CLEMSON -- Late Sunday afternoon Clemson head football coach Dabo Swinney again addressed members of the media, this time on the 2024 ACC Football Championship Game head coaches teleconference.
The Tigers (9-3, 7-1) are set to face SMU (11-1, 8-0) in Charlotte, N.C. on Saturday, December 7 at 8 p.m. ET.
The following is an abbreviated transcript of Swinney's Sunday evening Q&A on the ACC Championship call.
*** Coach Swinney will still hold his regularly-scheduled news conference this week on Tuesday at 11 a.m.
OPENING STATEMENTS: "First of all, college football ... it's a crazy world. We had a range of emotions yesterday with a disappointing rivalry game loss, but you have to play them all out and count them at the end. We are super excited to be back in this game for the 10th time in the last 16 years. And we earned it. I want to congratulate SMU for going 8-0 in the league. We look forward to competing against them in one of the best venues that you can play in. It should be a heck of a game. I'm thankful to have an opportunity play this week.
"We had a good regular season, but now it's all about postseason. We have qualified for this game, we've earned it, so let's see if we can go win this thing."
Q: You have a chance to earn your way into the playoff with a win here. Do you feel the opposite should apply to SMU if they lose? And your read on the ACC's overall strength?
SWINNEY: "The ACC has had a great year. We've got a bunch of bowl eligible teams, we've had a competitive year in the league. We've certainly scheduled tough. We do that every year here. For SMU, I know they want to win the game, but I think they should be in the playoff regardless of Saturday night's outcome. They're an 11-1 team and they have done an awesome job. For us, we have to win. It is what it is. It's playoff football for us.
"As crazy as yesterday was, we control our destiny. We've got to win. I can't imagine that Miami wouldn't be in. They lost to a good Georgia Tech team and then we saw them lose to a good, 9-3 Syracuse team. It's been a tough, tough, league. You have 17 teams. For us to be one of the two to play in this league championship, I'm proud of that."
Q: Did you watch the Miami - Syracuse game? And how quickly do you push the disappointment of yesterday aside and focus on what you have to do this week?
SWINNEY: "I actually did. I had just gotten home. We have a lot going on after home games - recruiting, TV show and press conference. By the time I got home, it was 35-28, so yeah, I was like wow. All of a sudden when the game was over, my phone started blowing up from players and colleagues. I got a face time call from Fran Brown. That was a first. He was hilarious on the face time call.
"Hey, a range of emotions. That game yesterday was a season of its own. Yesterday was a very tough loss. It hurts because it means a lot to a lot of people. We were in a position to win the game and we didn't get it done. They earned the bragging rights. It's a tough way to end the season. Excitement sort of took over once I knew what my Sunday was going to look like. We're excited to have another game to play and it's a conference championship. We were fortunate for sure."
Q: What did Fran Brown have to say to you?
SWINNEY: "I can't really repeat what he said. It was colorful. He was fired up. He was excited for us. It was a great call and I really appreciated that. And I didn't even know he had given me a shoutout on television. People were sending me that."
Q: Is this good for your team to have something this quick help you turn the page?
SWINNEY: "Come on. Is it good? Of course. What kind of question is that? We're playing for a freaking championship. This is a 17-team league. It's all about qualifying. Yeah, you're pissed off about missing an opportunity yesterday and you hurt. We could have had a great regular season and we came up short, but we were 7-1 in our league. We're playing for a title for the 10th time in the last 16 years. So that's great. And we were 4-4 in the league last year. We didn't accomplish all of our goals this year, but we got better. We're playing one of the best teams in the country and we're going to have to play our best football and we have not done that yet. It's not too late to play our best football."
Q: Can you talk about the adversity you feel your team has battled this year? Yesterday?
SWINNEY: "It's a close bunch. There was a lot of pain and hurt in that locker room yesterday. They laid it on the line and competed their butts off. We had one disappointing conference game, but rallied and finished 7-1. They've competed all year. Everybody wants a chance to play in their conference championship, whether you're 12-0 or 9-3. The way the system is set up now, we have an opportunity to go to our seventh College Football Playoff with a win. Anything can happen. Most of our team will be back next year. These kids have really grown. Our quarterback has had a heck of a year. We're losing just one offensive lineman. We've got a lot of skill coming back. We have a lot of great days ahead for Clemson football."
Q: Postgame yesterday, South Carolina tried to plant a flag at the middle of your field. You weren't in the middle of that, but your thoughts on this kind of activity after a big rivalry game?
SWINNEY: "How do you know I wasn't in the middle of it? I was lucky to get out alive. It was dangerous. We have to make sure that doesn't happen anymore. And we can't be hypocrites. Last year we had a player go plant a flag and I didn't know until after it happened. Disappointed in that. This year it seems to be a thing. It shouldn't happen. Shane and I will talk about that and make sure that doesn't happen going forward. People could have gotten hurt. Shane and I have to do a better job of that.
