The "Peter's Out" Edition

Clemson DT Peter Woods will head to the NFL.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
Each time, or Clipson Sports Talk with Lawton Swan.

Speaker 2 (00:42):
Finally, Clemson Sports Talk has come back to drive time. Hello, everybody,
long and Swan back in the saddle once again. It
is the show that shakes the south Land. Clemson Sports
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(01:05):
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Two two six seven eight. That's metts plumb in two

(01:28):
to six seven one zero eight. All right out of
the gates on a Tuesday. We talked about Avion Terrell
yesterday making his announcement. Today, some more news out of
Tiger Town in terms of a couple of players, one
going to enter the portal, the other going to enter

(01:49):
the NFL Draft. We'll start with the NFL Draft, as
that is the more significant piece, even though I would
argue during his time at Clemson his career didn't pan
out or play out with the same level of umph,
so to speak, that you might expect, and that is

(02:13):
Peter Woods. Peter Woods making it known that he will
be taking his talents to the next level if you
follow us on our social media accounts. Obviously we put
that tweet out, and Peter Woods also put out a
message to Tiger fans and his friends and his teammates, saying,

(02:34):
first and foremost, I'd like to I'd like to thank
God for giving me the tools to play this game
at a high level. I know for a fact that
without him, none of this would be possible. To my
family and friends, there aren't enough thanks that can express
the impact you've had on me. You give me the
strength to continue on this journey. To my Clemson family,

(02:57):
thank you for welcoming a young kid from Alabama with
open arms. Is showing me what it means to be
a Tiger. I wouldn't be the man or player I
am today were it not for the impact this culture
had all my life. To my teammates, my brothers from
all chapters of the game, I love you all. All
the memories, the blood, sweat and tears will live on
forever in my heart. I've experienced another form of true

(03:21):
brotherhood through this sport, and I don't take that for granted.
It has been an honor to wear the pall these
last few years, and it will always be a part
of me. But the time has finally come. I'm excited
to announce that I will be declaring for the twenty
twenty six NFL Draft. He included the Bible verse Jeremiah

(03:42):
twenty nine, verse eleven as Peter Woods. Again, no indication
from Woods or Avion Terrell whether or not these two
guys will play in Clemson's bowl game, but I think
logic would say that they will not be playing for
the Tigers in this bowl game, though neither one of

(04:05):
them has said as much. I have seen where Penn
State had at least one opt out so far not
playing in the bowl game. We can get to that
in just a little bit. But the other name that
is entering the portal backup running back Clemson Legacy Keith

(04:27):
Adams Junior. Now, his dad, you may recall, was not
a running back. His dad was a fearless linebacker. We
called him Keith Animal back in the day, and his son,
Keith Adams Junior. I mean, if we're being honest, I
think sort of runs the ball similarly to the way
his dad played the game at linebacker. I mean, it
is a hard nosed affair when that kid's got the

(04:50):
ball in his hands. But perhaps the biggest problem for
him in twenty twenty five, and the reason that he's
transferring out is the fact that this is a guy
that just had fourteen carries this season for seventy one
yards and a touchdown. I mean, so he just he
wasn't used and he's not, in my opinion right not

(05:19):
an elite running back at the highest level. He was
never going to be an elite running back at this level.
But he was a bruiser. He was a downhill runner.
There were certainly places where you could see or maybe
places in the right word, but maybe moments in games

(05:41):
where you could see that a guy like Keith Adams
Junior might be able to help you out. But I
understand going through a season and only having seventeen carries,
like I understand that there's a frustration that comes along
with that, and you got to get a chance, and

(06:01):
so you know that chance might come at a smaller
school at a lower level. But either way, I think
when you look at Clemson's running back room this year,
you started to see the emergence of Gideon Davidson, You
started to see David Izzy and Moume getting more carries.
And then you top all of that with the fact

(06:27):
that Clemson should be getting back Jay Haynes from an injury,
and it's just going to be way too crowded even
still for a guy like Keith Adams Junior. As for
Peter Woods leaving, obviously, if he doesn't play the Bowl game,

(06:50):
you know, while his numbers don't measure up to be
a significant loss, or at least it doesn't feel like it,
I think his ability to influence things at line of
scrimmage is a significant aspect of his game. And do
I think everybody that watched him play, maybe by comparison

(07:14):
to Dexter Lawrence or Christian Wilkins, or maybe even Tyler Davis,
and that would be an interesting comparison. Go look at
what his stats look like compared to Tyler Davis, because
Tyler Davis is still playing a ton in the NFL,
and you might not know a lot about it, but

(07:34):
he's there starting. But I kind of feel like the
two are probably comparable in a sense of plays made
at the collegiate level. But even I feel like Tyler
Davis made more plays that just jumped off the page
to me than Peter Woods. Woods with forty tackles this

(07:56):
season in twelve starts, playing five five hundred and fifty
four snaps for the Tigers, he had three and a
half tackles for loss for sixteen yards and two sacks
for fourteen yards, two pass breakups, and six quarterback pressures.

(08:20):
I mean, I feel like that's gotta be more to me.
If you're elite, it feels like those numbers would be greater.
I mean, demonte K Part, let's look at it like this, right,
two guys that play the same position, demonte K Part

(08:45):
started in six of twelve games this season. Demonte K
Part played about two hundred and ten less snaps. He
had eleven less tackles, half a sack, excuse me, a
half a tackle for loss less and one sack less.

(09:06):
And your interior defensive linemen aren't typically the guys that
are relentless and force a ton of sacks. But Peter
Woods's numbers by comparison to individuals who played less. Like

(09:29):
taking a step further, Peter Woods at five hundred and
fifty four sacks or excuse me, that would be great,
five hundred and fifty four snaps by comparison to Stephiland
Green with just two hundred and eighty four snaps. I mean,
when you compare that, that's about two hundred and seventy snaps.

(09:51):
That is two hundred and seventy snaps, not about it's
exactly two seventy, which means Stephilond Green had about half
as many snaps as Peter Woods. And again, Peter Woods
had forty tackles, step filand Green had twenty five. Peter
Woods had three and a half tackles for loss, Steve
Filond Green had two and a half. Peter Woods had

(10:15):
two sacks. Step filand Green had two and a half sacks.
Peter Woods had two pass breakups step filand Green had one.
Now you could argue, and I think it's a valid
argument that Peter Woods commanded the attention of opponents, which
is why these other guys' numbers are what they are.

