The "Impact of the J.Y.D." Edition

How Ben Boulware has helped reshape the Clemson linebacker room.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
It's time for Clipson Sports Talk with Lawton Swan. Swanny.

Speaker 2 (00:17):
Now, finally, Clemson Sports Talk has come back to drive time.

(00:51):
Hell everybody, Lord and Swan back in the saddle once again.
It is the show that shakes the south Land. Clemson
Sports Talk for you each and every afternoon as you
make your way around the great state of South Carolina
and beyond, listening to us on incredible radio stations like
Fox Sports Radio fourteen hundred the Midlands, heard around the
world on the iHeartRadio application. Download today, it's free. The website.

(01:16):
Put the dot com on it, dog gonet that's Clemson
Sports Talk dot Com. Ato three four five oh zero
zero eighty six. That's the text line in the phone line.
And don't forget to show the Chase of Southland, brought
to you in part my our good friends over at
METS Plumbing seven three two drip drip, drip drip, you

(01:37):
know the jingle seven three to two drip. That's Mets Plumbing,
mets Plumbing dot com. That's the website as well. So again,
the Clemson Tiger football team getting prepared for the matchup
with LSU. They haven't officially turned their attention to the
Tigers yet. Obviously this is just fall camp, but it
won't be long until that does take place. Now on

(01:58):
the program today, we'll get a chance to hear from
a couple of Clemson players we would as Jeremiah Alexander
to linebackers. We heard from Sammy Brown last week and
De Creighton I think it was on Friday as well,
and we've had some articles over on the website clemsonsports
talk dot com on that front. Go over there today
and if you want to support as you can, a

(02:18):
dollar gets you in the door. After that, it's sixty
three seventeen for one year of coverage of your Clemson
Tigers and the course, Gamecock fans everywhere embrace it when
we say it. The game Cocks out there know all
about it. Sixty three seventeen. So you could.

Speaker 3 (02:37):
Continue to peek over the fence at the best radio
showing the.

Speaker 2 (02:41):
Naked that's a great way for you to support our program,
in addition to supporting all of our sponsors that you
hear on the program as well. So we won't hear
from running backs today. We'll save some of that for
the Tuesday edition of the program, and they're there will
obviously be more and more content that comes out from
Tigertown as Clemson again continues to push forward. It is August.

(03:06):
It feels great, college football man, yesterday. Can we talk
about the weekend for a minute? A couple of things
about the weekend. Number one, Sunday morning, Yesterday morning, it
felt spectacular. It literally felt like I don't know, if

(03:29):
you went outside, I hope you did. It felt like fall.
It was like the Good Lord was just giving us
a little taste of what fall could be like. I
mean from the time I got up. Yeah, granted, there
was a little bit of rain in the late afternoon

(03:50):
and that that was not spectacular, But the temperature in
which we lived on August third, the way it felt yesterday,
I'd like a little more sunshine, But sign me up
for those temperatures year round. I would take that.

Speaker 4 (04:12):
Are we clear?

Speaker 5 (04:13):
Yes, sir?

Speaker 4 (04:14):
Are we clear?

Speaker 2 (04:16):
Crystal? That was beautiful outside of the rain. Just that's like,
can you imagine what your energy bill would be if
the weather felt year round the way the weather felt
in South Carolina yesterday, at least in the Midlands where

(04:37):
I live. I would I mean, I would venture to
guess my power bill would be three times lower than
it currently is, maybe more. I'm not sure that if
it was like that every day, I wouldn't just when
I was home open the windows. I mean, that's how

(04:58):
nice it was outside yesterday. Also, before we get into
college football, I can't remember if I've told you guys
this or not, but you know, we live in this
era where so many of us cut the cords, and
I did cut the cord, and I did use the
over the air antenna for years. But there's also the

(05:19):
part of it that I have to have the football game,
so I have to have YouTube TV, and I have children,
and so a part of that when they were younger
was having Disney Plus, which came with Hulu and then
ESPN Plus. And that is one that I think I
could cut. I think deep down that would be one

(05:42):
I could cut and I would be okay, and I
might end up doing it. But like my peacock, because
I'm a teacher, is like two ninety nine a month,
maybe one ninety nine. I mean, it's ridiculously cheap for
a teacher. Thank you, peacock. I wish everybody would step
up into that. I wish all of them were that

(06:03):
cheap or inexpensive. My HBO Max is free with my
cell phone bill. Amazon Prime obviously I've got Amazon and
so you get Prime Video, so that doesn't feel like
when you really pay for It's just kind of built in.
And I feel like I'm missing one other, maybe Apple TV,

(06:24):
because I have my Apple stuff. That could be one
where I could see cutting a little bit here and there.
All that being said, I do think that in the
grand scheme of things, once my kids are out of
the house, I might just trim it back so thin
that I just watch Pluto TV. Pluto is free. And

(06:50):
I have been watching Three's Company over and over and over,
and I feel like I told you all this. But
maybe it's because when I have taught with people this summer,
I have mentioned this to the thing and I've been like, guys,
I can't get over how good Three's Company was. And
when I was a kid, I couldn't get all the

(07:10):
innu window. I didn't understand all the jokes, and now
when I watch it, oh man, it's a barrel of laughs.
And I do want to say one final thing on
that I don't know who actually I'm gonna find out
because I'm gonna ask chat GPT. I'm a big fan
of chat GPT's willingness to have an open mind on things.

(07:35):
But I'm going to say that John Ritter in his
role as Jack Tripper, is one of the top five
best physical comedians in history. Let me see what chat
GPT has to say about it, because his ability to

(07:55):
master the timing of the comedic stuff is spctacular, and
Chad Gept does not say that he is one of
the best. They say Charlie Chaplin, I haven't seen enough
of Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, Lucy o'ball, Harold Floyd, who

(08:18):
I have never heard of, and Jim Carrey. I think
you're missing the boat. I think you're missing the boat
if you don't have John Ritter on that list. So anyway,
they don't have John Ritter on that list. According to
Chad Gept, he's for me, He's at the top man,

(08:39):
he's great. All right. Anyway, back to the world of
college football for a minute, and we have been locked
in there for several weeks. Again this week, in addition
to audio from Clemson, we will still have some pieces
of conversations from the ACC kickoff, as I tend to
and have done for years. One of the goals that

(09:02):
I've had is to run the audio from the floor
at the ACC Kickoff twice and try to do it
in different segments of the program to allow different listeners
and opportunity to dive in and hear that. And it's
my pleasure every year to go to the floor the
ACC Kickoff. I certainly hope that you have enjoyed the

(09:22):
opportunity to hear all of that stuff. But we will
not be replaying like the ballroom stuff, right. We will
not be replaying like k Klubnick at the microphone in
the big podium. It'll just be any interviews that we
did at the ACC kickoff, Clemson sports Talk style.

Speaker 4 (09:40):
Right.

Speaker 2 (09:41):
But one of the privileges of being at the ACC
Kickoff is the fact that I do get to vote
in the poll. The preseason poll and preseason polls are
really not worth the weight of the paper that they
print it on, but nonetheless they are still fun to

(10:03):
partake in. And so one of the things that I
wanted to do this year that I've never done before
is kind of check and see how my selections played out.
So I give you that came out over the weekend
the twenty twenty five All ACC preseason football team. Kate

(10:25):
Clubnet Clemson quarterback checks in as the quarterback, and yes,
I selected Kate at running back, I said, Jamal Haynes
and Isaac Brown. The Atlantic Coast Conference said Isaac Brown
and Jamal Haynes, which means so far three for three.
At wide receiver, I said Antonio Williams. He also made

(10:48):
the list, I said, TJ. Moore and Squirrel White. Squirrel White,
of course. At Florida State, the media selected Bryant West Coast,
so they did take an other Tiger, and they took
wide receiver Chris Bell at Louisville. At tight end, I

(11:09):
went with RJ. Maryland at SMU, and the media took
Justin Jolly at North Carolina State. The best all purpose back,
I said Isaac Brown. The media said that it's Desmond
Reed at Pitt Now offensive lineman. Again, this is quite difficult,

(11:31):
if I'm being honest with you, but I went with
offensive tackle Tristan Lee and Brian Parker. The media took
Miami's Francis Magoa and Clemson's Blake Miller. So again I
got a Tiger, just the wrong one. At offensive guard.
I put Logan Parr at SMU and Walker Parks. I

(11:54):
did get Walker Parks right, but it was Keelan Rutledge
at Georgia Tech that got the And then at center,
I said James Brockermeier at Miami and it actually ended
up going to Ryan lengthecom so with two running backs
and an all purpose back. Out of thirteen, I got five.

