Tag: Kelly Gramlich

Watch: Niele Ivey praises Muffet McGraw after ACC Tournament title win

Get some tissues ready.

Even though she’s retired from coaching, Basketball Hall of Famer and Notre Dame legend [autotag]Muffet McGraw[/autotag] has not slowed down. She’s kept busy these days providing women’s basketball analysis for the ACC Network. Still, she has not shied away from the university she established a legacy at, and [autotag]Niele Ivey[/autotag] didn’t let viewers forget that Sunday.

After ESPN’s coverage of the Irish’s ACC Tournament title win wrapped up, the ACC Network picked up the postgame coverage, and McGraw was there as she has been the entire tournament. Ivey knew that and chose to include her in her triumphant moment, and you can see her reaction in this video from co-analyst Kelly Gramlich:

But that only was the beginning as soon after, Ivey crashed the desk during an interview with tournament MVP [autotag]Hannah Hidalgo[/autotag]. After wrapping her mentor in a bear hug, she took the mic and gave her all the praise she could:

The bond that ties these women together is strong and must be admired. Hopefully, we can see this over and over again for a long time to come.

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ACC analyst talks Cheez-It Bowl, important streak at stake for Tigers

A significant streak is at stake for No. 19 Clemson (9-3) when it battles Iowa State (7-5) in the Cheez-It Bowl this evening. The Tigers are vying for their 11th consecutive 10-win season to join Florida State (14, 1987-2000) and Alabama (14, …

A significant streak is at stake for No. 19 Clemson (9-3) when it battles Iowa State (7-5) in the Cheez-It Bowl this evening.

The Tigers are vying for their 11th consecutive 10-win season to join Florida State (14, 1987-2000) and Alabama (14, 2008-21) as the only schools to reach double-digit victories in at least 11 straight seasons.

ACC Network analyst Kelly Gramlich, who co-hosted the Packer and Durham show on the network this morning, talked about the streak that’s on the line for Clemson and previewed its Cheez-It Bowl matchup vs. Iowa State.

“That’s a big deal. The 10-win streak is a huge deal,” Gramlich said, “and I think Iowa State is also very motivated — trying to get to eight wins, trying to get a big win over Clemson. This is a marquee opponent for Iowa State. At 7-5, they probably didn’t think they’d get a chance to play this kind of a program in a bowl at 7-5. So, it’s huge for both teams. And I think the 10-win mark — I know how important that is for Clemson, having covered this program pretty closely over the last 10 years.”

Gramlich compared Clemson’s season this year to the 2014 campaign, when the Tigers earned their 10th win with a 40-6 victory over Oklahoma in the Russell Athletic Bowl on the same date that the Cheez-It Bowl is being played today — Dec. 29.

“You look back at a season like 2014, where they also found a way to get 10 wins — nine wins in the regular season, then the win over Oklahoma in the Russell Athletic Bowl, which is what this bowl used to be,” Gramlich said. “And then that season really propelled you to the 2015 playoff, and Clemson fans still take a lot of pride in winning 10 games in that year where you had a lot of injuries, at quarterback specifically. So, I know that’s a big deal.”

Gramlich also believes the consecutive 10-win seasons streak is a big deal to Clemson’s seniors, who are hoping to go out on top with a victory over the Cyclones.

“I know it matters so much for these seniors,” she said. “They didn’t have the season they wanted, but to go out and say I never had a year where I didn’t at least win 10 games, even a COVID year, that’s huge for (James) Skalski and (Nolan) Turner and (Darien) Rencher and all of these guys who have been at Clemson for it seems like decades.”

The Cheez-It Bowl will kick off at 5:45 p.m. at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Fla., and be televised on ESPN. Clemson is a 1.5-point favorite.

“When you look at bowl games, you look at motivation and you look at location,” Gramlich said. “The location doesn’t really affect either of these teams, it being in sunny Orlando. But I think both teams are highly motivated, so I expect a really fun and exciting game in the Cheez-It Bowl.”

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Packer shares ‘crazy story’ about Clemson DC Wes Goodwin

Wes Goodwin has garnered the nickname “Wes-lichick” – likening Goodwin’s football acumen to that of New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick. During his recent media availability, Clemson’s new defensive coordinator/linebackers coach was asked if …

Wes Goodwin has garnered the nickname “Wes-lichick” — likening Goodwin’s football acumen to that of New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick.

During his recent media availability, Clemson’s new defensive coordinator/linebackers coach was asked if he likes the “Wes-lichick” moniker.

“Hey, that started way back in the day at Mississippi State,” said Goodwin, who graduated from Mississippi State, earning his undergraduate degree in 2007 and Master’s degree in 2009 while working as a student assistant and graduate assistant for the Bulldogs.

“Hopefully one day, maybe, I can be mentioned in the same sentence as Bill Belichick. He’s the best of all time. I have so much respect for what he’s done over the years. Eight Super Bowls, countless other opportunities and accomplishments. So, it’s a fun name to be thrown around. Hopefully one day I live up to that.”