(10:41):
I'd love to sit down, though, and cross reference stats
from previous seasons, like, maybe take a look at twenty eighteen,
twenty nineteen and see what those numbers look like for
Clemson on the defensive front by comparison. And that was

(11:06):
the undefeated twenty eighteen national championship team. That was a
team with Christian Wilkins. That was a team with Dexter Lawrence.
Wilkins played six hundred and fourteen total snaps that year,
had fifty seven tackles, fifteen tackles for loss, and six sacks,

(11:34):
two pass breakups in thirteen quarterback pressures. Dexter Lawrence that
year played four hundred and sixty snaps in thirteen games,
had forty four tackles, one and a half sack, seven

(11:55):
and a half tackles for loss, three pass breaks up,
pass break up, some fifteen quarterback pressures. So and again
it's different guys, different people around them, different pieces. I mean,
I don't think at this point anybody would say there's

(12:15):
a comparable to having Cleveland Ferrell and Austin Bryant on
the edge, which is what Wilkins and Lawrence had to
work with. I don't think Clemson has the edge rushers
that they had back then. But man, the dominant interior runs,
stuffer the guys that impact the game like that. I

(12:37):
just I didn't see it from Peter Woods. And this
is not to say I wouldn't want him to come back.
Like if Peter Woods instead of tweeting out, hey, I'm
I'm exiting stage left, if Peter Woods put out that
he was returning, I'd be excited about it. I mean

(13:01):
I would legitimately be excited about it. Let me see,
just to compare again, I want to look one more time.
Five hundred and fifty four plays forty tackles. This is
Peter Woods three and a half tackles for lost two sacks.

(13:22):
I wonder what the numbers look like because I feel
like body type, I feel like the way they plays.
He's a little more akin to Tyler Davis. Tyler Davis's
final season. Let's see Tyler four sixty seven forty five tackles,

(13:44):
three and a half tackles for loss point five sacks. Yeah,
I mean it's Tyler Davis. I mean he's basically Tyler Davis.
Nothing wrong with that. Tyler Davis is making a living
in the NFL, and Peter Woods was on that team
back in two twenty twenty three. With Tyler Davis, which

(14:05):
may even beg the question, and this might be the
bigger issue. You know, we talk about coaching changes. One
of the names I brought up quite a bit is
has been Nick Eason. Could we determine that you feel
like defensive line play, specifically the interior defensive line has

(14:32):
not measured up by comparison to the numbers when when
Todd Bates was running things. Now that my friends, might
be a stat like what if And again, I've never listened.

(14:54):
The number of times I played on the interior of
the defensive line is slim. But maybe there's some technical
stuff that these guys aren't doing that Wilkins and and
Dexter Lawrence did that made them superior to the defensive

(15:18):
front that we've seen under Nick Eason, especially on the interior. Now,
is it possible that there's nothing to that because there's
just glowing returns anytime somebody is talking about Peter Woods,
it's glowing returns on hand placement and how strong he is.

(15:40):
But the numbers don't don't indicate that. And and and
maybe that's a bigger indication that the defense has not
been dominant. But even so, if we if we even
look closer to Tyler Davis and his numbers like those

(16:06):
are pretty recent. Those are pretty similar, and it's not
as if one or the other guy was kind of
blowing things away and everybody else around them was bad.
It's it's kind of neutral on what you're getting from
the defensive line over you know, the past five years

(16:26):
or so could be better, for sure, A zero three
four or five zero zero eighty six again if you're
just joining us. Clemson defensive lineman Peter Woods announces he
will be turning pro again. No indication from Woods, no
indication from Avian Terrell whether or not they'll play in

(16:48):
the bowl game. I would venture to guess that these
guys will not be playing in the bowl game, which
of course is up in New York City this year.
Speaking of which, The Bad Boy Mower's Pinstripe Bowl sat
down with Graham Nef Dabo Sweeney, the athletic director at

(17:10):
Penn State, and also Terry Smith, the interim head coach
today to preview this matchup December of the twenty seventh
at NOONU at Yankee Stadium with a unique opportunity, and
you know, Dabo Sweeney's a little bit of a baseball nut.
I mean, Dabosweeney loves baseball. He's a I think he's

(17:33):
a Cubs fan. But Dabo Sweeney was excited about getting
the opportunity to play in Yankee Stadium. Now it's not
the old Yankee Stadium, mister, the new Yankee Stadium, but
it's still a Yankee stadium nonetheless. And of course we
all know Clemson football played at Fenway Park. I think

(17:59):
it was a fourteen fourteen tie back in nineteen fifty
three at Fimway. So the Tigers will certainly become one
of the rare teams that has played in both the
home of the Red Sox and the Yankees. The Tigers

(18:19):
have played in several baseball parks over the years, but
those two are the most notable. What it made me
think about, though, playing in that stadium. Do you remember
the game that took place back in twenty ten at
Wrigley Field. I had to look up who was playing
in it. I remembered Northwestern, but it was Northwestern in

(18:42):
Illinois facing off and it ended up being known as
now the One Way Bowl because of safety issues where
the east end zone was too close to a brick
wall and so all opt insive plays before that game
all went the same direction the entire game. Now they

(19:09):
are now thinking about playing another game in Wrigley looking
at having a bowl called the Chicago Bowl, and I
believe with some of the renovations that they've had at
Wrigley Field, they think that they can do it the
right way without having the teams need to go the

(19:31):
same direction. Again, it was not a bowl game before.
When I initially started talking about it, I thought it was,
but it was just a regular season matchup between two
teams there in the state of Illinois, between the Fighting
lion I in Champagne and Northwestern. They are in Chicago,

(19:53):
all right. With a quick break. Clubson Basketball on the
road in New York City tonight. We'll talk about it
after this. Lawton Swan Clemson Sports tallback with you on
a Tuesday afternoon the show The Chase of south Land
Clemson tonight going to be playing up in New York,
much like the football team is going to be playing
up in New York at Yankee Stadium. The basketball team

(20:14):
tonight at Madison Square Garden MSG the Mecca as they
will face off with BYU and the Jimmy V Classic.
That tip off schedule for six thirty, so about thirty
minutes after we go off the air to watch it
on the ESPN and will also be broadcast on one
oh five to five The Roar in the Upstate. We

(20:37):
mentioned last week on the show about Elden Campbell and
the fact that he had passed away in an accidental drowning.
We didn't know that at the time. I did know
that he died while fishing. Didn't know what happened, but
accidental drowning. Elden Campbell, Clemson's all time leading score and
three time All acc player, passed away at the age

(21:01):
of fifty seven December the first over a week ago.
Campbell finished his Clemson career with eighteen hundred and eighty points,
a record that still stands thirty five years after his
last game. He also still holds a career record for
made field goals with seven hundred and fifty four, tied

(21:24):
for first, placing career double figure scoring games with ninety seven,
and second all time in block shots with three hundred
and thirty four. He's third and twenty point game scored,
having thirty four of those in his career. Seventh had
made free throws with three hundred and sixty nine and
eighth in career rebounds with eight hundred and thirty six.

