Tag: ACC football kickoff

The best photos of Manny Diaz, Duke football players from the ACC Football Kickoff

Check out the best photos of Duke football coach Manny Diaz, Maalik Murphy, Grayson Loftis, and Jaylen Stinson from the ACC Football Kickoff here.

After weeks of nothing but speculation, Duke football fans finally got some content during the ACC Football Kickoff on Wednesday.

First-year head coach Manny Diaz, who previously attended the same events as Miami’s head coach in 2019-21, said he thinks the Blue Devils defensive line might be special next season. He also broke down how his team doubled its experience through the transfer portal this summer, complete with the math to back that claim up.

Diaz brought three players with him, including both quarterbacks competing for the starting job. Blue Devils fans worried about any bitterness between Maalik Murphy and Grayson Loftis can rest assured, however, as the two repeatedly insisted they’ve enjoyed working together and improving this year. Diaz even said the locker room believes both quarterbacks can lead the Blue Devils to victory.

Here are the best photos from Diaz, Murphy, Loftis, and safety Jaylen Stinson during the Wednesday press conference.

Duke football coach Manny Diaz tabs David Feeley, stability as keys to program culture

Manny Diaz said on Wednesday that the key to his transition has been keeping as many Blue Devils in place as possible, including one key staff name.

New Duke football coach Manny Diaz knows the Blue Devils don’t need a ton of work. After all, he’s walking into a locker room with 17 wins over the last two seasons.

During ACC Football Kickoff on Wednesday, Diaz stopped by ACC Network and talked about how he wanted to keep as many key people within the program as possible.

“The best thing we have at Duke is our people,” Diaz said. “And to keep the nucleus of the team last year together, which we were able to do for the most part.”

He also praised one specific Duke staff member: Director of Football Sports Performance David Feeley.

“The whole key has been keeping David Feeley,” Diaz continued. “If you ask all of our players, they believe that he is the key to the success the last couple years.”

Diaz already worked with Feeley in Miami. While Diaz coached the Hurricanes from 2019-21, Feeley worked as the director of strength and conditioning for football.

Overall, Diaz felt like a lot of the groundwork for a good football program already exists in Durham. Why try to fix what isn’t broken?

“You hear coaches talk all the time, ‘We have to establish a culture in year one,’ it was already established,” Diaz said. “Because your culture is what you do for each other.”

CW Network unveils broadcast team for 2024 ACC football games

A familiar name will be the new voice of ACC football, at least as far as games broadcast on The CW goes.

While “talking season” and annual media events like the ACC Football Kickoff and Big Ten Media Days are dominating the conversation this week in college football, fans of ACC schools have some new information about games that will be broadcast on The CW this fall.

On Monday, The CW announced broadcast teams and studio hosts ahead of the 2024 season. In its second season televising ACC games, a familiar name will be taking the reins as the new play-by-play voice for The CW’s coverage of ACC football: veteran broadcaster Thom Brennaman.

News of Brennaman’s return to a major broadcast booth was announced over the weekend. Brennaman will team up with Max Browne (color commentary) and Treavor Scales (sideline reporter) on The CW broadcasts of ACC games this fall.

Brennaman has a lot of experience calling college football. He served as the play-by-play voice for the BCS National Championship Game on Fox from 2006-08 and was heavily featured on the network’s weekly coverage of Sunday NFL games for over 20 years.

Brennaman also served as the play-by-play voice of the Cincinnati Reds and called postseason Major League Baseball games for Fox. In 2020, he was fired after being caught on a “hot mic” using a homophobic slur during a Reds game against the Kansas City Royals. While attempting to apologize for the remark, Brennaman suddenly interrupted himself to announce a home run by Reds outfielder Nick Castellanos, spawning a viral social media meme.

Last year, The CW acquired the rights to ACC games that had been televised by Raycom Sports. ACC football games on The CW were called by Tom Werme, who also held play-by-play duties for the network’s ACC basketball broadcasts. Clemson appeared on The CW once in 2023: the team’s 24-17 loss to NC State on Oct. 28.

In addition to the ACC, The CW has also added Pac-12 (“Pac-2”) contests to its slate this season with both Oregon State and Washington State set to make frequent appearances on the network. Mike Yam, who previously worked for the Pac-12 Network, will host the new “CW Football Saturday” studio show beginning Saturday, Aug. 31.

Thus far, only two ACC games have been announced as CW Network telecasts: Virginia Tech’s Week 2 contest against Marshall on Sept. 7 at Lane Stadium and Wake Forest’s Week 3 matchup vs. Ole Miss on Sept. 14 in Winston-Same.

TV info for Clemson’s first two games this season was announced earlier this summer. The Tigers will face Georgia in their season-opener August 31 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta at noon ET on ABC. Clemson’s home opener vs. Appalachian State (Sept. 7) will be broadcast on ACC Network at 7 p.m. ET.