(12:16):
Not great, but again it's it's not easy all right.
On the defensive side of the things, the defensive ends
first team in the ACC were TJ. Parker and Reuben Bay. Again,
I started off great, bang bang. I took Peter Woods
at Darnell Jackson as the defensive tackles. Bang bang again.

(12:38):
So on both lists, I started off four for four,
feeling good about yourself. Swante for a second time. The
linebacker selections, I said Kaye ou Lave at cal Sammy
Brown at Clemson, and Jayden Keller at Virginia Tech. Those
predictions ended up being Kyle Lewis at pitt Wade wood

(13:01):
As at Clemson, and Sammy Brown at Clemson. So I
do get Sammy Brown at corner, I said Avion Terrell.
He was the top corner. I said the backup would
be or the second string would be Deuce Harmon. It
ended up being Chandler Rivers at Duke. At safety, I
put Khalil Barnes, and I put Deuce Chestnut at Syracuse.

(13:24):
The media said Isaiah Wacobia at SMU and Terry Moore
at Duke. So double x's there for me. So that's
six out of eleven. I'll take it more than half
on the defensive side of the ball. And then my kicker,
I put Nolan Hoosier, the media said Colin Rogers at SMU.

(13:45):
The media said Jack Stonehouse, the punter from Syracuse. I
picked the punter from Stanford Aiden Flintoffs missed those two,
and the media said Desmond read at Pitt as the
specialist of the year. I took your mere Knight at
SMU as for the ACC preseason player of the Year.

(14:06):
I did nail that one. I said k Clubnet would
be the ACC Player of the Year, and indeed it
was k clubnck club Nick the top rated prospect with
one hundred and forty six total votes over Haines King,
Georgia Tech quarterback. Who's second on that list in Kevin Jennings,
the quarterback at SMUH. To give you some perspective. Out

(14:30):
of one hundred and eighty three media members, one hundred
and forty six of those votes went to K Clubnit
second place on the list, Haines King got nine, one
forty six, then nine, and behind Hayden's King, Kevin Jennings
that I mentioned at SMU got five. Carson Beck and

(14:53):
Kyron Drones both got four. You could see the collective
sum of the other quarterbacks in the conference right with
just twenty two total votes by comparison to K Clubnicks
one hundred and forty six. And if you take those

(15:15):
twenty two other votes and you carry them into the conversation,
there were only fifteen other votes available to push us
to the one hundred and eighty three total media members
that voted. So K Clubnick by a wide margin, the

(15:38):
favorite to win the ACC Player of the Year. And
again we had a chance to sit down with him
at the ACC kickoff and we'll actually play that audio
for you coming up in the bottom half of the
hour here on the program today. So that's what we're
gonna do. We're gonna save that for the end of
the show you get, or the end of the hour

(15:59):
before before we talked with William Qualkinbush, you will get
to hear a portion of our conversation with k Clubnick,
who is now the ACC preseason Player of the Year,
dominating coming off of a breakout twenty twenty four season
leading the Tigers to an ACC championship in a college

(16:20):
playoff Berth a year ago. Clubnick, who accounted for forty
three total touchdowns, completed three hundred and eight of four
hundred and eighty six passes for thirty six hundred and
thirty nine yards with thirty six touchdowns while rushing for
four hundred and sixty three yards and seven scores. He

(16:40):
ranked in the top twenty nationally in five major categories
last year, including third in both passing touchdowns and total touchdowns,
and his twenty one passing touchdowns of twenty plus yards
were the most in college football. And when you add
into the mix the belief that this wide out room

(17:03):
with Antonio Williams with Bryant westco to all ACC selections preseason,
with TJ Moore, with Tristan Smith, with a healthy Tyler
Brown with a hoopster if he's healthy right, and Cole
Turner getting out there and the other young pieces, it

(17:28):
is a deep and talented group that Kay Klebnick has
to throw the ball to, not to mention, and maybe
something that is a little bit under the radar at
times during this offseason is the fact that this is
another year with Garrett Riley at the helm offensively, and

(17:48):
I still think back to when I was running a
couple of monitors of TCU football and the creativity and
the things that that team was able to do, and
it just makes you wonder if in twenty twenty five,
with an improved offense with a solid offensive line, a

(18:13):
veteran offensive line, with maybe a running back room that
is doesn't have maybe the top level guy like Phil Maffa,
but a running back who looks really good in Adam Randall,
and a young guy in Gideon Davidson who people really
believe in. Like if all of these pieces offensively, and

(18:34):
maybe even a step up at tight end in the
terms of the physicality of the game with a guy
like Christian Bettencore, is it possible that this offense can
go to that next level? Even if we sort of
have asked, and I think it's fair, how much better
can kid Clubnick be? Maybe caid Klubnick's improvement Is it

(18:58):
solely about Caid and maybe Kay Clubnic's improvement is really
about the guys around him being better around him. Does
that make sense what I'm saying? And so with better
players around him, perhaps Ka Clubnick can put together in
all ACC Player of the Year performance and lead this

(19:20):
clips of team to where he led them a year
ago and beyond and again. The Atlantic Coast Conference season
will culminate with the AEC Championship game in primetime on
ABC Saturday, December sixth at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte.
And it is a long time betwixt then and now,

(19:42):
But with additional weapons and pieces and everything around him,
maybe Kay can be better than he was a year ago.
All right, with a quick break when we come back,
Wade would as met with the media last week, We'll
hear what he had to say right after this stay
with us. Lawton Swan back with you on a Monday
afternoon in Clemson in full swing as the Tigers gear

(20:06):
up for a huge matchup in the opener against LSU
in De Valley. Last week, we had a chance to
hear from Sammy Brown. He met with the media. Well,
his counterpart, Wade would has also met with the media
last week, and the senior linebacker from the state of
Florida was asking about how important it's Ben to have

(20:29):
a new linebacker coach like Ben Bullwear trying to help
bring out the best qualities in him as a student
athlete and as a leader on the football field.

Speaker 6 (20:43):
I mean, I love Ben just like as a human
and then as a coach even more, just because first
of all, he's not as scared to tell me the
truth whatever that looks like, as brash and harsh as
it might be. I appreciate him for that, and then
just constantly pushing but being able to be like a

(21:03):
human with it at the same time. So it's not
like he's just like speaking down on me, speaking down
on me, speaking down on me, and there's no relationship
behind it. It's because like we have a we could
talk to each other that way. Well, he can talk
to me that way. I don't really I don't yell
at him, but yeah, I could just see him being

(21:28):
here a long time, just the intensity and juicy brings.

Speaker 2 (21:33):
Way wood As was also asked about Ben bull Wear
and the truth that he talked about his brash nature
and just telling you like it is and whether or
not there was a moment where he felt like that
really stood out for him at this point. Yeah, Like, for.

Speaker 6 (21:49):
Example, we're talking about taping ankles, He's like, just dope,
being an idiot, tap for freaking ankles, man. So I
mean that's pretty much how majority of the conversations go.
But yeah, I really appreciate him.

Speaker 2 (22:02):
Way what as was also asked about the addition of
Tom Allen along with his son and how he feels
like the linebacker room or if he feels like the
linebacker room will take a big step forward this year.

Speaker 6 (22:18):
For sure, just because the attention to detail that's demanded
of us, and then energy all of the above. Really
they just bring the juice every day so you can't
run from it. There's no running from the smoke, which
it'll work out in the end, make us better.

Speaker 2 (22:39):
And so over on our website right now, one play
the time an article on Sandy Brown that we put
together for you talking about the self scouting and the
growth in the offseason and looking at those defensive numbers.
A year ago, Clemsonton finished thirty seventh nationally in sacks
per game, just two and a half and twenty fourth
in the nation and tackles for loss. Now, the majority

(23:03):
of those sacks belonged to TJ. Parker, who had eleven.
Sammy Brown that linebacker, was second with five sacks, and
Baron Carter, who's now on two Bigger and Brighter Things
in the NFL, had three and a half. Peter Woods
at defensive tackle had three sacks a year going way
Wood has had three. But I think in the grand

(23:24):
scheme of things, this is a group that clearly needs
to do more in terms of productivity, not just those linebackers,
but also those defensive linemen. And certainly you'd like to
see that Clemson group do better this coming season in
terms of their productivity and sack numbers. Way Wood, as

(23:46):
was further asked about coach Tom Allen and what he
feels his new defensive coordinator has brought to the table
for the team.

Speaker 6 (23:58):
Just everything is, every single thing is watched and accounted for,
every stat every single rep. And you will be held
accountable if you do good or if you do bad.
You will be praised when you do well, and then
when you do bad, I mean you'll know about it.
I would say that's the biggest thing.