(21:45):
I mean, you start to look at his numbers, he's
arguably the best player that's ever played at Clemson. Maybe
not the most exciting, but stat for stat, line for line,
he's been as good, if not better than any anybody
else that's ever played at Clemson. Campbell led the eighty

(22:05):
nine to ninety Tigers in scoring with sixteen point four
points per game and in acc regular season championship for
the first and only time in school history. The Tigers
finished twenty six and nine, with a heartbreaking loss in
the sweet sixteen to Yukon. In the game notes, there's
a forty one kind of embolden there and blazing there,

(22:29):
and I'm wondering if they're going to have something like
that on their jerseys for tonight's game and for perhaps
the rest of the season. Honoring Elden Campbell, Clemson and
BYU facing off more memorably for me in that same
tournament back in nineteen eighty nine, in the NCAA Tournament,

(22:53):
where Clemson had to storm from behind to beat not
only Lesalle but BYU before ing off with Yukon in
the Sweet sixteen. That meeting back on March fifteenth, nineteen
ninety at forty nine forty seven Clemson victory was the
last time these two teams met up. So they will

(23:14):
get underway in just a little bit up in New
York City. Uh, Clemson coming in off the heels of
a ninety eighty four loss at Alabama. That was a game, honestly,
looking back on it that we didn't get to talk
about because I took a couple of days off last week.
And you know, the thing that I took away most

(23:36):
from that game was the fact that Clemson, even though
they trailed by nineteen I think five times in that ballgame,
continued to come back. After being down forty three to
twenty four, the Tigers battle back. They never had a
larger lead than two in the ballgame, but they fought

(23:58):
back on the road at a top fifteen opponent, and
you know they closed the game, oh for seven, one
of nine. So you know, the last two forty one
did not go Clemson's way by any means, and they
had their chances but to get back in the mix.
To me, we talk about, you know, Clemson grit and

(24:20):
what this program's all about.

Speaker 3 (24:23):
You know.

Speaker 2 (24:23):
I think watching them play against Alabama was reason enough
for a lot of people to go, yeah, Brad Brownell
still got it. And this is a roster that is
pretty slowly but surely, I think it's starting to come together.
As I've said before, I have not felt like this

(24:47):
is a group that there's a tremendous amount of drop off.
If there's been a disappointment to me, it's been Nick Davidson.
But Davidson in limited minutes, just fourteen minutes of action,
scored eleven points. It's pretty quick too, scored eight really
quick for the Tigers, and they're balanced. R. J. Godfrey

(25:07):
gave you nineteen, Dylan Hunter gave you thirteen, Zach Foster
the freshman fellow with twelve, Nick Davidson and Jake Wallien
giving you eleven each. You didn't get as much from
Carter Welling just one to five in that game against Alabama,
But again, across the board, it's a group that's balanced.

(25:27):
They got scoring from a multitude of different positions, and
in this day and age where the game is a
lot different than it once was, versatility and the ability
to get a hot hand in the game and get
somebody going is a huge deal. Clemsy comes in seven
to two. BYU is ranked number ten in the country

(25:51):
and comes in at seven to one, So another big
opportunity for the Tigers. We talked about a couple of
significant victory a few weekends ago versus West Virginia and Georgia. Well,
now another opportunity against a top ten opponent as this
matchup takes place at the Jimmy B Classic up in

(26:13):
New York City. And the other game as a part
of this event is another great one. I mean, even
better than Clemson and BYU, Florida facing off with yukon,
two of the better basketball programs over the last twenty
years or so. And I think that game scheduled to

(26:34):
tip off at nine o'clock. I'll have to double check.
I'm pretty sure that's gonna be on the same I
don't know why it wouldn't be on. Yeah, it's on ESPN.
I mean, there was no reason for it not to be,
you know, unless you know there was some other big
event that obviously I don't know about or couldn't think of.
But yeah, so you've got Florida coming in off the

(26:59):
heels of a sixty seven sixty six loss to Duke
in the acc SEC Challenge and Yukon on the same day.
Now they've played a game since against you know, not
too important opponent, but Yukon be Kansas sixty one fifty
six in Illinois seventy four sixty one earlier this year.

(27:23):
Yukon right now eight and one, a top five program.
The Florida Gators are five and three and ranked number
eighteen of the country. When a break, we'll come back
with more here on a Tuesday afternoon. Back at it
on a Tuesday afternoon, Clemson sports tall lout and swan
with you. I was looking at the polls in college
basketball for just a minute. Obviously with Clemson coming up

(27:44):
tonight six point thirty Madison Square Garden, they'll be facing
off with BYU, well, you know, BYU being number ten
in the country. I just wanted to take a gander
and just see if Clemson was receiving votes because I
hadn't really paid attention to that, And then I was
looking at the rankings. I was like, oh, this is interesting.

(28:05):
So in the Apee Pole, and that's mainly the one
we're going to focus on here, Clemson is getting fourteen votes.
That's not enough to be in seventy nine. I'll get
you in. So they're close. But just looking at some
of the names the teams maybe is the better way

(28:27):
to put it. The brands might even be better at
the top of college basketball right now. And I haven't
quite turned the page, and I'm sure you haven't either.
With Clemson with a bowl matchup coming up in New
York City as well against Penn State the Penn Stripe
Bowl in a few weeks, you know, I'm kind of

(28:48):
still in football mode, but I've been watching Clemson basketball
and I'm telling you it's exciting and they're fun to watch.
Even when they were down at Alabama, I kept thinking,
you know what, they're going to make a This team
is talented enough to make a run, and they did.
They took the lead from being down twenty. I mean, phenomenal.
That's all you can ask is that your guys have heart,

