Now that the Clemson Tigers have wrapped up preseason camp, they will begin the process of turning their attention on No. 5 Georgia, who they will meet to open the 2021 season on Sept. 4 in Charlotte.
But there is still a little work to be done before the Georgia game.
Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney says the Tigers will do a little bit of work on the Bulldogs this coming Wednesday and Thursday, but they will open the week continuing to work on themselves.
They are still looking for a new center, a competition that has three guys battling it out in Matt Bockhorst, Hunter Rayburn and Mason Trotter. They are also not closer to naming a starting running back, as Lyn-J Dixon, Kobe Pace and Will Shipley continue to share first-team reps.
Also, it appears freshman Will Taylor continues to prove he might be an option for the Tigers at backup quarterback.
What does it all mean?
It means Clemson used all of its time in camp to improve and become a much better football team than it was at the start of camp 18 days ago.
“I think we have several guys that fit that category, that early on there was a lot going on,” Swinney said. “But we improved. There is nobody in particular that I am disappointed in or anything like that. I think all these guys have put the work in. We have good self-awareness.
“We have some that are further along than others, but I do think that everybody has made some improvements over the last 16 days.”
One of the freshmen Swinney was happy to see get better was wide receiver Dacari Collins, who the Clemson coach thought hit a brick wall during camp.
“I thought Decari went down hill a little. I thought he hit that freshman wall,” Swinney said. “It was good to see him bounce back the last couple of days. He has had a good couple of days. He had a big play in the scrimmage (Thursday), so he is a young guy (that has improved).”
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