Speaker 2 (24:19):
That's way Wood as talking about new defensive coordinator Tom Allen,
and I'm thinking that accountability is certainly going to be
a big piece for Clemson, and that includes the fitness
in the conditioning of this group heading into the season
as well. Part of that being the weighted vest that
they're wearing. Part of that coming from a gully Ben

(24:40):
bullwher saying, hey, we did that when I was there,
just to help you gain a little bit of extra
when you get that opportunity. But additionally, he was asked
about the conditioning and the fitness for the group this
offseason and whether or not he feels like they've really

(25:01):
been focused on that this year for sure.

Speaker 6 (25:04):
I mean, there's only so much you can do because
once you get shoulder pads and helmet on, it the
game changes. It doesn't matter how much training you do.
Once you put a shoulder, shoulder pads, and helmet on,
you're always going to be tired. But I think training
as hard as we did in the off season, not
as much trains our body, but really our mind to

(25:26):
mentally prepare for what you're going to go through. Because
when you're dog tired in the middle of camp, you
just lean back on the work you did in January.
When we're doing Matt drills and your dog tired, then
you lean on that work when you take yourself to
the deep dark place in your mind when you're literally
can't you feel like you can't stand up. I think

(25:49):
that's the biggest thing that comes from summer conditioning and
really developing that this off season. Like we wore weight
the linebackers and it's slowly flooded, and to other position
groups of the team. We wore weight vests every single workout.
So just the mental callous of knowing, Okay, I've done

(26:10):
a mat dro with a weight vest on what tells
me I can't do my fall camp practice.

Speaker 2 (26:17):
That's Clemson linebacker Wade wood Ass talking about this Clemson
Tiger team and their expectations. We'll hear a little bit
more from wood As on the flip side here on
name Monday afternoon as we get you geared up for
the Clemson Tigers and the LSU Tigers at the end
of the month. Oh say it with me now, college
football season is around the bend. Holy col it is August.

(26:44):
Un believable. All right, we'll hit a quick break when
we come back. We'll step back to the podium with
Wade wood Ass. We'll hear him talking about the senior
leadership on this Clemson team. On Clemson's transfer linebacker Jeremiah Alexander,
we'll hear what he has to say about now the
sophomore Sammy Brown. And again, go check out that article

(27:06):
on our website clips at supports saw dot com for
more on Sammy Brown. And also if we can squeeze
it in, we'll get a chance to hear what way
wood Ass has to say about the growthy scene from
his brother Drew wood Ass going into his second year
on the team and what it's like to have him
in the fold and Tigertown as well. All right, quick break,

(27:29):
we'll come back with more on a Monday. Stay with
us Lawton Swine, Clempsones Sports, Saw the Show, The Shakes
to South Lane. Hey, if you're up in Tigertown, don't
forget about our friends at Alumni Hall on the corner
of campus on College Avenue in downtown Clempson. It's Alumni
Hall for all. You're officially licensed Clemson merchandise hats, T shirts,
tell Gate Gear and Moore go check them out today.
Just a stone store away from historic Rigsfield or online

(27:51):
in Alumni Hall dot com. It's Alumni Hall where Tiger
fans shop. All right, we were listening to some all
of you from Wade wood As as he met with
the media back on July the thirty first, And when
you think about this clips of Tiger defense, what as
Sammy Brown and the incoming transfer Jeremiah Alexander. I think,

(28:14):
by most people's accounts, will be the likely starting trio
from day one under Tom Mallet. But senior leadership is
certainly important. And wood As was asked about senior leadership
on this clips of team and how he feels like
that's being handled.

Speaker 6 (28:36):
I would just say, like trying to lead through love
because I think if they see that what I'm saying
is out of love, then I can really say what
I want to say, and I can. I can tell
people the truth as well because they know where it
comes from. It's not just they only see one side

(28:56):
of me. And then the coaching staff challenge is to
get a lot closer just as a team. So during
the summer we did a bunch of team outing stuff,
just like we had a little pool party just the
team gone out to eat multiple times paintballing stuff like that,

(29:16):
and then also like, I don't really have a choice.
I'm the one everybody looks to. So what will my
legacy be?

Speaker 2 (29:24):
What a strong quote there from way wood As, what
will my legacy be? Absolutely love it? What As was
asked about Jeremiah Alexander, who apparently the guy's called Jerry
about the jolt and the work ethic that he's also
brought to the table transferring in from Alabama. Here's wood

(29:46):
As talking about Jeremiah Alexander or quote Jerry if you will.

Speaker 6 (29:54):
Literally we call him Jerry to your crazy nickname, right,
he literally doesn't stop working out. A couple weeks ago,
I came here. It was like a five thirty PM
on a Friday, and I came to get some Blue
Power raids and he was going into workout, and I'm

(30:15):
just like, bro, like you can you can go take
a nap, like you can go lay down. So constantly
having that thought of oh, what's Jeremiah doing in the
back of my head just makes me want to be like, Damn,
Jeremiah's working out, I probably need to go work out,
or Jeremiah's doing a little extra after a workout, I'm

(30:36):
gonna go do a little extra So just constantly competing
with him and trying to get the upper hand on
him ultimately gonna make us all better.

Speaker 2 (30:45):
Great comments there from Wave wood As on Jeremiah Alexander,
And speaking of Jeremiah Alexander, we will hear from him,
because he did spend time with the media. We will
hear from him. In our number two of the show today,
wood As was asked about how Jeremiah Alexander's work at

(31:06):
Think may have trickled down to the rest of the team.
Here's what wood has had to say about that impact.

Speaker 6 (31:12):
Yeah, I mean when you see fifteen, for example, like
a dB, if they see fifteen guys outside doing a
little extra core work, and they probably want to jump in.
And I mean that's what it turned into. We started
showing up about an hour before every lift in the summer,
and it started with just the D line and linebackers,

(31:32):
and then it was D line linebacker's O line, and
then D line linebackers, dbs and then slowly running backs,
tight ends. Everybody started getting involved. So it's pretty cool
to see just the impact. And we didn't say show
up an hour before it just we just did it.
And then influence the other positions on the team.

Speaker 2 (31:52):
And so that portal move to bring in a guy
from at from Alabama like Jeremiah Alexander is certainly it
would seem to be off from the leadership standpoint. Now.
Wood As was asked about Sandy Brown and what he's
seeing from him heading into his second season in Tigertown

(32:13):
as one of the stars on that defense.

Speaker 6 (32:16):
It's definitely growing in confidence just as a leader. Obviously
the sample size on the field is small, just because
this is our first practice, but definitely growing into a
more vocal role, which I'm proud to see that. And
then we got a lot tighter this offseason, so being
able to bounce off each other and for example today

(32:37):
like just it felt seamless, effortless communication. Really. I mean
it's the first day, so it might be speaking too soon,
but our relationship on the field is gonna blossom, I think.

Speaker 2 (32:50):
Because of final couple of things from way wood As
As promised. He was asked about his younger brother Drew
and just what he's seen from him in terms of
his growth and development in two years at Clemson.

Speaker 6 (33:09):
Yeah, a lot. I think our relationship has really changed
as well. Just because I felt last year because I
picked it up pretty quick and he didn't pick it
up as fast. His head was spinning. So I had
to learn how to not be so demeaning and learn like, Okay,

(33:30):
he's he's just a freshman. He's got to figure it out.
But I really this summer is you can see it
starting to click. You can see his wheels turning now.
He's starting to process things and predict things, which is
really cool to see.

Speaker 4 (33:43):
And then his.

Speaker 6 (33:43):
Body as well, dude's biceps are huge. Talking about that
all the time and my dad, But really, just the
mental aspect is what I like to see because it's
like him developing as a football player, and that's you
make plays with your brain.

Speaker 2 (33:59):
Wood As was asked if he thinks that the opportunity
to lead his brother has helped him with his leadership
role with the rest of the guys.

Speaker 6 (34:09):
Yeah, for sure, just because I know that he's the
one person who's not afraid to talk back and tell
me the truth, just because we've grew up together. He
and I go to him for feedback all the time,
So I think hearing what the people have to say

(34:29):
can make you a better leader. It's like having a
president who doesn't listen to what do people say? It's
like the dictatorship.

Speaker 2 (34:36):
There you go, that's Wave wood Ass And again we
will hear from Jeremiah Alexander in our number two plus
an hour number two. Don't forget our good buddy William
Qualkin Bush set to join the program at the top
of the hour five o'clock. As always, of course, you
can listen to Qualk each and every day on one
of five to five the Row in the Upstate on
Out of Bounds with Qualk and Ben from noon until

(34:58):
three o'clock. All right, quick break, we'll come out. Well,
put a bu one hour one to get your prep
for Qualk's visit to the show. The ship Plan. Stay
with us. Final segment of our number one. All right,
we talked about kay Club Nick being butter the All
ACC Preseason Player of the Year, whatever the whatever it's
called preseason player of the Year in the AEC. That's
probably it.