(29:09):
and they play hard and they keep fighting, and they've
got versatility and all the things that you see from
this team. They play well on the defensive end. They've
got some great offensive motion, man, some great sets to
get guys open, and I think they're just gonna get
better and better. I'll be disappointed. I'll tell you that,
I will be disappointed if this basketball team isn't in

(29:33):
the NCAA Tournament. And it was kind of pot luck,
like I didn't know what to think about them because
there were so many new names and you know, just
a new look squad, I mean, a complete overhaul. And

(29:54):
so the Tigers added through the transfer portal Nick Davidson
from Nevada, Carter Welling from Utah Valley, R J. Godfrey
returned from Georgia, Jke Walleen from Utah, Budda Johnson from UAB,
Justin Porter from Middle Tennessee State. By the way, Porter
and Budda Johnson, those guys can shoot it. In addition

(30:16):
to those six players, Clemson also brought in a freshman
class with Zach Foster, Chase Thompson, Trent Steinauer, and Blake
Davidson to pair along with guys who were already on
campus like Dylan Hunter, who's really the only guy that
has played in Ace Buckner And who else am I missing?

(30:37):
Maybe Dallas Thomas. Either way, either way, tonight they'll take
on number ten in the AP pole and number ten
in the coaches poll byu SO a big game. If
Clempson were to win it, they may very well be ranked.
But the brands at the top of college basketball today
Arizona sitting on top of the ape pole. When I

(30:59):
was growing up, a fixture under Ludolson, in the top
of the polls Michigan. I wouldn't quite call them a fixture,
but for a large portion of my life when Steve
Fisher was their head coach, Fab five all that. Man,
they were in the mix in the nineties, like my
formative like fun loving basketball years years where you didn't

(31:22):
work and you were still in high school and it
was easy to watch on the ESPN. Michigan was always
flirting with greatness. The Duke Blue Devils are number three.
I mean, need I say more? Now? Look, I'm not
saying I like Duke, but just saying, like, I mean,
they are one of the blue bloods Iowa States number four.

(31:45):
They've had some They've had their moments that never really
been like elite for an extended stretch. We'll see how
this goes for them. Right now, I don't really know
anything about them just yet. Then you got Yukon at
five boom power really really since Jim Calhoun knocked off

(32:07):
Clemson in nineteen ninety. To reference that game again, not
to sound like a broken record, but man, that was
a big moment for Yukon and what could have been
for Clemson. Holy smokes. After Yukon's number six per due Man.
They always seem like they're in the mix, are going
all the way back to Gene Katie's days that they've

(32:28):
been better now, they just haven't quite culminated it yet. Houston, Gosh,
Fi Slama Jama. They had some dead years. But Kelvin Sampson,
he's built that program into a machine, really, and you know,

(32:51):
they are going to have players that you might not
know a whole lot about till the first time you
watch them, and they are assassins to their core from
anywhere on the court. And so I say this, it's

(33:12):
a fun, tough brand of basketball. And Kelvin Sampson may
not have the squeakiest of records, but he's he's managed
to rebuild Houston into a consistent top ten team. And
there's Gonzaga at number eight. I mean, what are we

(33:35):
talking about here with the way this is all working
out for college basketball today? I mean, Mark Few, gosh,
how long has this guy. This guy's been coaching out
that Gonzaga since the Lincoln administration. It feels like we
get back like the eighteen hundreds or something. Man nineteen

(33:57):
ninety nine and he was an assistant there in nineteen
eighty nine. So Mark Few and Gonzaga and the AP
polar number eight. Then there's Tom Izzoe and Michigan State
at number nine. What are you talking about? This is
an elite group of top ten. Then you've got BYU Yeah, yeah,

(34:23):
I kind of throw them in there with like Iowa State.
They're there some but not much. Then you got Louisville.
Alabama's starting to show up much more, for sure. Illinois
is normally a really good team. North Carolina Vandy is
always pretty good. I mean, this is a pretty elite
group of programs that are sitting out of near the

(34:46):
top of college basketball right now. Maybe maybe it's off
a brand recognition. We'll see how things shape up through
the year. But if you like the traditional powers to
be in the additional spots man you got in college
basketball this year, there is no doubt about it. All right,
we'll put a bow on our number one right after this.

(35:08):
Keep it locked. Clemson Sports doll Law and Swan, Hey,
you out with you on a Tuesday afternoon. If you're
wondering why I have that little pause there, I don't know.
I just have to think about it. Sometimes I'm like, Okay,
what day is it? Like I'm waking up. What day

(35:30):
is it? Well, swannye, it's a Tuesday, by the way,
guest free today. We do have another update though, on
the transfer portal for you. Clemson's safety Khalil Barnes is
going to be transferring, and you know, I think there

(35:52):
are going to be mixed reviews on this for some
of you, for a multitude of reasons, perhaps almost notably
the way Khalil Barnes played this past season. Now Barnes
arrived at Clemson, this might be something that you do remember.

(36:14):
Barnes arrived at Clemson as a three star prospect and
was a kid who had been committed to Wake Force
and really for Clemson, they kind of took a little
bit of a reach on you. But I thought he
played above his head. I thought he played above his
head for the first couple of years there in Clemson.
But this past season, Khalil Barnes was criticized by a

(36:36):
ton of fans and the way he played and some
issues that he had, and then his dad came out
on social media and started talking about some of that
stuff and commenting at fans. And this is the thing,
like I want parents to understand, and you have every
right as a parent to do whatever you want to do.
But I feel bad for Khalil Barnes because I think

(36:57):
he took even more heat from Clemson fans because of
the comments that his father made on social media about,
you know, keep my son's name out of your mouth
and some of the things like that. Because we're in
an era whether we like it or not, whether the
parents like it or not. Look, I have a son too,
and like I said, I interview Khalil when he was
in high school. Loved this kid with a fantastic personality.

(37:21):
But when people go to work for their at their
nine to five and the college sports landscape has changed
around them to the point of where players in some
respects are making much more than those individuals are, there's animosity,
you might even call it jealousy, whatever, and the last
thing they want to hear is when the kid's being paid.

(37:43):
Their parents chiming in on the comments that people are
making on social media. Whether or not fans should be
commenting about specific players on social media is really neither
here nor there. Because it is going to happen. Parents
have to understand that if somebody wants to defend themselves
in that role, it would have needed to be Khalil.

