In the summer of 2011, Tigerillustrated.com published a lengthy series of interviews with a wide cross-section of former Clemson football players.
The main question was short and open-ended: What’s your take on the current state of Clemson’s football program?
The takes varied, largely because the results to that point had varied. Clemson had been a rollercoaster under Tommy Bowden, and the same trend had taken shape in Dabo Swinney’s first two full seasons.
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It wasn’t hard to see better days ahead in the summer of 2011 as Swinney and his staff managed to hold together a stellar recruiting class that included Sammy Watkins.
It was, however, difficult to conceive of what has happened over the last five seasons: Two national titles, five consecutive trips to the College Football Playoff, and four appearances in the national title game.
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Nine years ago, it seemed crazy to think Clemson could take up sustained residence atop the college football mountain. Now it seems crazy to think the Tigers won’t continue this run for years to come.
So we take up an idea that’s the same as the one back in 2011, but one with an entirely different complexion now that Swinney has established Clemson as a dominant force in college football.
Here is the fourth installment in this special summer series:
Position: Defensive end
Years lettered: 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009
Notable accomplishments: A 5-star prospect by Rivals.com out of Bamberg-Ehrhardt, Sapp was listed as the No. 1 weakside defensive end in the nation. He played all 13 games as a first-year freshman playing behind Gaines Adams. Had 20 tackles, six for loss and four sacks. Had 52 tackles as a sophomore, 10 tackles for loss, five sacks and 22 quarterback pressures. As a junior he had 10 tackles for loss in just 347 snaps. His season ended when he suffered a torn ACL against Virginia. Had 14 tackles for loss, five sacks and two forced fumbles as a senior, during which he was limited by the effects of his torn ACL. Drafted by the Eagles in the fourth round of the 2010 NFL Draft.
What he’s done since he left Clemson: His professional career was derailed just as it began, as in the preseason of 2010 he re-injured the same knee that he blew out in 2008. After stints with the Jets, Texans and Redskins he was waived for the final time in May of 2015. Now lives in Myrtle Beach and serves as an assistant football coach at St. James High School while also working as a substitute teacher.
Sapp also is a motivational speaker and runs The Ricky Sapp Foundation, which has provided children with support such as backpacks, school supplies, haircuts, new shoes, and more. Sapp: “Life for me now is encouraging people as much as I can.”
How closely he follows the program: “I go back at least once or twice a year. I follow them closely. I still talk to Coach Swinney every now and then. I go back and try to work out. I go back and I see the people in study hall, because they were a major, major part of my life. Maria Herbst. Wayne Coffman. All those people. I got my degree in 2015. I left a semester early and I came back and got it. To get a college degree from Clemson University is amazing. Da’Quan Bowers and I worked a camp at Clemson a few years ago. I definitely keep in touch with Coach Swinney. He actually signed some footballs for me earlier this year, for my foundation.”
His take on the program now, and over the last decade under Dabo Swinney: “We had an idea when he took over that this dude was going to do some great things. He was the same guy when he was the head coach as he was when he was receivers coach: High energy, faith-driven, he was going to coach you hard. He was going to give you tough love, but he was going to love you.
"And get this: For those guys who leave early and don’t graduate, Coach Swinney is not going to let you forget. So while I was playing in the NFL, he would send letters to the NFL teams I was playing with every year. I promise you: Every year a letter came through from him and it said: ‘Hey, you need to come on back to Clemson and graduate, buddy.’ Dabo and I got a selfie when I graduated, and it was an amazing feeling for me, my mom and my dad. That’s just who he is, man.
"People always ask me: Is he the real deal? And I say yes, what you see from him in public is the real Dabo Swinney. That’s who he is. If you follow him, he’s really big on that 2009 senior class. He’s also big on bringing people back. Clemson is all about family as you know, and he carried on that tradition when he got the job. We love it. That’s just the kind of guy he is.
"It’s unbelievable what they have accomplished. It feels good because you can talk trash everywhere you go. Man it’s amazing to go back and see what those young men are doing, to see what Coach Swinney and his incredible staff are doing, to see what they are doing academically, to see how that whole city has grown. It’s incredible. I’m really thankful that God gave me the opportunity to go there. And I can say right now that I’m a part of that cloth of Clemson University.”
A memorable story from his time at Clemson: “The first thing that comes to mind is when you beat South Carolina, that’s always a great feeling. I had heard about the rivalry going into it, but when you are a part of it it’s amazing. So whenever we played them, those were great moments. My sophomore year when we beat them down at South Carolina, that was a great moment. I also think about the summertime when we did those skills-and-drills workouts, all the guys together. Those were incredible moments now that I think about it, because we were together the whole summer. We worked and grinded and we were together.”
His take on the 2020 season taking place amid a pandemic: “I definitely think they can play. I think it’s definitely a championship year for them, given what they have and what they have coming back. They’ll be back in the championship again, in my opinion.”
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