Speaker 4 (35:15):
Uh.

Speaker 2 (35:16):
Here's our interview with him from the floor at the
ACC kickoff in Charlotte. K Clubnick back again in Charlotte,
more veteran experience this time around. I think what your
your third run year? Yeah, not many Tigers have had
three runs through the car wash. Man, how's that experience? Man,
It's been good. It's been good. It's uh, it's been great.

(35:37):
Feel like I know what I'm doing now, you know,
third time around.

Speaker 5 (35:40):
You're like giving Peter Woods and TJ kind of the
I'm like, yeah, y'all better bring some snacks.

Speaker 2 (35:45):
You ain't get hungry. So talking a lot, so yeah,
all right, So we were talking before you came over,
and Susan pointed out that really, if you think back,
we'll give Cole Stout, who's on staff there, some credit
because he did start his final game in that Russell
athe La Bowl with Deshaun Watson was injured. But you're
really the first quarterback since Taj Boyd. That's been a

(36:06):
four year you know, a senior going into this final year.
What does that mean to you in an era where heck,
when Taj and those guys were playing, if you transferred
you had to sit out a year. What does it
mean to you to kind of have that in your
moniker when people look back at Kate Club next time
at Clemson?

Speaker 5 (36:22):
Yeah, special, man, I mean, Clemson's home. It's just such
a blessing to be here and just so thankful for
the opportunity that coach Swinny gave me to come play.
You know, it's just I'm so happy that I picked Clemson. Man,
It's just it's been such a blessing, just such an
amazing last four years, and you know, sad it's coming
to an end, but not looking to that point yet,
you know, just excited for these last few months that

(36:43):
I got and trying to enjoy every single day.

Speaker 2 (36:46):
But you know, I think that you.

Speaker 5 (36:47):
Know, I'm a loyal guy, and there was never a
conversation about me wanting to leave this place or even
a question of it. You know, I knew that I
wanted to stay here and so thankful what I did.
Kate clubbed it with us here.

Speaker 2 (36:59):
So in addition to what you guys accomplished last year,
I would make the argument I've been covering this program
really since two thousand and five, and it feels like,
even in the midst of the run that Sweeney had
in twenty sixteen and twenty eighteen, from the outside the
off season, buzz about this team is as high as

(37:19):
I can ever remember, and that includes coming off of
when Trevor was quarterback and Clemson went fifteen to zero
and won the national championship. How have you guys kind
of taken all that in? I know you're seeing the
headlines and reading the press clippings. How have you guys
kind of processed all of that as young men?

Speaker 5 (37:36):
Man?

Speaker 2 (37:36):
A year ago, I was here and everybody told me
I sucked. I don't think I did, but okay, no,
not you.

Speaker 5 (37:43):
But you know, I heard it a lot and a
lot of people say, you know, how are you gonna,
you know, come off the year you had and for
our team, not just me, just you know, and man,
we heard that and we didn't you know, we didn't
dive into that and we didn't let that effect us.
But we heard it and we felt the heaviness of that.

(38:03):
And I don't think that you know, you know, Clemson,
we're not a team that's going to bring in thirty
new guys every year. We lost a few guys last
year and we brought a few in, but for the majority,
it's the exact same team. And we remembered what that's like.
We remember what it's like to sit in at four
and four in Clemson, South Carolina. It's not a fun
place to be. It's it's not the expectation there. So

(38:26):
you know, when we hear the new buzz of whatever
it is that, you know, we don't we don't forget
what we've been through. So we're still a hunger team
and a team that's been through the fire and been
through you know, the ups and down. So I just
we're we're just put our head down and go to work.

Speaker 2 (38:44):
What's your parents' message to you as you've been through
this process, because I know how much they mean to you.
What what's that like when you talk to him after
a game or throughout the season. I mean, I've got
a sun that's a little bit younger than you and
constantly talk with him about your hard work effort. What's
your parents' message to you? Honestly, we don't really talk
a lot of football. Man.

Speaker 5 (39:02):
They're just excited for the journey and they love it.
You know, I think they love this just as much
as I do. My mom talked to my mom a
few days ago.

Speaker 2 (39:09):
She's like, I just can't wait. You know, it was
so excited.

Speaker 5 (39:12):
But you know, postgame, I mean, we'll talk about the
game a little bit, but we just, you know, we
don't really like talk about it. We like talk about
other stuff and I don't get to see them that much. Yeah,
so football is, you know, something that I do, but
it's not who I am. And that's one reason I'm
just so thankful for them, is you know, they love
me for who I am and not because I play football.

Speaker 2 (39:29):
So we're excited. They love it.

Speaker 5 (39:32):
They love Clemson football and everything that it is. And
they're gonna have their tailgate with you know, sixty eighty
people there and have everybody there, but they're soaking up
every bit of it.

Speaker 2 (39:42):
So kay clubed it with us here for a few
more minutes at the ACC kickoff. So two years ago,
they're coming into last season. You you knew that whole
offseason there was some growth that you had to have
and you you mentioned that a lot of people were
critical of your game this past year. Those conversations are
about how good you were, how have you driven yourself
when there's been a lot of praise to continue to

(40:03):
take that step forward? And where do you feel like
you needed to still continue to improve? Is it processing?
Is it something with you know, just you know how
you play the game. I mean, what was your your
kind of thought on that? You know, when it comes
to like my mindset. You know, I'm just trying to
be the best self I can be. I'm trying to
be the best kid CLUBNCK I can be. And like
I said, I think I took a step from my

(40:24):
sophomore year to my to my junior year. I sacrificed
a lot last off season, and when I got to
this year, I'm like, you know, Okay. My first mindset
was like, Okay, I need to go do what I
did last offseason.

Speaker 5 (40:35):
But then I'm like, well I didn't. I wasn't the
player I want to be last last season. You know,
I want to be better, So I'm just trying to
this this year. I was just trying to outwork last
year's version of me, and that that was kind of
my mindset is you know, whether it's February twentieth, you know,
when nobody cares about college football, you know, I'm trying
to outwork last year's version of myself. So That's been
my mentality all year long. And that's really what I've

(40:57):
been trying to do.

Speaker 2 (40:58):
And yeah, it reminds me of I think I said
this on the show a few weeks ago, and I
don't think I was talking about you specifically, but if
you ever played Mario Kart, when you set a track record,
it put your ghost on there instead of the guy.
You have to race that ghost. I mean, do you
feel like you're kind of chasing that guy?

Speaker 5 (41:17):
I think so. I don't feel like I'm trying to
chase him. I'm trying to beat him, right, you know,
so that's kind of my mentality though.

Speaker 2 (41:25):
Well, final final thing for you. You know, obviously you
guys have a huge home opener, but you've been in
Garrett system now for three years. I mean, how's your
grass versus the first game you know into that system,
what was at Duke I believe it was, and then
versus now this opener against an LSU team. Yeah, I
feel great, you know, I feel good about you know,

(41:45):
I love coach Riley and what we do, the system
that we have. I feel really comfortable in it, and
you know, feel explosive in it, and the guys we
got around me are It makes the game really fun
and makes it fun to go to work every single week.
And yeah, man, just excited, excited. So there you go.
Our conversation with k Club from the ACC kickoff. All right,

(42:05):
keep it a lot right here on Fox Sports Radio
fourteen hundred and the Midlands around the world on the
iHeartRadio app. William Qualkin Bush hangs out with us in
our number two of the show Keep it a Lot
though Fox Sports Radio fourteen hundred.

Speaker 1 (42:19):
It's time for clips and sports talk with Luwton Swan
call me Swanny. It is our number two. That's drivetime

(43:05):
right here on the Show That Shakespare south Land, Clemson Sports,
Tall Log and Swin Ain't up with you. William Qualkinbush
joining us.

Speaker 2 (43:11):
On a Monday afternoon, don't forget the Show That Shakespare Southland,
brought you in part by our good friends over at
METS Plumbing seven three two drip, Drip, Drip drip. You
know the jingles seven three two drip. That's mets Plumbing,
mets Plumbing dot com. That's the website as well. William

(43:32):
Qualkabush on a Monday cult Welcome in, buddy. How are you, swiney.

Speaker 7 (43:36):
I'm doing great, buddy.

Speaker 8 (43:38):
Uh.

Speaker 7 (43:38):
I've joined it out for a night at Bristol on
Saturday and I'm ready to roll on Monday. We're doing awesome.

