CLEMSON -- Clemson's annual summer media outing rolled on into the afternoon hours today.
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After both offensive and defensive assistant football coaches met with the media, it was time for head coach Dabo Swinney to weigh in with the latest on numerous players, including injury news, as well as look ahead to August camp.
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The following is a smattering of notes and quotes from Swinney's meeting with reporters this afternoon on campus.
-- Said Cade Klubnik is everything you could want in a quarterback. He physically has come a long way. Was 203 or 204 pounds a few days ago. He’s just in a good place physically, and now he’s got a year under his belt.
Now Klubnik knows what game-planning looks like, how they practice, how they get ready. When you have that experience, it’s easy to prepare for it.
“He’s off and running. He’s had a great summer. He’s a gym rat. He’s here all the time. He’s no question a guy that I think has a chance to be a great, great player not only in this league but in the country. Just got to go do it.”
-- He thinks they’ll have great depth on the OL this year.
“I think you’ll see us play probably 10 guys a game, minimum. When is the last time that’s happened? We will play 10 or 11 guys a game, in any situation.
"We have a lot of guys we believe in that can go play for us, that have earned that trust.”
-- I asked him if there’s a timeline by which he’d like the starting left-tackle position to be settled.
“I hope we have a long time before it’s settled because that means it’s competitive. And I think it will be.”
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Said there are all types of combinations they can have at left tackle, left guard and right tackle. He thinks Marcus Tate missing the spring was a good thing because it allowed them to really force the issue with Tristan Leigh at left tackle.
“If you tell me right now Tristan Leigh will start I’m sleeping just fine. He cares, and his transformation has been amazing.”
-- Antonio Williams is thicker and bigger, faster and stronger. He’s set himself up to have a sophomore surge and not a sophomore slump.
-- He thinks Wes Goodwin will be more comfortable in his second year as the DC, just as any coach improves over time. Pointed out that last year they were pulling together some new pieces, and Goodwin is better for that experience.
-- Bottom line about this team is they have to be better throwing and catching, and better at defending the pass.
-- I asked Dabo if it’s still the plan to redshirt Christopher Vizzina and he said yes.
“Super excited about where we are at that position. We don’t plan to sign a quarterback in the 2024 class, and that really tells you how we feel about CV. I think we have a great, great player right there.
“But who knows what happens. Things rarely go according to script, but that’s certainly something we hope to do.
“Hunter Helms and Paul Tyson really have to help bridge that gap for us, though.”
-- The accountability is the best it’s been in probably in about five or six years. It’s something we track. This team, I think there are two guys out of 135 who are down in accountability points and that’s never been the case.
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-- Biggest thing is I just feel a re-instilled confidence, and sometimes you have to have a different voice from time to time. It doesn’t have to be the best, but our guys have to believe it’s the best. Our guys have regained their confidence in how we do it and why.
-- He said he’d love to make the playoff this season to make it seven appearances over the last nine of the four-team format.
-- Dabo said they’re going to be able to keep Domonique Thomas on scholarship. He said they have one left. “We’re at our number and in a good spot.”
-- It’s Year 21 for Dabo at Clemson.
“Time flies when you’re having fun,” he said.
Tigerillustrated.com will have more from today's media outing later today.
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