"You win, you've got bragging rights, as you should, but that can't happen. It could have really gotten out of hand yesterday. We can all be better there. We're in that, too. We did that last year down there and it's not something we need to be involved in. Let's celebrate with our team, shake hands and move on. Yesterday across the landscape, that was a bad look for college football."
Q: What are the challenges you face balancing championship game prep and national signing day?
SWINNEY: "It's just another day at the office. It's just what we do. We have a huge staff, a huge recruiting department. It is what it is. This is the high school date coming up this week, which I'm glad they moved it off the portal time. It's just another day at the office. There is always something to manage. We have a great staff who is on top of all of that stuff."
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Q: How much about SMU do you know right now?
SWINNEY: "We had some base scouting stuff done today. I've seen them on a couple of crossover games - Pitt and Louisville. We're just getting going on looking at them closely. They'll stress you with their splits. They have an explosive back. They have a lot of veteran players. Their offensive line has been good all year. Offensively, this quarterback is a problem. They have really good skill outside. They have a really good passing game. They're a complete group. That's why they're 11-1. They've played incredibly well. This new quarterback has delivered for them. They're scoring a bunch of points. We'll dive more into their personnel as we go through the night. To me, there's no question they deserve to be in the playoff."
Q: You spoke on the recruiting process changing some. What are you thinking on the portal now? Has your mindset on that subject shifted?
SWINNEY: "My mindset is about what's always best for Clemson. We do whatever that is. We have signed a kid out of the portal two of the last three years. We have a really good roster. We will use whatever tool we have. We're second or third in retention nationally. Do you believe in your starters? If not, do you go out and get a guy? We love Peter Woods, TJ Moore, Bryant Wesco and Ashton Hampton. I think everybody is going to have to recruit the portal with the way the system is set up. We just haven't had many guys leave our program. Most of the kids who have left our program have been backups. So you have a decision to make.
"We lost a center last year, so we looked at a couple of portal guys. We didn't get them. So we gave Ryan Linthicum a chance in the spring. He did great. He's been as valuable a player as we've had. We love our players. A lot of people wanted me to get a portal quarterback, but we believed in Cade Klubnik. He's had a great year.
"There are a lot of narratives out there that people love to make up. We'll do what's best for Clemson. We always do that. What's best for Clemson is a reflection of what your roster looks like. I see very few programs who won't be signing kids out of the portal with the 105 scholarship limit."
Q: Can you speak on the growth you've seen with Cade over the last two years?
SWINNEY: "It's been awesome. He came here as a true freshman and wasn't ready. He wasn't ready physically. He hadn't been through a lot of adversity. Life was good. He won three state championships. He finished well last year and carried that momentum over into this year. He is a leader of our team. He'd be the first to tell you that he had a critical mistake yestrday but he also had a lot of great plays. He's had a great year. He's physically better. He has been incredibly impactful with his legs. He's taking care of the ball better. He's had less negative plays.
"Good players get better if they're made of the right stuff and he is. He's truly become a voice for the team. He's a hard worker. They love Cade and believe in him. He'll just continue to get better."
Q: You said earlier you didn't feel you had played your best game yet. What gives you confidence that this team is capable of playing its best game this week against SMU?
SWINNEY: "We've been right there. We match up. We can be explosive. We have a quarterback who is playing well. We have some dudes up front. Our O-line has been tremendous. They have protected well.
"South Carolina has had a great year. It was an incredibly physical game on both sides and it came down to the last play. They know. They know they can win. We found a way to lose and they found a way to win. But that's behind us now. It's all about this moment. What makes me believe that is I know who these guys are. I know what they're capable of. I'm with them everyday."
Q: What is Tyler Brown's status this week?
SWINNEY: "He's been out all year. We're hopeful he'll be able to get back into practice this week. We'll see. We anticipate him practicing but I don't know much more than that until we see him out on the field."
Q: You mentioned Bryant Wesco. He seems to be emerging for you. Where do you see his role going forward?
SWINNEY: "He will be a special player for us. Yesterday we just missed him by a foot on a slant route that probably would have gone to the house. He's a long, lean, kid who is very explosive. He's got a ton of confidence. He's still a work in progress physically but another year developing will help him a ton. He's fast, confident and an incredibly smart kid. He can play any of the positions. To walk in here and win a starting job, he has earned it. It was good to see him make some of the plays that he made yesterday. Great kid. Great family. I'm super excited about him and T.J. and what they were able to do this season. Now they've got confidence. They're not freshmen anymore."
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