Speaker 2 (43:44):
You know, it's funny, it's funny. I can't remember who
I was talking to. One of the players there at
the ACC kickoff, I think for Virginia Tech was actually
from Bristol, and he and I were talking about when
Virginia Tech and and Tennessee had the Battle of Bristol
and what a unique venue that was for college football.
I think the most fans ever, like one hundred and

(44:04):
seventy thousand fans in attendance for that game. Site lines
weren't spectacular as you can imagine. But give me some insight,
what was that like for you at Bristol If the worst.

Speaker 7 (44:16):
Thing about the experience is that it was awesome, and
it would have been awesome, and instead was like, man
just rained and everything was so concessions stands ran out
of food, the merch stands were short and out of
some things, and the lines were just outrageous and they
kept trying to play the game. So like you kind
of you couldn't go home. You just kind of had

(44:37):
to stay there, like the concourse and you know, it's
not it's not like a baseball stadium where you can
kind of huddle under the concourse and you're probably gonna
stay pretty dry. Like there was no staying dry so
it was just it was kind of a it was
kind of a miserable experience from that standpoint, but like
when the when they did the pregame stuff and when
they actually got the game going, man, it was it

(44:57):
was sweet. So we unfortunately we couldn't go back to
see an actual full game on Sunday, but I would
go again. I think they should do it again.

Speaker 2 (45:05):
I thought it was fantastic William walking Bush again here
with us on the program and quit will turn our
attention to the world of college football. Because obviously the
preseason coaches poll is out. It's a starting point.

Speaker 3 (45:20):
Uh.

Speaker 2 (45:20):
It gives us some level of, I don't know, validation
maybe to our thoughts about many of these teams.

Speaker 8 (45:27):
Uh.

Speaker 2 (45:28):
But the top two teams of the country, Texas and
Ohio State will open up against each other. Maybe no
surprise there. But I also wonder if a little bit
of the respect that Clemsons had put on their name
comes down to how the Tigers performed against Texas a
year ago. And I know it wasn't spectacular in a
fourteen point loss, but is that a part in any way,

(45:50):
shape or form about the belief of this Clemson team
in your mind? At this point.

Speaker 7 (45:55):
Yeah, I mean I think Clinton in a playoff game
on the road with Texas. I mean, think about how
difficult it was for the road teams to play in
those home environments. You know, Indiana going to Notre Dame,
those stuff, Tennessee Goo and Ohio State up. We know
what happened that Senn State. The only one that played
remotely close with their opponent at any point in the

(46:17):
fourth quarter was with Clinton with Texas, And so I
do think that has something to do with it. You
got a lot of new I mean I went through Swanny.
Six of the eight teams that are ranked in the
top eight of the Coaches Poll are breaking in brand
spanking new starting quarterback not just to them, but brand
new in college football have not been a starter before.

(46:41):
Most of them haven't started even in one game before.
And so you've got the situation where Clinton has a
ton of returns. They look like themselves again. Now again,
we could we could flip it around and say their
last three games they lost to South Carolina, they they
were fortunate and very fortunate with a mammothfield goal to
be SMU and at the title game, and then along

(47:03):
five double digits in the playoffs. They also were fortunate
to beat Pittsburgh. I mean, so we get turn it
around and say some of those results you can see
the negative, but you understand what you're seeing. There's a
little bit of momentum at least on the outside. K
Clembing played much much better last year, and it's getting
that NFL draft hip, and you're just looking around for
something to believe it. You're having to believe in coaches

(47:25):
and systems right now. You can't believe in a lot
of the highest acclaimed personnel groups. And I think that
benefits Clinton more than anything else, is that you're looking
around at other than Penn State. They have got the
best election of returning talent in college football, and so
that's why Clempson find them something sick.

Speaker 2 (47:44):
Yeah, I think a lot of unknowns out there, like
you mentioned, especially when you talk about some of the
quarterbacks in the game, and I think that's part of
a reason that not only do you see Clemson very
well thought of. You mentioned Penn State, but I'll keep
it right here in the state of South Carolina. In
the game, Cotch checking in at number thirteen. You know,
with Leonora Sellers, I think he's a commodity that people

(48:07):
looked at a year ago and are sort of thinking
to themselves, Man, if this guy improves in the downfield
passing game, he can be a real weapon in this
modern era of college football that we're currently watching.

Speaker 7 (48:22):
I would agree. I mean, I picked Sellers as the stud. Obviously,
now he's not a consistent stud because he's all what
happened in the bowl game, and there were a couple
of games in the regular season where he didn't look
too good. But much like Kate Club, you know, progress
is not linear all the time. In fact, progress is
rarely linear, and so there's gonna be some months and down,
and it's gonna be some months and downs for him

(48:42):
this year. But I look through the history of South
Carolina and those other eight people, but they've only been
four times ever in history that they've been ranked thirteenth
or higher to start a season. And again they he
get ranked eighteenth, and the sat goes to you know,
goes to hell. But the reality is they've all the
only four times the four years in the Spurnier era

(49:02):
can eleventh on thirteen. That's it. They they've been ranked
below thirteen and the rest of their history. So there's
a lot of expectation I think, not just the North Sellers,
but across the board for this defensive proNT with Dylan
Stewart and the way that they play defense last year year,
if they take a little bit of a step back,
there's still gonna be uh that there's still gonna be
a group that a lot is expected of. And then

(49:23):
the offensive line growing up. The schedule I think is
is not horrible this year. So yeah, I mean, I
think I think Sellers for sure is seen as the
guy could take a step four two Yeah, because he
I mean, he's seen as the guy that's a quick learner.
He was a three star prospect who really blossom the
printed junior year. In his senior year of high school

(49:44):
week in the same type of learning curve. It's very
steep and it's very it's incredibly efficient how he grows
one start to the next. I think there are lots
of reasons to really like South Carolina this year too,
especially as you said, when he started looking at some
of the question other teams.

Speaker 2 (50:01):
Again, he's on Twitter at quald Talk every day out
of bounds with Qualk and Ben one oh five to five.
The roar in the up State. The other thing too,
about the top ten at least, and I know you
had to talk about this. You have Texas and Ohio
State facing off in week one college game day, et cetera.
You have Clemson number six and LSU number nine. You

(50:23):
have number five Notre Dame and number ten Miami facing
off just in that top ten three matchups of substance.
And I know there are conversations about more leagues going
to nine games, et cetera, et cetera. But I feel
like quawking. And I know these games were put together
well before we had a twelve team playoff, but I

(50:45):
feel like this is what football should look like at
the highest level, in that there should be a playoff
that's big enough that gives you more ERA so that
you could see more games like this and when you
potentially lose it, you're not out of the running. Man,
I think this is healthy for the sport.

Speaker 7 (51:04):
Agree. Look the the the gas lighting that took play
for the Big ten media days in Las Vegas. The
round scheduling was a g regious uh with you know,
uh uh Churt Signetti. They drown Virginia because he wanted
to do He wanted to adopt an STC scheduling block.
Lincoln Riley basically saying we we would love to play

(51:27):
Notre Dame as long as the game doesn't matter because
the top four teens get in and that's the end
of it. No, I mean it's not. It's not you
want the non league games to not matter, so where
so then we can play good games. That's that's not
how that works. That that is not That is not
what we want from college football. It is interesting to
me that SEC teams are playing in all three of

(51:50):
these games like it's our at least two of them. Uh,
with only one Big Ten team and uh, you know
Notre Dame in Miami's obviously that's a that's an independent
and AT eighty team. But the eighteen conferences, This is
what the Big Ten's not understanding that between eight and
nine conference games is not the difference between our best
teams have to play one more tough game than your

(52:11):
best team, absolutely not other than alive to state. Nobody
in that conference is playing a game for mostly likeness
this year. And you have Texas who's played Ohi State
on the road, if LSU is playing Clinton on the road.
You have these big games inside of the STC. Auburn's
playing Sailor. That's the big game that's on the schedule,
and I think both those teams have an argument to

(52:33):
be ranked. So that's why you convinced me with that
from the Big Ten standpoint, because that they're notting like, well,
we play non conference games and the DC always plays
they so they're playing.

Speaker 2 (52:43):
Extra cup games.

Speaker 7 (52:44):
No, no, no, no, they're playing these marquee games and challenging
themselves in the non conference as well, because to your point,
having eight commercecations gives you a chance to do that. Oh,
by the way, how many teams in the Big Tens
have it every year annual opponent from a non power league.
South Carolina's playing Virginia Tech week one and Clinston's got

(53:04):
LSU in South Carolina. So no, that the discounting conference games,
that's saying the only games that are quality are conference games,
was always a silly thing. And when you look at
the opening weekend schedule, it's even more silly when you
start looking at it practice.

