Duke Thursday Press Conference: Dabo and Players Excited for 2023 Season Kickoff
In less than four days, the Clemson Tigers will open the 2023 season amid much fanfare, and skepticism, against the Duke Blue Devils in prime time on Labor Day Monday. While some among the national contingent of media have questioned exactly how much the Tigers will prove come Monday, for the players and Coach Dabo Swinney, the reasons abound for being excited about the game that is quickly approaching.
Each has their own reasons to look forward to Clemson’s first contest, but all share the same common goal of beginning what they hope is the journey toward another national championship. On Thursday, Will Shipley, Jake Briningstool, Tyler Davis, and Coach Swinney gave candid insights into their mindsets as the Tigers prepare for the Blue Devils.
“This game is so special because you spend so much time working for something that might not be there, but you are guaranteed 350 days to work for those 15 games,” said Shipley.
Will Shipley
For Tyler Davis, Monday’s game is the first step toward a chance at redemption in his storied career along the Tigers’ defensive line. Davis has never experienced the thrill and joy of a national championship and made the surprising decision to return for a final season specifically to fulfill that goal. Davis has had no second thoughts, either.
“I made the right decision and I am feeling great about it,” he said.
Briningstool, Clemson’s mammoth 6-foot-6-inch-tall tight end, has battled injuries off and on throughout his time at Clemson, but as he enters his first season as the undisputed starter at the position, Jake says he is finally healthy and prepared to make an impact in the Tigers’ revamped offense.
“I feel good, this is the best I felt since I’ve been here, and I’m ready to go,” Briningstool said. “It was a great (fall) camp, a very competitive camp, and everyone just brought everything to the table.”
Jake Briningstool
Lessons learned, and a year stronger, faster, and wiser, have brought Clemson to the proverbial college football crossroads as a nationally prominent program that many see as having slipped a bit, but with the potential to climb their way back to the top. Shipley said that when the Tigers step onto the field at Wallace Wade Stadium in Durham on Monday night, the entire country will get its first taste of a team ready to silence the critics once and for all.
“There is no holding back when you are playing someone else,” stated Shipley. “At the end of the day, we have something to prove and we have goals for ourselves.”
Those goals include winning an eighth ACC championship in nine years, a seventh trip to the College Football Playoff, and a third national championship in less than a decade. Coach Swinney has been humbled before and applied those hard lessons in building a championship-caliber program. After consecutive three-loss seasons, Swinney has taken that adversity to heart.
“In 2015, I am the reason we lost the National Championship because I didn’t follow our goals and focused only on winning,” said Swinney.
Dabo Swinney
Goal number one: win on Monday night.
“One goal every year always has been to win the opener; no championship team here has ever lost the opener,” Swinney added.
The reality that the season has finally arrived has not been lost on the players, and they are ready.
“It’s been a long camp and a long summer, and I can’t wait to see what everyone can do,” Briningstool said. “Personally, I think it’s God’s timing and it’s my time to go out there.”
There is one indelible fact about Clemson football during the tenure of Dabo Swinney; the Tigers never back down from a challenge and never believe they will lose. That belief will be put to the test for the first time in 2023 on Monday night. No matter what happens, the Clemson Tigers will not be playing with any fear or trepidation in their hearts.
“You can’t play in fear, you just have to go play the game,” said Swinney.