(38:04):
And so good luck to Khalil Barnes wherever he goes.
You know, I'm disappointed that it didn't work out. I
love his story. I think it is fantastic, but he
took a lot of heat and a lot of people
aren't sad to see him go. Now. This is another
thing too. I feel bad for him because I think
there are a lot of people that aren't sad to
see him go because they feel like his dad's going

(38:24):
with them right. And I think Clemson fans kind of
the way DJ's dad was now, I think they look
back on it and go, man, that was not good
for DJ and it ended up not being good for
Clemson and and I think people feel similarly to Khalil
Barnes with the situation that happened with his dad. And

(38:45):
I don't think it's Khalil's fault. Here's what Khalil Barnes
put out on social media to my Clemson family. First
and foremost, I just want to thank Clemson for everything
they have done for me over these last three years.
Coach sween he didn't have to take a chance on
me as a small three star recruit. The things I
learned every day in those team meetings are lessons I

(39:08):
know will help me through my different walks of life.
I'm so appreciative for the wisdom and the knowledge you
gave me. To my teammates, man, I love y'all for real,
and don't let no narrative or anything let y'all think differently.
I gave everything I had for y'all and the Paul
and I mean that man. Thank you to those who
have supported me throughout my time here. But as I

(39:30):
have been praying on it for some time now, this
is one of the hardest decisions I've had to make. However,
God put it on my heart, so I just have
to go head first into it and trust Him through
it all. With all that being said, I am planning
to enter my name into the transfer portal. Thank you.
And so that's Khalil Barnes and what I was saying

(39:54):
earlier about Barnes leaving and the way his dad, you know,
the comments on social media that his dad made, I mean,
Khalil when he tweeted that, put it so that nobody
can reply to it. Now, think about that. Why would

(40:15):
he do that? That's because he knows that there are
fans out there who will come out and blast him
because of things that his dad said, and not anything
about what Khalil said or did you know maybe some

(40:37):
of his play on the field was not great. I mean,
they're you know TJ Moore tweeting a kind of a
awkward squirrel squiggly face and a broken heart about the situation.
So Khalil Barnes out at Clemson and that again, that

(40:58):
safety room has been issue. We've talked a lot here
on the program about safety coach Mickey Kahn. Whether or
not he'll be back with this team this season is
something you are excuse me. Next season is something that
will certainly, I think be considered gonna be a position
of need for the Tigers for sure in the transfer portal,

(41:21):
given the numbers, because Clemson lost two safeties as decommits
in the twenty twenty six recruiting class, and you gotta
get the talent in the door from somewhere, and I
would expect this to be a veteran pick up for
Clemson when it comes down to the safety spot right now,

(41:46):
A zero three four or five zero zero eighty six
text line phone line be a part of the program anytime,
any place, anywhere on our website. Put the dot com
on it, dog on it. That's Clemson Sports Talk dot com.

(42:08):
South Carolina has their man for offensive coordinator. We'll talk
to you about that in our number two. Plus a
big change at the at Clemson University and we'll hear
from Dabo Sweeney along with Terry Smith as Clemson and
Penn State get ready for the Pin Stripe Bowl. Stay
with us.

Speaker 1 (42:25):
Each time for Clipson Sports Talk with Lawton Schwan.

Speaker 2 (43:06):
It is our number two. That's your drivetime right here
on the show that shakes the south Land, Clemson sportstal
law and the Swan hanging out with you here on
a Tuesday afternoon, guest free today as the Tiger basketball
team gets ready to tip off downtown New York City

(43:27):
Madison Square Garden, they'll face off against BYU. After that
it'll be Florida and Yukon tonight. Clemson already going to
New York City later this month with the bowl game.
So Graham Neff, on a conference call with the Yes

(43:49):
Network earlier today, was actually right there in Times Square
at his hotel as Clemson prepares for this basketball game tonight.
But we'll hear from Graham Nef his thoughts on Clemson
being in the bowl game. We'll hear from Daboswingy as
well and Terry Smith. But the big news today out

(44:10):
of Clemson several several changes on the Clemson roster. First
and foremost, Peter Wood's gonna join Abon Terrell turning pro
early taking their talent to the NFL. We also now
can't confirm Khalil barn is going to be entering the

(44:30):
transfer portal, and expected to enter the transfer portal is
Keith Adams junior as well. So if you want to
keep up quickly and easily with everything going on in Clemson,
follow us on our social media accounts, because we put
out a graphic for just about all of this stuff, Like, yeah,

(44:53):
you can get in there and read the minutia of
how many tackles forty tackles in two and a half sec.
Like we can write the story, but you can also
go check out our work online and see the graphics
to find out exactly what's going on pretty quickly, and
we will do our best to keep you abreast of

(45:16):
everything going on in Tigertown for sure. Text line phone
line eighty three four five h zero zero eighty six.
And I don't think I told you, but the show
The Shakespeare South Lane is brought to you in part
by our good friends over at METS Plumbing metz Plumbing
dot com two two six seven one o eight. That's
METS Plumbing two two six seven to one zero eight,

(45:38):
all right. Earlier today on the Yes Network, Clemson University
f Lake director Graham nef and Dabo Sweeney spoke with
the Yes Network host about this matchup between Clemson and
Penn State sept for December the twenty seventh at noon
in Yankee Stadium. Here's Clemson Athletic Clemson University f letg

(46:00):
Director Graham Neth.

Speaker 4 (46:04):
Well, thank you, Justin's It's great to see everybody, and
certainly it couldn't be more pleased and excited for Clemson
University to participate in the Bad Boys Mower Pinstripe Bowl.
To your question, certainly, as this was tracking and we
began to to connect some dots and look at the
possibility over the past few three weeks, came really excited.
I'm actually coming to you here this morning from Manhattan

(46:26):
overlooking Times Square right here, Mark referenced some of some
of the notes from Clemson and New York. In the
Northeast corridor is a is a significant strategic area for
for Clemson University. We play a basketball game here tonight
in the Garden, the Jimmy v Classic. Much of our
advanced team, as as I'm sure Penn States is, is
up here to prepare the logistics for the team or

(46:48):
for the game. So many current students, lums, parents, business
partners populate here, and we're proud to wave the flag
of Clemson University as a grant State of South Carolina institution.
But as we continue to extend our brand that certainly
is very intentional around around New York. So the opportunity

(47:09):
to have the Clemson football Tigers up there on December
twenty up here on December twenty seventh is incredibly exciting
to Mark in his staff. Just an incredible, first, first
class operation. Couldn't be more excited for coach Sweney to
bring to bring the Tigers up and for us to
have a great week as a football program and memorable experiences,
but more importantly as an institution for our followers, supporters,

(47:32):
if TA members, students, alums. It's truly a once in
a lifetime opportunity as an institution, and we can't wait
to activate throughout the whole month of December and beyond.