Speaker 2 (53:20):
Wait, hold up, Quawk, you have just you've just blown
my mind. I mean, I've done this this show on
the radio for twelve plus years, I've been talking college
football for twenty plus years. Who I think you're right?
Who are the non conference rivals of Big ten schools?

(53:44):
I don't know that they exist. Like my brain is
hurting right now. Quak, my brain is really hurting. Is
there one?

Speaker 7 (53:52):
The only one I can think of at USC Notre
Dame because USC is now in a big kids but
like thinkbo Notre Dame goes with that partial ADC schedule.
They drove Michigan, They drop Michigan Stay they used to
play for new all the time, they dropped them. That yeah,
that there there aren't any like with con says, that's
like they have a lot of inter conference rivals.

Speaker 2 (54:09):
This one.

Speaker 7 (54:11):
But but yeah, they they don't. They don't have to
be factor. That is and that's the issue. Is that
for Kentucky, particularly what we're talking about asylum of discussing
with the SEC and the big kids, Kentucky, South Carolina, Georgia,
and Florida do not want to go to nine conference
games because they already have a game built ten and
they know that when they go to nine conference games

(54:32):
that the big tin is gonna want a big ten
SEC challenge. So that's gonna give them eleven tough games,
and they're like their states would revolt if they stopped
playing Florida State, Georgia, Tech, Clunson, and Louisville. They have
to play those games. So that to me is why
the SEC is not going to nine and for whatever reason,
the Big Ten just because they don't have to deal
with it like you're you know, like we're talking about here. Uh,

(54:55):
they don't have to deal with it, so they don't
understand the tricky situation that that puts them in. If
I were a fan of Kentucky, Georgia, Florida, or South Carolina,
I wouldn't want an extra conference game because I'm already
playing tough games are already on the schedule, and the
fan bases that we represent, you're in the Midlands, we're
Clemson people. Our fan bases like playing big games. But

(55:16):
I think we also understand the benefit of a couple
of games where you don't have to worry about the
result outside of your league. You don't want to test
yourself twelve times. That that only works on paper for
SEC teams when you're not actually looking at the fact
that a lot of those are kind of saft schedules,
or that a couple of the SEC teams are pretty
charm and soft. So yeah, I think the big Tinges

(55:39):
doesn't understand because they've never had to deal with it.

Speaker 2 (55:42):
That is deep. Qualk I've never It's never crossed my
mind until this moment.

Speaker 7 (55:47):
Man.

Speaker 2 (55:47):
That is wild. And again that's why we love having
him on the program. William Qualkin Bush. I guess can
we say Maryland and Virginia? Can we go with some
kind of old school acc subjects.

Speaker 7 (56:01):
They don't play every year? Look, I'd love to say Maryland. Ever,
Jenkins seems like a natural rivalry to me. They gotta
play every year, man, and they unfortunately they don't.

Speaker 2 (56:11):
Wow, I have never thought about that. Again, William qualking
Bush on Twitter at Qualt Talk. So that's a quick
look at some of the coaches poll as it came
out earlier today. As for headlines in Clemson, qual, I
know you keep up with it. You're right there in
Tiger Town. I can't remember if I've heard you ask
any questions, but I've heard some of your counterparts at

(56:32):
one through five to five the Roar ask a few
questions in your estimation, what has sort of been some
of the early, very early storylines during fall camp for
Clemson that stand out to you. Well, I think the.

Speaker 7 (56:46):
Pull court from way Wood has very interesting. When he's
starting out legacy and being compared to the teams for
the past, and he says, you know, I'm tiring of
hearing coach when you talk about you know, Dexter Lawrence
and all these guys, and he's like, I wanted to
rip that down. I want to put us on that,
And then like it got me fired up, like I
want to I want to be up there that on

(57:07):
our team. I want this team to be up there.
That got me fired up to the point I had
to tell my wife like I'm I'm I'm I'm levitating
off the ground now. And my wife's responsor those boys
are weird, but to which I respond, yeah, we are.
Like that kind of stuff gets us like it gets.

Speaker 2 (57:20):
Us fired up.

Speaker 7 (57:20):
Man for weight Wood has to say that. It's one
thing to say, you know, I want to be the
Lords or for Weight Wood has to say I want
to be the next Ben bul where I mean a
long line of linebackers and so forth. It's another thing
to say I want to be the best that's ever
done it here And to say it with your chest,
like you know that you can because you put in

(57:41):
the work, or like I'm tired of people acting like
we can't do that. Like I really believe that in
the past few years that I don't think last year
or whatever, but I do think there have been people
in this program that thought, because you put the paw
on your helmet, and because you put the logo on
your chest, and because that you you rubbed that rock
at the top of the hill, that you ought to
get to beat somebody. And that's not true. I think

(58:03):
that's one of the reasons why the defense has slipped
a little bit, and even I think when the offense slipped,
that was it because there were people thought that just
by the power of putting on the jersey and wearing
the pall, that that you, you know, that they would
be able to be the somebodies of years past. It
was refreshing at year weight would ass basically say that
those same words, but in a way that made you think,

(58:24):
we feel like we've earned this. The other thing I
like is Adam Randall playing a two hundred and thirty
five hundred and forty pounds Holy smokes man, if he's
able to effectively do that with ball security and everything else.
I'm starting to get bulleted about this running back group
just looking in physically. I mean, the guy's looking really
good at video they put out with him going through
that one drill. I mean, don't overreact to a drill, swany,

(58:45):
but holy smokes man, if he's doing that between the
tackles and gains the LSU, we're looking at the most
unheralded great season from mc clinson running back since the
early twenty tens. And you were going from Andre Ellington
to Ron McDowell to Wayne Gollman. I mean, Adam Randall
could do that. I'm not saying that he can't. And
you know what, a couple of days of practice that

(59:06):
nothing to dissuade me. I'm feeling that way.

Speaker 2 (59:09):
Yeah, I thought the video, I think it was a
guy at WYFF maybe put it out and you could
just see him. He looked incredibly natural. And I think
when you're making that transition again follow William Qualkinbush on
Twitter at qualk Talk, folks, but I think when you're
making that transition qualk from wide receiver to running back,
it is different. You mentioned it between the tackles, but

(59:30):
then it's just about your vision and I think the
ability to find space, and there are guys that can
do it. Travis etm was spectacular at it. He was
also a fast guy too, but you know, he found
space that maybe other guys would never believe was there.
And it feels a little bit like when you watch
Adam Randall that he's got some of that in him,

(59:54):
just this natural ability to hit a hole when he
sees it, and that's that's something Clemson hasn't had really,
I would say since Travis et In left.

Speaker 7 (01:00:06):
Yeah, you know, it's nice. I really do believe this.
It's nice to have low expectations of a running back
because I feel like the last few years he had
Will Shipley and he sort of burst on the scene
as a freshman. But then like there were some aspects
of his game like that there are some guys with
tools that just don't show up very much, like that
breakaway speed we never really saw. Like I don't act
like Shipley's a bad player, for sure, I like Will Shipley,

(01:00:28):
but there were things that just never really showed up
with his game. And then we got film Moffa in there,
and because of his injury, like right, at the outside
of the season. I feel like we just were not
treated to the film offa that we were promised. And
so while the running back position has been fine for
the most part of the last few years, it's been
a while since the running back position exceeded or massed expectations.

(01:00:50):
And so I'm looking for Adam Randall and this group
of running backs to exceed expectations this year because the
bar for the first time in literally a decade since
Dayne Gorman's Richard freshman year. Yeah, it's set so low
that I feel like, you know what, thousand yards, twelve
hundred and fifteen hundred yards I've ever buy a couple
of guys. Combine is going to feel like a really,

(01:01:11):
really good success.

Speaker 2 (01:01:13):
Qualt, Buddy, always appreciate chim My man. I hope you
have a great day and we look forward to talking
to you next week.

Speaker 7 (01:01:17):
Bud Swanne, are is great to be with you. I'll
be having a good week.

Speaker 2 (01:01:22):
There go William qualkin Bush Again, we talked a little
bit about the polls. We'll get into some more insight
into the preseason poll coming up with you in just
a little bit again. As the Clempson Tigers check in
at number six to get a couple of first place votes.

