CLEMSON — Head coach Dabo Swinney opened fall camp by addressing the team’s health status and setting the tone for the upcoming season, offering detailed updates on several key players.
Swinney kicked off his opening press conference by sharing encouraging news regarding Hevin Bown-Shuler, pointing to strong early signs in his recovery.
“Hevin Brown-Shuler, that’s the 1st thing I want to touch on,” Swinney said. “It is such a blessing. He’s doing amazing. He’s doing amazing.”
Swinney expressed deep appreciation for the ongoing care and medical advancements supporting the recovery process.
“The treatment’s working,” Swinney noted. “And just so thankful for, you know, just, just the modern medicine and technology and all the research that’s been done and just helps more, you know, these doctors are. His body is really responding well. And so, just really, really happy for him, you know, see him. He’s in; he’s been here every day. And everything he needs to do.”
While acknowledging the long road ahead, Swinney remains optimistic about the direction of the recovery.
“So that’s the first thing I would say, just really, you know, heading in a good spot,” Swinney said. “He’s got a long way to go, but so far, his body has really responded well, so that’s encouraging.”
Key Players Facing Long-Term Injury Absences
The news was less fortunate for two other members of the roster, as Swinney confirmed significant health setbacks that will likely keep them sidelined for the year.
“Then we got two other long-term guys,” Swinney stated. “They’re, you know, a good chance they’ll be out for the season. One is Adam Guthrie, who just got here.”
Swinney detailed the situation surrounding Guthrie, who came into the program managing a preexisting condition before sustaining a fresh workout injury.
“He had had an injury in high school he’s been dealing with, and then had a meniscus that he tore in workouts,” Swinney explained. “So we went ahead and fixed that. We’ve already done that, and we’re gonna go ahead and fix the other issues we’re dealing with, because he was gonna be out for a significant amount of time anyway. So, um, you know, he just got here. So we’re gonna, we’re gonna take care of him and just really, uh, he’ll wrap, he’ll work his way back as the season goes, but, uh, don’t anticipate him being able to play this season, but still a big year for him.”
Despite missing time on the field, Swinney highlighted the development opportunity ahead for the newcomer.
“He’s gonna be a really good player,” Swinney said. “And a lot of work ahead for him. You know, obviously got to get back physically, but, you know, strength conditioning, mentally, you know, learning what to do with the system, you’re going to learn a lot from watching the guys this fall.”
Swinney also addressed another extended absence on the roster depth chart.
“Uh, so, uh, he’s a long-term guy, and then Peyton Streko, uh, who’s a depth running back force…he’s coming off of surgery as well, so he’s probably in that long-term category,” Swinney added.
Overall Roster Status and Practice Availability
Outside of the long-term absences, Swinney noted that the vast majority of the squad is in a solid position moving through practice.
“Everybody else, you know, you might see a few guys in green, you know, out there,” Swinney said. “You’ll probably see, I think Denson’s in yellow today, but he’s actually progressing really good too. So everybody else is, you know, in a good spot as far as where they’re progressing to get back at some point. But other than that, you know, we’re in great shape.”
Taking the Next Step into Fall Camp
With summer conditioning in the books, Swinney praised the preparation of the squad while locking in on the final stretch before game day.
“I think our strength conditioning staff, fantastic job this summer, you know, getting these guys to this point, we’re ready to go practice football,” Swinney said. “Now, we got to take it from there.”
Swinney stressed the administrative and physical preparation involved as the countdown to kickoff begins.
“Got a lot of work to do playing 30 days, so, you know, just, this is always a great day, ’cause, you know, we’ve been going since Tuesday,” Swinney said. “Uh, but, you know, it’s a lot of meetings, a lot of, uh, you know, program installation, a lot of things that we’ve got to get covered from a universal standpoint. Et cetera. To get to this point. So this is where the fund begins. We actually get a chance to get back out on the field.”
Closing his opening comments, Swinney reminded the team that fall camp represents a continuation of effort started months ago.
“You know, again, these guys have been working since January,” Swinney said. “It’s not done to start today. They’ve been working since January. This is just the next step in this journey.