Follow us @Clemson_Wire on X and on Facebook for ongoing coverage of Clemson Tigers news, notes and commentary. 

‘Why can’t we have a f—-ng Finebaum Show?’ Dabo Swinney reportedly asked

According to a new report from 247Sports, Dabo Swinney asked a rather colorful question at the ACC’s annual meetings in 2022.

Clemson coach Dabo Swinney was quoted as having asked a rather colorful question in a wide-ranging article from 247Sports Monday that delved into the lack of favorable television and media coverage the ACC receives compared to the SEC and Big Ten amid the ever-changing landscape of college football.

How might the ACC match the increasing national prowess of the new 16-team SEC and 18-team Big Ten?

One idea reportedly floated by conference members is to have a Paul Finebaum-like personality on ACC Network to lead and drive narratives on the league’s behalf similar to what Finebaum does for the SEC. That’s where Swinney’s purported question stemmed from.

Per 247Sports’ national reporters Brandon Marcello and John Talty:

“Two years ago at the ACC’s meetings, Clemson coach Dabo Swinney complained about the ACC Network’s programming, according to sources, and asked, ‘Why can’t we have a f—-ng Finebaum Show?’ Of course, there’s no way to just create an ACC version of the Finebaum Show in a lab after the former newspaper columnist organically grew it in Alabama for decades, building a devoted caller base of passionate SEC fans, before moving to the SEC Network.”

247Sports’ story notes Finebaum’s role in playing up the SEC and keeping the conference fresh in the national spotlight five days a week. The league officially added Texas and Oklahoma this summer, three years after the Longhorns and Sooners announced their intention to leave the Big 12 for the SEC.

Moreover, the SEC will begin its first year exclusively on ESPN and ABC platforms after its long-standing contract with CBS ended last season. The SEC’s coveted 3:30 (ET) kickoff will now air on ABC.

Meanwhile, in the ACC, Florida State was left out of the playoff last year over one-loss SEC champion Alabama despite the Seminoles going 13-0 and winning the conference championship game.

A big point of emphasis among ACC members is that the conference lacks the type of attention and credence afforded to the league the way the SEC enjoys with ESPN (or similarly the Big Ten with Fox Sports).

ACC commissioner Jim Phillips, whose conference is currently being sued by both Florida State and Clemson with the schools’ hopes of breaking free from the league’s Grant-of-Rights agreement, is said to have reluctance over having a Finebaum type of personality on ACC Network.

But other ACC coaches, most notably Boston College’s Bill O’Brien and Louisville’s Jeff Brohm, seem more open to the idea.

O’Brien was directly quoted as saying the ACC needs its own fire-and-brimstone personality like Finebaum, who also enjoys regular airtime across popular ESPN platforms like “Get Up” and “First Take.”

“I wouldn’t say Paul is a nice guy, I’ve been on the wrong end of Paul’s commentary before but that’s what makes him who he is,” O’Brien told 247Sports. “He’s not afraid to criticize and he’s not afraid to praise when it’s due. That’s what the ACC needs. We don’t need a guy or a woman who is going to praise us all the time, we need somebody like Paul who stirs the pot.”

Follow us @Clemson_Wire on X and on Facebook for ongoing coverage of Clemson Tigers news, notes and commentary. 

Dabo Swinney on what makes Cade Klubnik special heading into 2023

Dabo Swinney praised the Tigers’ starting quarterback heading into the 2023 season.

The Clemson football program heads into the 2023 season with a new starting quarterback under center and the potential to put together a playoff run. 

As Cade Klubnik heads into his sophomore season and first full season as the Clemson starting quarterback, some have doubts about the former No.1 quarterback in the 2022 class. Someone who isn’t doubting the star quarterback is Tigers’ head coach Dabo Swinney. 

During this week’s ACC Football Kickoff, Swinney was asked what makes Cade Klubnik a special player. Swinney had nothing but great things to say about his quarterback. 

“Well, he is a winner, first of all,” Swinney said  “The kid has won his entire life. When you have somebody that’s consistently won for a long, long time, there are certain characteristics that drive that, and he embodies all those characteristics.  He is an unbelievable competitor. He loves to prepare. He is passionate about it. He is a leader. He has a great football IQ, and he has an amazing skill set.”

The most significant change Swinney has seen from his quarterback comes from his physical build. Klubnik’s build has grown since joining the Tigers.

“And then everything he has done at Clemson, he came in here a little behind physically, honestly, but he is in a really good spot. He is about probably by the time we get to weigh-in next week, he is probably 25 pounds heavier than when he showed up,” said Swinney.