(01:01:43):
I'll tell you what on the back end of the program.
On the back end, we'll give you the full rundown
of the Coach's preseason poll. Here on the show The
Shakespare South Lane, keep a lot from more clympses sports
talt right here well Fox Sports Radio fourteen hundred in
the Midlands, and of course you can listen anywhere in
the world on the iHeart Radio application. It is the

(01:02:06):
show The Shakespare south Land Clemson Sports Song on a
Monday afternoon. Lowton Swan with you on a Monday. Hope
you're doing well again. Don't forget you can call us
in Texas anytime. AIGHTO three four five oh zero zero
eighty six. A three four five oh zero zero eighty six.
We always appreciate each and every one of you being
a part of the program. So Jeremiah Alexander Transfer one

(01:02:27):
of the few transfers that Dabo Swinging of the Clyps
and Tigers have ever taken in the transfer player era
or the transfer portal era, if you will. And he's
a guy whose work ethic has clearly made an impact
at Clemson because now a bunch of other guys are

(01:02:47):
going in early and working harder and pushing themselves, which
is gonna be good over the long haul for this team.
But Jeremiah Alexander was asked about what we heard in
our number one when we played some comments from Wade
wood As where the guys are calling him Jerry, and
he was asked if if it's just Wade, what has
it calls him Jerry or is it everybody that calls

(01:03:09):
him Jerry?

Speaker 3 (01:03:10):
Everybody coach and stuff, weight room guys, everybody is just
kind of I think Waiter Sam he started it and
then it just kind of went with the flow.

Speaker 4 (01:03:18):
So Jerry, Yeah, it is what it is. Man.

Speaker 3 (01:03:22):
You know, I'm just glad to be here and you know,
build that relationship with the guys.

Speaker 2 (01:03:25):
So Jeremiah quote Jerry Alexander there at the podium as
Clemson calls him. He was asked about Dabo Sweeney's comments
where he said that if everybody worked as hard as
Jeremiah Alexander, it'd be, you know, the easiest job in
the world. And what it means to Alexander to have

(01:03:45):
a coach who's only been around for a few months
have that feeling about him.

Speaker 4 (01:03:50):
It's definitely a blessing.

Speaker 1 (01:03:51):
Man.

Speaker 3 (01:03:52):
I just you know, try to go one and know
each and every day man and kind of capitalize kind
of you know, just trying to become the best version
of myself and you know, help the guy around me.

Speaker 2 (01:04:01):
Alexander was also asked about where the kind of drive
or whatever you want to call it originated getting there
and getting out there and practicing early, and where that
came from, and whether or not that was something that
he did at Alabama as well, or it was.

Speaker 4 (01:04:19):
Something I did.

Speaker 3 (01:04:19):
It was more low key when I was at Bama,
but when I came here, you know, I was rooming
with Peter Woods. You know, we just kind of made
it a thing just to come in and everybody else started,
you know, catching on to the vibs, and we got
the offensive guy's doing it, defensive guy's doing it, just
trying to go want to know and this has become
the best versions of ourselves for real.

Speaker 2 (01:04:39):
That's Jeremiah Alexander. He was also asked a little bit
more about that work that he did at Alabama, and
I guess why he sort of considered that to be
you know, low key, that it didn't take off maybe
the way it did or has at Clemson.

Speaker 4 (01:05:00):
Yes, sir, just doing it by myself.

Speaker 3 (01:05:02):
Sometimes it will be more just you know, I made
a transition inside linebacker so early.

Speaker 4 (01:05:06):
At first it was me going in.

Speaker 3 (01:05:08):
Watching film by myself, just trying to understand the defense
as a whole. Excuse me, understand the defense as a whole,
and understand you know, what the offensive guys are doing
as well, watching film.

Speaker 4 (01:05:18):
Just just trying to better myself each and every day.

Speaker 2 (01:05:20):
Alexander was also asked if seeing those those guys who
are veterans and the guys that have been leaders in
that Clemson locker room sort of following in his footsteps,
if you will, what that's like. Is that rewarding for
him as a player.

Speaker 3 (01:05:36):
It's definitely a blessing man just to be able to
make an impact, you know, being a new guy here,
we're just trying to go one and know each and
every day and just like I say that before, it's
kind of repetitive, but just become the best unit and
one one team, one goal, just one just become the
best version of each other as possible.

Speaker 2 (01:05:52):
He was also asked about where that work ethic came
from in him.

Speaker 3 (01:05:57):
Yeah, I would have to say my father and youthuly
he would have all the guys running stadiums, pushing sleds,
pushing tires, just doing little things extra eah and every day.
So definitely my dad probably instilled that work eth thing
to me. He had worked two jobs growing up, So
just saying my dad always working hard is it definitely
has to go to him as far as where I
get my work at it from.

Speaker 2 (01:06:18):
That's Jeremiah Alexander talking about his work ethic and what's
kind of driven him very early in his career now
at Clemson, and it is a situation where players can
freely move, and so even for a guy like Jeremiah Alexander,
the question has to be when you make a move

(01:06:39):
like this, does it already feel like home? Does it
feel like you made the best choice. Here's what Alexander
had to say about arriving in Tigertown a little later
in his career than maybe he thought.

Speaker 3 (01:06:54):
Yes, Sir, I kind of felt that when I first
got here, man, you know, reconnecting with Peter Woods, the
relationship with Coach Sweeney, just the beautiful campus. I remember
it from high school. But now I'm excited to be here,
and I definitely.

Speaker 2 (01:07:08):
Would call it this place on I definitely would call
this place home now having been at Alabama. Obviously, Jeremiah Alexander,
of every player on Clemson's roster, is more familiar with
LSU than anybody than anybody else because he's obviously he's
played them. But he says he's kind of embraced with

(01:07:29):
dab but Sween he's always talking about that windshield mentality.
Here's what Jeremiah Alexander had to say about looking at
LSU as potentially like a rival, an opponent that he
knows really well.

Speaker 3 (01:07:43):
Really, man, I know we open up with the guys LSU,
but I really haven't, like since I've got here, I've
just kind of put everything else behind me. And of
course coach Sweny always preaches winshield mentality. You know, you
don't forget the past, but you kind of look look
for the future and just focus on the future and
always being president of where you're at right now. So
as far as the writers we're back at BEMA, I
really don't think about that a lot. And as far

(01:08:04):
as going for it, I feel like this game is
a big game because Clemson was playing in it, So
it's just that mentality of going on to know he's
in every day.

Speaker 2 (01:08:11):
Final thing from Jeremiah Alexander, he was asked about learning
from Ben Bullweer. That's obviously a big conversation for a
lot of people. And so here's because Ben Bullwaer is
a fan favorite when it comes down to the job

(01:08:31):
that he did as a linebacker.

Speaker 4 (01:08:33):
Right.

Speaker 2 (01:08:33):
Here's what Jeremiah Alexander had to say about what he's
been learning from Ben Bullweer.

Speaker 3 (01:08:41):
One thing coach Ben brings to the table and what
he brings to me and what I see from him
is just his energy.

Speaker 4 (01:08:48):
You know, he's a younger coach.

Speaker 3 (01:08:49):
He's able to relate to his players a lot more
so just being able to have that relationship with a
coach that he's been here, he's won a national championship.
So everything that he's done, I'm trying to accomplish and
so are the guys in our room.

Speaker 4 (01:09:00):
So it's easy for us to look up to him.

Speaker 2 (01:09:03):
There you go, easy for us to look up to him.
That's Jeremiah Alexander talking about Clemson's Ben bullwear the new
linebacker coach, and the job that he's done. And one
of the things that these guys continue to harp back on,
and I think it could be important, is that Ben
Bullwear is young. He played this position at Clemson and

(01:09:27):
helped lead that group to a national title. And you
throw the tapes on the Ben Bullwear pointing guys in
the right direction, you go, that's what you need, guys
that are not only prepared to play physically but also mentally.
Quick break, we'll come back. We'll talk about ticket prices
and issues that its calls for a lot of people
in this era. Stay with us, Lowton Swan with you
on a Monday so as fans right in the world

(01:09:51):
of college sports. One of the things and again the
schools are now going to be able to pay the
players right seeing this whole landscape change. But what I
think is bad, what I really think is bad, is
what's happened in some degrees with nil and in other

(01:10:12):
degrees with the way that the soul of the sport
the fans have been negatively impacted in a lot of ways. Now,
I don't think anybody believes that it's unreasonable to know
that the price that your ticket, you know, the price

(01:10:35):
of your ticket in twenty twenty five is more expensive
than the price of your ticket in two thousand. It's
certainly more expensive than the price of your ticket in
nineteen seventy five, fifty years ago. But there's some ballooning
in all of this at some institutions and at some

(01:10:56):
programs that has really had negative impact. And in some ways, granted,
people are living longer, people are healthier at older ages,
and in some circumstances, individuals can now go to games
comfortably at an advanced age that maybe couldn't have done

(01:11:20):
it in the past, at least in larger numbers. Right.
I'm not saying if you were eighty eight years old,
you couldn't go to a game twenty five thirty years
ago as an eighty eight year old, But what I
am saying is that I believe the number of individuals

(01:11:40):
capable of going to a game at that age has advanced,
meaning there are more people at that age that are
affected by some of these modernization aspects of sports.