Speaker 2 (47:42):
That's Graham Neff speaking with the folks over the Yes Network.
Dabo Sweeney was also asked about Clempson's opportunity to be
in the Pinstripe Bowl, his eighteenth bowl game as Clemson's
head coach, and the host mentioned to him that he
heard that Dabbo was a big fan of Frank Sinatra.

Speaker 3 (48:00):
Yes for sure. Uh, yes, this is Uh, this is
a bowl that you know, I've have always kept my
eye on.

Speaker 5 (48:08):
I mean, what a what a unique opportunity to be
able to play a football game.

Speaker 3 (48:14):
In Yankee Stadium.

Speaker 5 (48:15):
Uh, so, you know, this is an opportunity that we
have not had in in my tenure as the head coach,
and so just really excited about taking our team. I
know we'll have a lot of kids on the team
that have never been in New York Uh, So for
them to have an opportunity to not only go to
an iconic city, but to play in a historic stadium

(48:39):
and with so much tradition, and also to bring Tiger
football up there where we have a huge alumni base.

Speaker 3 (48:47):
So just really excited about it.

Speaker 5 (48:48):
And then the fact that you get to play a
national power like Penn State is a really special opportunity.

Speaker 2 (48:57):
We also did get a chance to hear from Penn
State athletic director, though I will skip that. I'll let
you hear from Terry Smith, who's the interim head coach
as Penn State has hired Matt Campbell from Iowa State
and Terry Smith though played at Penn State and what
was it like for him to be able to guide
the team that he played for into a bowl game.

Speaker 6 (49:20):
Yeah, I'm super excited about the opportunity. Obviously a return
trip for myself to the Pinstrike Bowl. I was a
part of the twenty fourteen game. It was a memorable
moment for us as Penn State. Super thankful that I
have the opportunity to represent my university that I played for.

(49:43):
I was uniquely a part of the first time we
played against Clemson back in the Citrus Bowl of January
nineteen eighty eight, so we've only played him two times
and I'm like the common denominator to play in them.
Just looking forward to, you know, get into meet Coach Sweeney.

(50:05):
Have so much respect for him and his program that
he's run. He does it the right way. You know,
we're in such a volatile time in our game of
how to conduct business, and you know he's one of
the ones that has set the standard of how to
do it and get it done. So much respect there.
Just excited, you know, for our fan base that you know,

(50:28):
we obviously are very strong in the Northeast corridor and
then especially in New York City. Just looking forward to
such a matchup against a historic team of Clemson's nature.

Speaker 2 (50:41):
And I love the fact that Terry Smith, the interim
head coach at Penn State, played in that game against Clemson,
or was at least a part of that team when
the two met up in the Citrus Bowl, and he
was there from eighty seven to ninety one and was

(51:04):
a four year letter winner. Terry Smith back in the
day was known as Superfly, and during the nineteen ninety
one season, he posted a forty yard dash of a
four point four and I mean that is I'm telling you,

(51:24):
picking him up and putting them down. My buddy Tyres
would say, was it laser timed? Was it laser time Swanny.
I don't know if it was laser timed in nineteen
ninety one or not, but a four point four point
forty is putting them up. Man, You're getting after it.
And give Terry Smith credit, much like Dabosuenia. And it's

(51:44):
almost kind of surprising he didn't get this job given
how long he's been there. He's been an assistant at
Penn State since twenty fourteen. But the fact that this
team went three and three with him as the head
coach and earned a bowl game, I mean give him

(52:06):
a little credit for that. I will hear a little
bit more for the coaches in just a minute. One
other news item, though, that came across my desk earlier,
that I do want to get in here. Clemson University
President Jim Clements announced his retirement today and he will
retire officially on December the thirtieth, which is twelve years

(52:32):
to the day that he took the president job at Clemson.
He put out a letter but also tweeted that serving
Clemson University has been one of the greatest privileges of
my life. I'm incredibly grateful for the entire Clemson family
and for their support over the past twelve years, and

(52:52):
I look forward to supporting this great university in new ways.
That's Jim Clements. He also talked in the letter about
feeling like as much as the university meant to him.
He says, Clemson is more than the university. To me,
is home from the moment my family and I arrived.

(53:14):
You welcome us with warmth and generosity, Generosity, that sense
of community. The Clemson family has made this experience profoundly
meaningful and one I will cherish forever. He went on
to say, though, that for nearly seventeen years, I've had
the privilege of serving as a university president, a role
that has brought me immense purpose. But there comes a

(53:36):
time when health and family must take precedent. Clemson has
been my home and passion, Yet my greatest love is
for my wife, Beth, and our children and your grandchildren.
Life moves quickly, and I don't want to miss what
truly matters, the major milestones and the quiet everyday joys.
Those are the moments I want to experience and hold close.

(53:57):
And he goes on to say at the end, with
deep appreciation, Jim limits. So President Clements is out, and
from a football standpoint, again, he is. He is the
president under which Clemson orchestrated two national championship victories, sort

(54:23):
of like Dan Radykovich was the athletic director when Clemson
orchestrated those national championships under Dabo Sweeney. And I think
some people feel like Jim clements arrival from Jim Barker
was maybe part of the reason that Clemson took some

(54:43):
steps forward on the football side. Now, most people would
certainly credit Dabo Sweeney, and I think Terry Don Phillips
gets a lot of credit too, obviously for making the
higher of coach Sweeney. But one of the things I
would wonder, because there's a lot of scrutiny about this

(55:06):
Clemson Tiger program and what people have kind of labeled
the nepotism side of things with Clemson with all of
the names that are related, whether that's the Sweeney son's
being on staff and they're not making a ton of money,
but they're on staff and they're making good money, but

(55:26):
not a ton by comparison to what you can't make.
And you know, you've got former players that are on
the staff, and a lot of people are critical of
that as well. But the one that has always jumped
off the page for me more than anything else. Forget

(55:49):
the Sweeney Boys being on the staff or former players
being on the staff, Tyler Clements, Jim clements Son being
the director of recruiting for Clemson has always been one
that's kind of blown my mind a little bit. And

(56:10):
I don't know how you know how much Tyler knows
about recruiting and and all that it might be the
best in the business for all.

