This past Wednesday afternoon, Dabo Swinney hosted his weekly post-practice teleconference call. While there wasn’t too much to discuss as the Tigers prepared for their first-round playoff matchup versus Texas on the 21st, there were still bits to take away from the press conference.
To open, head coach Swinney was asked about the recruiting process that led to Tristan Smith, Clemson’s newest transfer wideout, committing on Monday.
With wide receivers Noble Johnson and Troy Stellato entering the portal within the past couple of weeks, the program needed to find some more depth at the position and that’s exactly what they did in offering Smith.
“We’ve signed a kid out of the portal three out of the last four years. It’s not really where we live but when we have a need, we fill our need… So the process is pretty simple, [in the portal] there’s a bunch of guys, we were looking for something very specific, and Tristan did that. I’m really excited about it, I think he’s still got his best football in front of him.”
Dabo Swinney
However, Tristan Smith wasn’t the only transfer portal-related player mentioned in the presser as Sherrod Covil Jr.’s exit from the team was also asked about to coach Swinney.
Covil Jr. caught some attention as he had announced he would be entering the transfer portal the night prior to the ACC Championship game versus SMU. But, he was then spotted on the sidelines in full uniform during the game, leaving many in confusion.
Dabo cleared up the situation, explaining just how well the junior safety handled his exiting of the program and showed nothing but respect for his teammates, coaches and staff.
“He actually came to see me eight to ten days before [entering the portal], but he really wanted to finish… He did everything right, I really appreciate Sherrod and how he handled himself.”
Dabo Swinney
The topic then switched to the upcoming College Football Playoff game that Clemson will play against Texas in Austin on Dec. 21.
Initially, Texas OT Kelvin Banks Jr. was brought up in discussion as he is trending towards starting in this weekend’s contest after missing time due to getting clipped in his left ankle versus Texas A&M a few weeks ago.
“We expected him to play so thats kind of what we’ve been preparing for. He’s a great player, [Texas] has a lot of great players. They’re very deep and all big and stout but [Banks Jr.] is excellent looking: speed, change of direction, length, physical. He’s well coached and got a lot of experience.”
Dabo Swinney
With backup Clemson running back Jay Haynes tearing his ACL in the ACC Championship game, there’s no better timing for Phil Mafah to come back healthy than now as the Tigers need it more than ever.
Clemson’s RB1 and 1,000-yard rusher appears to be in prime position to get a heavy load of carries according to Swinney as he’s ‘looked great in practice all week.’