Speaker 4 (01:11:52):
Well.

Speaker 2 (01:11:53):
According to an article Tennessee Basketball, which of course Rick
Barnes as the head coach, has iced out a dedicated
fan named Thomas L. Bailey from Clinton, Tennessee. Thomas Bailey
wrote a piece to the newspaper, saying, I'm an I'm

(01:12:14):
eighty eight years old. I've been a Tennessee basketball season
ticket holder since nineteen sixty seven. I've probably been to
at least eighty five percent of the games. I've been
to lots of Southeastern Conference tournaments. In nineteen eighty two,
I donated to the Thompson Boiling Arena building Fund, and

(01:12:37):
with this donation, I was assured the same seats for
me and my spouse for our lifetime. I have been
seated in Section one, twenty row eighteen, seats nine to
ten since the arena opened. I called April seventh, twenty
twenty five, to renew my tickets for the coming season.
I was told that my cost would be four one thousand,

(01:13:00):
four hundred and eighty eight dollars for the two tickets.
Last season, I paid one thousand, four hundred and eighty
dollars for both tickets. That's an increase of about three
hundred percent. I'm on a fixed income of very little
and I cannot afford this. I can't believe that they
would treat a dedicated basketball fan like this. I understood,

(01:13:24):
according to the newspaper that there was going to be
about a sixteen percent increase. It's all about money, not dedication.
And Chris Lowe from ESPN saw this and tweeted quote,
this is not solely directed at Tennessee. Obviously, I make
my living covering sports, but we've damaged the soul of

(01:13:44):
college sports with so many loyal and diehard fans priced
out of regularly attending games. No way, as a kid
could my family of five afford to pay these prices.
And that is a big problem. Nil and the driving

(01:14:07):
force behind these institutions needing to make money and what
I hope we don't see ever in sports at the
collegiate level. And it feels like we might slowly be
getting there because of the pay that coaches make and
the pay that ads make, and the pay that assistants
make and everybody. You know that money's got to come

(01:14:30):
from somewhere. But if you think about the Super Bowl,
the number of corporations that those tickets go to and
not the common man is unbelievable. And what I would
hate to see is a day and age where a
corporation and I'll just pick one from the textile industry briefly,

(01:14:53):
because I did work in textiles for a few years
out of college, say Milliken, I think it will be
a shame if we ever cross over to the point
where two rows at midfield of Death Valley, Let's just
say that's sixty four seats. I'm just I have no

(01:15:14):
idea how many seats are on each row, but let's
say that's two rows of thirty two people. That sixty
four seats in that stadium belong to Milliken and not
to the Smiths and the Stanleys and the Coopers. It's
amazing that we are even in this situation where basketball tickets.

(01:15:44):
I mean, it's not like there's there's four hundred home
games and they're ten dollars a pop. Right, there's like
twenty home games. I mean, it's super to go to
these events if you're paying four grand a year for that.

(01:16:06):
And if you're somebody who when sports was smaller, like
mister Bailey was, and you gave to help grow the sport,
it doesn't feel like it's right for you to just
be priced out because the economics of the game changed
and the only thing you did wrong was live long

(01:16:29):
enough that the economics got so bad that you were
priced out of the market. I think guys like mister
Bailey and others. I don't think you should have necessarily
been able to lock in forever, but there should be
some benefit for being dedicated. And this clearly misses the

(01:16:51):
mart by mile. All right, we'll hit a quick break,
we'll come back. We'll put a bow on the Monday
edition of the show that shakes the south Land again.
It is hard to believe, but it is August. We've
got college football that will be here sooner than you
know it. Keep a lot right here on Fox Sports
Radio fourteen hundred in the Midlands, and of course you
can listen to the show anywhere in the world on

(01:17:14):
the iHeart radio applications. Stay with us.

Speaker 8 (01:17:19):
What have you done for me lately? It's a fair question.
Just don't lose sight of the bigger picture. Don't forget history.
Lucky for us at Clemson, the answer to the questions
what have you done for me lately? And what have
you done?

Speaker 4 (01:17:38):
Always are the same.

Speaker 8 (01:17:45):
We win.

Speaker 2 (01:18:32):
Final segment on the Monday. Thank you to William qualkin
Bush for being a part of the program again. The
website Clemson sports Talk dot com go check it out
today again. Awesome article on Ben Bullwear reigniting the Clipson
Linebacker Room. It's premium. We don't put many like that
behind the paywall. Most behind the paywall are recruiting. But

(01:18:56):
just some thoughts on Ben Bullwear in his impact on
the linebackers in Tigertown. Remember just a dollar to get
you in the door after that, sixty three seventeen for
one year of coverage over on Clemson Sports Talk dot com.
And of course, anytime I think is sixty three seventeen,
I think of our fine feathered friends hanging out with

(01:19:17):
us and being a part of the show.

Speaker 8 (01:19:18):
So you could continue to peek over the fence at
the best radio showing the naked.

Speaker 2 (01:19:23):
The late great Cleveland Man there. Also, don't forget if
you are in Tigertown to check out Alumni Hall on
the corner of campus on College Avenue, right there in
downtown Clemson. It's Alumni Hall for all your officially licensed
Clemson merchandise. Has T shirts Telgate, Gary Moore. Go check
them out today Alumni Hall or online at Alumni Hall

(01:19:47):
dot com. All right, final couple of things here on
a Monday afternoon, and it is hard to believe you
know that by the end of this week, right you,
You're nearly going to be in mid August with some
great college football games coming up, including Texas and Ohio

(01:20:09):
State in an opener there in Columbus. And speaking of
Texas and Ohio State, not only will that matchup host
college game Day, it will be a matchup, as I
mentioned earlier with William Qualkinbush, between the top two teams

(01:20:29):
of the country as the preseason coaches poll came out
earlier today, again Texas garnering twenty eight first place votes,
just below them Ohio State getting twenty first place votes
and in second place. Third place with fourteen first place

(01:20:51):
votes goes to Penn State and fourth place in the
country out of the gates according to the coaches anchoring
down the Harry Dogs of Georgia at number four, Number
five is Notre Dame, and then there's Clemson at number six.

(01:21:14):
The Tigers also received two first place votes or again
checks in at seven. Alabama finds their way in the
top ten at number eight. LSU, who Clempson will open
the season with, is nine in Miami checks in at
number ten, meaning that the first week of the season,

(01:21:37):
just in that little handful of matchups, you've got one
versus two with Texas and Ohio State. You've got six
versus nine with Clemson in LSU. You've got five with
Notre Dame and ten with Miami in a matchup as well,

(01:21:57):
So three top ten matchups to open the season. We've
also got eleven Arizona State, number twelve Illinois. Illinois course
beat South Carolina in the bowl game last year, and
the game Cocks are right behind the fighting line I
at number thirteen, Michigan is fourteen, and Old Miss checks

(01:22:18):
in at number fifteen. Number sixteen is SMU, and seventeen
is Florida. Number eighteen's Tennessee, nineteen is Indiana, and number
twenty Kansas State, twenty one is Texas A and m
twenty two Iowa State, twenty three BYU, twenty four is

(01:22:41):
Texas Tech, and twenty five is Boise State. So that's
a quick look at the preseason coaches poll and your
Clemson Tigers opening it up at number six, and can
you imagine look like, obviously, if you are Notre Dame

(01:23:08):
and you beat Miami, there's a chance you'll move up some.
It's like if you're Clemson at six and you beat
number nine, you'll move up some, but there's much more
upward mobility for Clemson and Notre Dame. Then there is
Texas and Ohio State, like you don't have anywhere to go.
I mean, if Texas wins, guess what they're not doing

(01:23:30):
moving up. They are certainly garnering more of those first
place votes, maybe gaining some distance if you will, But
you can't move up higher than first. And if you're
Ohio State and you win that game, you can't really
can't really move up where you're gonna go number one.

(01:23:51):
That's it, So we'll let it all settle out on
the field. But that's a look at the preseason Coaches
Pole here on a Monday afternoon. The AP Pole, if
you're wondering, comes out August the eleventh, so we got
about a week until then, so we'll have plenty of
time to talk about it all with you here on

(01:24:12):
the program when we get back tomorrow at four o'clock.
Of course, until then, keep it a lot right here
on Fox Sports Radio fourteen hundred and on the iHeartRadio app.
And as always, you'll take care now and got Tigers