Goodwin was also asked if he in fact has a photographic memory, as some believe he does.

“That’s what they say,” he said. “I don’t know if I’ve been clinically diagnosed with that.”

On the Packer and Durham show on the ACC Network, Mark Packer and Kelly Gramlich, who co-hosted the show Wednesday, discussed Goodwin, his football genius and the Belichick comparisons.

Former Clemson All-ACC offensive lineman and current ACCN analyst Eric Mac Lain recently had high praise for Goodwin, and Packer recalled a story he was told by Mac Lain about Goodwin and his insane football memory:

Gramlich: “I have not met him. I know Mac knows him, so I’ve heard from Mac, and Mac calls him a genius.”

Packer: “Yeah, Eric was telling me stories the other night when he was here at the house. Because I asked him the same question. I said, give me the lowdown on Goodwin. So, he gave me this crazy story about when he was in school, and they’d say, ‘What was the 34th play today at practice?’ And he just went [snapping fingers].”

Gramlich: “You need to go get him clinically diagnosed because he does have a photographic memory it seems.”

Packer: “Some guys just remember that kind of stuff. All I know is when I played golf, if you said, ‘Hey Pack, what did you do on the 15th hole?’ Man, I couldn’t tell you. ‘I hit a driver to the left side, 85 yards, I hit a 5-iron, tried to cut it, terrible shot, it was in the woods, made a 9.’ I could give you all that. But when guys started asking, ‘What was the 34th play at practice and what did you see?’ And he said he just rattled it off like he had a baloney sandwich at lunch. So, I don’t know the guy. But everybody says he’s got one of those special gifts with all that. So, we’ll see.”

Gramlich: “He reminds me a little bit of Belichick, I can see it. Cut from the same cloth. He just needs the cutoff sweatshirt now.”

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Dabo on what makes D.J. Uiagalelei unique

The spotlight has found D.J. Uiagalelei and it’s certainly here to stay. But that doesn’t seem to bother him and that’s coming straight from his head coach. “You don’t just luck up and do what this kid did as a true freshman with bright lights,” …

The spotlight has found D.J. Uiagalelei and it’s certainly here to stay.

But that doesn’t seem to bother him and that’s coming straight from his head coach.

“You don’t just luck up and do what this kid did as a true freshman with bright lights,” Dabo Swinney said on the Gramlich & Mac Lain Talk ACC Sports podcast. “He’s just so well-prepared. He’s built for this…He’s numb to the noise, if you will because he’s so busy being great.”

Clemson’s has constantly sung the praises of its starting quarterback prior to the start of the 2021 season. In fact, Tigers’ quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator Brandon Streeter said that Uiagalelei has the strongest arm that he’s ever coached.

At Clemson, Best is the Standard and that’s been the case under center throughout the entirety of the Swinney era. From Tajh Boyd upping the standard under center to Deshaun Watson and Trevor Lawrence reaching new heights that the Tigers think Uiagalelei is capable of reaching.

There’s something about him that’s just different.

“But what makes him unique is just his arm talent,” Swinney said. “I mean, he’s the only guy I’ve been around that makes Trevor look normal throwing the ball. This is elite.”

Swinney joked that he thought Uiagalelei was going to “kill someone” when he first got to Clemson because of his elite arm strength.

He further lauded Uiagalelei’s arm talent, saying that opposing defensive backs can’t make any false steps and expect to recover against Clemson’s starting quarterback. His ability is just that good.

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ESPN analyst makes prediction for ACC Championship Game

Everyone expects Clemson to make its seventh straight appearance in the ACC Championship Game and represent the Atlantic Division once again this season. But the question is who will oppose the Tigers for the conference crown, with North Carolina …

Everyone expects Clemson to make its seventh straight appearance in the ACC Championship Game and represent the Atlantic Division once again this season.

But the question is who will oppose the Tigers for the conference crown, with North Carolina and Miami the preseason favorites to come out of the Coastal Division.

ESPN analyst Tom Luginbill was a guest on the Gramlich and Mac Lain podcast with Kelly Gramlich and Eric Mac Lain and made his prediction for who he thinks will square off in the conference title game.

“I’m gonna go with Clemson and Miami,” Luginbill said.

Miami finished the 2020 season 8-3 (7-2 ACC), with its losses coming at Clemson (42-17 on Oct. 10), vs. North Carolina (62-26 on Dec. 12) and to Oklahoma State (37-34 in the Cheez-It Bowl on Dec. 29).

With Miami returning quarterback D’Eriq King, and a bunch of other starters back as well, the Hurricanes hope to make a run at their first ACC Coastal division title since 2017.

“I think they’ve got the components, especially in that side of the division, to take the next step,” Luginbill said. “I mean, I really do. You look at that division, you’ve got some rebuilds still occurring. You’ve got a bit of a reloading Pitt. You’ve got Georgia Tech, which is getting better, but they’re not there yet. And we still haven’t had the matchup that the whole entire league’s split into divisions for, and that’s Florida State and Miami, and that’s not happening anytime soon. So, I’ll go with the safe bets here in July.”

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