the freshmen football players at this meet and greet autograph session. If you sign up for certain club levels you get free access to all Dear Old Clemson events. Purchase your tickets today at Dear Old Clemson.