Klubnik has only one game of experience as a starter but performed highly when taking over for DJ Uiagalelei when replacing the former starting quarterback in the ACC Championship. Though his first start in the 2022 Orange Bowl didn’t go well, it was a learning experience.

“This time last year he didn’t know what he didn’t know, and now he knows what he didn’t know. That’s the great thing. There’s no greater teacher than experience. There’s no greater teacher than a little bit disappointment along the way too.  So he had has had a lot of success. He’s had a little bit of disappointment. He has a year under his belt. He understands what we got to do to prepare week in and week out. He’s built for it,” said Swinney.

We expect a big season from Klubnik and the Tigers’ offense.

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Watch: Dabo Swinney, full-time head coach, part-time magician

Dabo Swinney has some tricks up his sleeve.

The Clemson football program has one of the best head coaches in college football and a future hall of famer in Dabo Swinney. 

Dabo Swinney may be one of the best head coaches in football, but he is also known as a jack of all trades amongst his peers. He fully displayed this during the 2023 ACC Football Kickoff, performing a magic trick for the ACC Network’s Kelsey Riggs.

In classic Swinney fashion, the head coach executed his trick successfully and was thrilled that he was able to do so. Take a look below at the video of Swinney successfully pulling off his magic trick.

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Dabo Swinney on the idea that Clemson has lost national relevancy

Dabo Swinney on those who think Clemson has lost national relevancy.

The Clemson football program has become one of the elite in college football, but some believe the Tigers are on the decline. 

After six straight appearances in the college football playoff, Clemson has failed to return to the playoff the past two seasons. Winning the 2016 and 2018 national championships and appearing in all but three of the playoffs, Clemson has been one of the most successful programs during the playoff era and is looking to return in 2023. 

For some, the Tigers are losing national relevancy, and Swinney was asked whether the program uses this as motivation. 

“Listen, people talk about Clemson. We’ve had 12 really, really good years in a row. Some great years in there,” said Swinney, who has led the Tigers to 12 straight seasons with 10 or more wins dating back to 2011. It’s hard to get to a final four when there’s 133 teams trying to do it. We’ve been there as much as anybody. If not going eight years in a row means we stink, well, I guess we stink, but maybe we can get back there this year and be able to say we went seven out of the last nine years. That would be a pretty cool accomplishment.”

Playoff appearances are great, but you need to do the work to get there. Swinney and the Tigers are worried about achieving other goals that will help them make it back to the playoff.

“That (making the playoff) is not going to happen if we don’t win the opener and win the state championship and win this league and win the closer. That’s all we’re focused on,” the Tigers’ head coach said. “None of the rest of that stuff really just — what we can control, and that’s our prep, our mindset, how we attack each day.”

Heading into the 2023 season, the Tigers are the favorites to win the ACC. If they can do what they need to in the regular season, there is no reason we won’t see the Tigers in the upcoming playoffs. Easier said than done, but doable.

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Cade Klubnik believes Clemson can win a national championship during his time with the program

Cade Klubnik came to Clemson for two reasons… culture and to win a national championship.

Clemson starting quarterback Cade Klubnik is entering his first season as the Tigers guy under center, but we have seen one game with the Tigers’ QB under center in 2022. 

Replacing DJ Uiagalelei in the ACC Championship, Klubnik balled for his team, leading them to a win over North Carolina and earning ACC Championship game MVP honors. However, Klubnik’s first start in the 2022 Orange Bowl didn’t go as well, as the Tigers fell 31-14 to Tennessee. 

Klubnik was one of three players present for the ACC Football Kickoff on Thursday and was asked about the Orange Bowl and what he learned from that game. The loss left something dirty in Klubnik’s soul.

“I mean, specifically talking about that game, we needed to finish drives. I think that’s what it started with, but I think honestly I’m just so proud of those guys for that game,” Klubnik said. “I think that game is going to push us to the places we want to be this year. It’s putting a little bit of a bad feeling in our stomach all year. Obviously we had a very successful year if you look at the overall picture of it – ACC Champion, 11-3 finish. That’s an amazing year, but to finish with a loss, it’s always going to leave something a little dirty in your soul.”

A learning experience for a young quarterback, Klubnik and the Tigers have taken advantage of the experience. It has given these players motivation.

“So, going into this offseason, it’s been great,” the young quarterback said. “I think it’s been helping us and a little bit more of a grittiness to us than I’ve seen before. It’s going to be fun.”

The Tigers went undefeated in the ACC with a 9-0 record but finished the season 11-3 with a loss to South Carolina, keeping Clemson from another college football playoff appearance. ACC Championships are great, but the expectation at Clemson has become national championship or bust. When asked about being the guy at Clemson, Klubnik had this to say.

“Yeah, the reason I came to Clemson was for two things: It was for the culture and to win a national championship,” he said. “I believe that we’re going to be able to do that while I’m here.”