Speaker 3 (56:23):
I know, Hey, Tyler, I've listened to it for you.

Speaker 2 (56:26):
I couldn't help it, man, anytime I say that word Tyler,
now I have.

Speaker 5 (56:30):
I have been a part of failure many times, but
there ain't one thing in my life that I've ever
felled at Tyler.

Speaker 2 (56:38):
And so, like, I wonder if with Jim clements out,
is there going to be a change coming in terms
of the director of recruiting with Tyler Clements. I mean,
I know Jordan Sorels, who was in this capacity before,
who's now the general manager, was really good at it.
But is Tyler Clements there because of Eric or is

(57:01):
Tyler Clements in that position because of his name? I mean,
I think it's a valid question to ask. And now
that his dad's no longer the president. And I'm not
saying you just go, well, your dad's no longer the president,
you're out. But if you were holding keeping him around
because you were worried about the president of the school,

(57:25):
well this is your chance to make your move, because
I think Tyler sort of worked his way up. I
don't know if they have, we'll go to the website.
In his tenth season, helping guid Clemson his recruiting efforts.
His second as Director of Recruiting, assists with recruiting graphic, slash, video,

(57:46):
and communication plans on an annual basis. Along with day
to day recruiting department activities. He oversees all on campus
recruiting events such as official and unofficial visits and junior days.
Clements began his career as an intern during the twenty
That's what I'm saying, like he kind of worked his

(58:06):
way up, But we're gonna fire the president's son or
not hire him. No, he joined the program in a
full time capacity as coordinator for recruiting operations for the
twenty sixteen season and later served as the program's director
of on campus recruiting. He spent the twenty twenty two

(58:28):
to twenty twenty three seasons as director of Recruiting Strategy.
I mean, so that's his bio. So I mean, I
don't know, Clemson recruiting needs a kick in the pants.
I do feel that, and looking at the situation with

(58:50):
Jim Clements today, maybe this makes sense that this could
be a move that Clemson ends up making. Or maybe
he's spectacle, or maybe he's the best in the business.
I mean, he's probably not the worst in the business,
how about that? But anyway, all right, back to the
pen Stright Bowl. Penn State head coach Terry Smith was

(59:13):
ask about Zane Durant, who is opting out of the
bowl game. And again, we got a couple of clumps
and guys that are going pro. But here's Terry Smith
answering the question, do they expect more opt outs at
this point?

Speaker 6 (59:31):
Yeah, Zaane opted out. Zaye has meant a lot to
what we've done defensively here at Penn State. You know,
he anchored our defensive line. He's played tremendous football for us.
We've gotten great value from from zaying, you know, he
chose to move on. At this point, we're super happy
and we're super proud of him. At this point, he's

(59:53):
the only one that has opted out. We're just looking
forward to putting our best team forward and trying to
get ready for this this Clemson team that that creates
all kinds of challenges for us.

Speaker 2 (01:00:06):
The two coaches were both asked to respond to a
question about kind of giveing the preseason expectations for both teams.
How do how do the coaches kind of manage the
locker room and the players and keeping them not engaged
but excited, you know about this bowl game, et cetera.
Here's what Dabosweeney had to say to open it.

Speaker 5 (01:00:28):
I mean this coach Sweeney, I'll speak up. I mean,
it's a great opportunity. I think anytime you get a
chance to represent Clemson, represent Penn State, you know, it's
it's a special opportunity.

Speaker 3 (01:00:40):
And to be able to do it on a stage
like this.

Speaker 5 (01:00:43):
The penstright Bull presents for everyone, it's a it's a
unique experience.

Speaker 3 (01:00:48):
So super thankful that we.

Speaker 5 (01:00:50):
Get to play again, there's a lot of people not
getting to play, so thankful that we've earned the opportunity,
especially from where you know, we started our season certainly
did not have to start that we wanted, but you know,
these guys to finish well and they've earned the opportunity
to be here and just excited to be able to
play one more time.

Speaker 6 (01:01:11):
Yeah, I would echo those sentiments from coach Sweeney. We
have the opportunity to play at a historic venue, Yankee Stadium.
Like I said, I played there where we coached there
you know prior once before, and it's a great venue.
It's a great opportunity for our guys. Obviously, our year

(01:01:31):
hadn't gone the way we thought it would go from
the beginning. We went through the coach and change. I
took over mid season, and you know, right now we're
on a three game winning streak, just trying to you know,
piece together, trying to figure out how to win a
fourth game in a row. So it's a great opportunity
between two great historic programs Clemson University and Penn State University,

(01:01:56):
a lot of history between the two for our guys.
Were super excited and it's just a tremendous opportunity to
try to end this season on a high note.

Speaker 2 (01:02:08):
So they go a little bit from Dabo Sweeney and
Terry Smith ahead of their matchup in the Penn Strike
But we have a quick break, we'll come back. We'll
hear a little bit more from their press conference with
the media earlier today, as the Tigers and the Nitney
Lions will face off at noon on December the twenty seventh.
Lawton Swan Clemson's sports Suck on Tuesday, Davos Sweeny and
Terry Smith. Of course, Smith the head coach of Penn State,

(01:02:28):
the interim head coach as they've hired Matt Campbell. He'll
come in and start the year next season. But Dabosweeney
and Terry Smith meeting with the media earlier today, and
the two coaches were asking about how important you know,
this game was to him in terms of, you know,
getting a win given the potential staff changes that are
coming and players that are leaving the program, just kind

(01:02:49):
of how important is this game?

Speaker 5 (01:02:51):
Well, I mean, I think again, anytime anytime you take
the field, you know the goals to win the game.
So that's that's why we practice and prepare, and now
this is a tough challenge. I mean again, we were
we We've had a great finish, uh, you know, winning
our state championship, winning four in a row. You know,
everybody wants to take momentum. You know, one of our
goals is to win the closer. Uh So this is

(01:03:13):
the closer, and uh it just so happens we're playing
in Yankee Stadium to do it. And so I think
anytime you can finish your season with a win, uh,
it's it's a it's a great thing. And uh and
and the same for for Penn State. Uh So, you know,
a huge game, huge opportunity, and I know our team
will be excited about it.