Klubnik has the talent to lead this team to a college football playoff; the Tigers just need to put things together. The 2023 season could be a huge one for this Clemson football program.

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Clemson star Tyler Davis on why he returned for another season with the Tigers, national championship aspirations

Tyler Davis discusses why he returned for another season at Clemson.

Clemson defensive tackle Tyler Davis returned to the program for a fifth season and spoke about his decision to return during the ACC Football Kickoff on Thursday.

Davis mentioned multiple reasons for his return to Clemson. While he looks to maximize himself as a player, the pursuit of a national championship is something Davis has on his mind.

“Me, just knowing I can maximize myself here,” Davis said. “Me and Ruke (Orhorhoro) talked about it, that Coach (Nick) Eason just got there and we feel like we had one of our best years, just being over here for one year. And then we got our strength coaches… Knowing all that, I said why not have this chance to go win a natty, and I got the best linebacker duo (Jeremiah Trotter Jr. and Barrett Carter)  and got guys like JP (Jalyn Phillips), Sheridan (Jones), Nate Wiggins, RJ Mickens, Andrew Mukuba’s back there in the secondary. Why not just go ahead and have one of the best defenses and go win a natty.”

Mentioning the opportunity for a national championship run caught the attention of the media, which led to a big question. Does Davis feel like Clemson has to win a national championship? While he didn’t speak for everyone, that is what Davis believes.

“I would say in my book, yes,” the defensive tackle said. “I mean, we come here, that’s one of our goals. We come here to graduate and win a championship and to leave better prepared as a man. So I’d say yes, to have a successful season, you have to win a championship of some sort.”

For the Tigers to make a return to the college football playoff, Davis and the defense will need to perform at a high level. The 2022 first-team All-ACC defender has high aspirations, but the talent to help his team make the run he feels is necessary.

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NC State’s Doeren speaks on expectations for upcoming campaign

Following an abrupt end to their 2021-22 season with the Holiday Bowl being canceled due to UCLA’s COVID outbreak, NC State finished the season with a final record of 9-3. Throughout last season, the Wolfpack had some nice wins against Atlantic …

Following an abrupt end to their 2021-22 season with the Holiday Bowl being canceled due to UCLA’s COVID outbreak, NC State finished the season with a final record of 9-3.

Throughout last season, the Wolfpack had some nice wins against Atlantic Division opponents Clemson and Florida State, as well as suffered three big losses against Miami, Wake Forest, and Mississippi State that left them just shy of playing in the ACC Championship game.

Going into his 10th season as the Wolfpack’s head coach, Dave Doeren spoke at the ACC Football Kickoff in Charlotte about the Wolfpack’s expectations for the upcoming season, and how it will take making fewer mistakes on both ends of the ball to win the ACC Championship.

 “It’s just another play… we lost two games last year that kept us out of that game (ACC Championship) to win it,” Doeren said Wednesday. “It’s one more play that you have to make. That’s it. Whether it’s a defensive play, offensive play, special teams play, we lost two one-possession games… If any of those plays change, we win that game.

“There’s a lot of mistakes that happen on both sides. In the end, it’s going to come down to one player making sometimes a routine play that changes the outcome of the game. For us, it’s just doing that repetitively. You have to do it in every game you play at the conference.” 

Specifically, on the defensive side of the ball, Doeren would like to see the defense get more aggressive and create more turnovers this fall.

“To me, it’s about creating more fumbles on defense,” he said. “If we can continue to do what we’ve been doing, stopping people on third down, intercepting the football, the takeaways. When you get more sacks, you usually get more fumbles, and create more short fields for our offense.”

A big positive heading into the 2022 season for the Wolfpack is the number of returning players, including Devin Leary at starting quarterback. Leary finished the 2021 season throwing for 3,433 yards, posting the third-best completion percentage in school history at .657, and being named a finalist for the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award.

Heading into his redshirt junior season at NC State, Leary knows what it takes to get his team to the next level, starting with him.

“This being my third year in the system, you know, I’ve got to take that next step of getting us out of bad plays,” he said. “I think that all starts with focusing more on defensive ID and bringing along younger guys too… teaching them and making sure they understand what they need to do.”

Even with Leary returning, many teams on NC State’s schedule also have their returning quarterbacks for this season. Returning starting quarterbacks is a common theme in the Atlantic Division of the ACC as all seven teams have their starting quarterbacks returning for the 2022 season. 

“When you play ACC football every week, you’ve got to show up,” Doeren said. “It’s a very well-coached league. It’s a tough league. The kids play hard. Every time you go out there, you have to earn a victory.”

The Wolfpack is set to face off at East Carolina in the two teams’ season-opener on Sept. 3 at 12 p.m.