Speaker 6 (01:03:34):
Yeah, as ultimate competitors, you know, the goal is always
to win, and we all know based on going into
the off season, the momentum of a victory into your
off season helps your off season workouts, your spring ball,
and how you approach next season. So we're looking forward
to trying to gain that momentum and can continue the

(01:03:58):
momentum of three game winning streak. Like I said before,
it's a tremendous opportunity for our guys and they're looking
forward to, you know, just enjoying our process of trying
to get better and win one more game.

Speaker 2 (01:04:09):
That was Terry Smith. Smith was also asked about and
this is kind of similar to what we were talking
about yesterday with Brent Prye. Priye was the head coach
at Virginia Tech got fired. He came from Penn State.
He worked under James Franklin. James Franklin gets the job
at Virginia Tech and rehires without a gap, first time

(01:04:31):
I know of in the history of college football rehires
the guy that did the job before. It brings him
Priye to be the defensive coordinator. Now flip that to
this situation. Terry Smith, the interim coach I mentioned earlier,
he played at Penn State and he is going to
stay on the staff and be a part of Matt

(01:04:52):
Campbells staff at Penn State. He was asked, why make
that decid Like, what's what goes into that?

Speaker 3 (01:04:57):
Now?

Speaker 2 (01:04:58):
That demusic no brainer? Right, Like I love this cool
is where I want to be, And I'm gonna be honest,
Like I know these guys get a lot of money,
and they may make a lot of money, but when
I think about packing my house, that stresses me. And
if I can stay where I'm at. I'm I just
want to stay where I'm at. But here's what Here's
what he had to say about sticking with the Penn

(01:05:18):
State staff.

Speaker 6 (01:05:21):
Yeah, you know my love for the university. I've expressed that,
you know, time after time. I love the university. I've
known Matt Campbell probably fifteen plus years when I was
a high school head coach at Gateway High School. Matt
was at that time the head coach at Toledo University
of Toledo. He recruited my high school. We went up

(01:05:43):
there and had done some seven on seven camps there
and just had a relationship with him. I've known him,
I know what he's about. At this point in my career,
I truly can only work for certain types of individuals,
and uh, you know where aligned at the point of
you know, he's blue collar, he creates toughness, discipline, and

(01:06:08):
you know, just the core values of what Penn State represents.
And I felt like he was the right leadership at
the time, and I wanted to stay a part of it.
And it's worked out for my family, and you know,
obviously I'm excited that Matt is welcoming me.

Speaker 7 (01:06:23):
To his staff.

Speaker 2 (01:06:25):
Clemson head coach Dabo Swiney was also asked about his
first trip to New York City. When was the first
time he went, because he had mentioned that several players
had never been to New York City and what was
that experience like for him.

Speaker 3 (01:06:40):
Man, my first trip to New York City.

Speaker 5 (01:06:45):
Would have probably been I think I went up with
my father in law for a Yankees game, probably when
I was about thirty, So.

Speaker 3 (01:06:59):
I mean it was a long time and I was
I was overwhelmed. I had never seen anything like it.
I was.

Speaker 5 (01:07:04):
I was completely overwhelmed and some amazing experience. And as
far as you know, what I'm looking forward to as
a part of this Bowl game is I'm really looking
forward to going to the nine to eleven Memorial the
Stock Exchange. That'll be a pretty cool experience. And uh so, yeah,

(01:07:26):
so I've been several times. I've I've been to a
few games at Yankee Stadium now and I actually have
in my office I have first base from Yankee Stadium
from back in twenty eighteen. So I've been to I've
been to a Next game, I've been to a Nets game.
So I love all the sporting events.

Speaker 7 (01:07:44):
And then.

Speaker 5 (01:07:46):
Probably uh, you know, some of my best memories from
New York going up when they used to have the
Draft at Radio City every year. I've been there several
times for that, and then I'm actually at the College
Football Hall of Fame event that's going to happen tonight.
This this event used to be in New York every
single year, so every December I would go up to

(01:08:07):
New York for a couple of days. So a lot
of good memories in the city, and we've actually recruited
a few kids from up there.

Speaker 2 (01:08:13):
Terry Smith, Penn State interim head coach, was also asked
about the fact that several players, you know, we're championing
for him to be the head coach, and you know
what did he do specifically to help them maybe rally
around Matt Campbell And what is this you know, six
seven eight week stretch that he's been the coach. You
know what's that been like for me personally?

Speaker 6 (01:08:34):
This has been the greatest seven weeks of my coaching career.
The opportunity to represent my alma mater and and sit
at the very top of it, try to salvage a
season that didn't start off the way we wanted. It
was a tremendous opportunity for me. The message that I
just gave our guys was we want to keep the
main thing the main thing, and that's playball. We used

(01:08:57):
an analogy of going into the pencil sharpener. You know,
you get a pencil, it's doll you can't write with it.
You go into the sharpener. You have to give some
of yourself to be able to produce a result and
to be able to write that pencil. And that's what
we hung our hat on. The process of the sharpener
was every day of practice, every day of sacrifice, every

(01:09:19):
day of giving of ourselves to come together as a team.
And the guys in the locker room they bought into it.
There was accountability. We watched practice as a team, good
and bad, and we addressed it to the team, good
and bad. So there was accountability into you know, how
we wanted to conduct our business, and they appreciated it.

(01:09:42):
I can't be thankful enough of our guys, our leadership
in the locker room. They allowed me to lead them.
You know, it turned out to be, you know, a
better ending than what the season started out.

Speaker 2 (01:09:54):
Quick break we got an update on clips and hoops
right after this, London swine clips and sports a bag
with you again. The Clemson Tiger basketball team coming up
tonight as they will take on top ten ranked BYU.
I wondered earlier if Clemson would wear some sort of patch,
and they have now tweeted that out. If you don't

(01:10:17):
follow Clemson men's basketball, they're on Twitter at Clemson MBB
and they tweeted out a photo that said honoring Elden
rest easy ec with a black heart, And it is
a black patch with a white script forty one or

(01:10:40):
maybe it's not script but a white forty one embroidered
on the shirts. And I believe they will be wearing
those the rest of the season again. Six thirty to night,
Madison Square Garden, the mecca Clemson basketball, playing against BYU

(01:11:01):
for the first time since the two met in the
NCAA Tournament. Oh man, right before take George ripped your
heart out. I mean that's what that was back in
the day. Love the graphic Clemson put out of the

(01:11:22):
guys down in the street in New York City and
talked about, like your first visit to New York City.
I haven't been in years. I've been twice and I
enjoyed it. You know, I'm not somebody that gets like
nervous or worried about the size of a town. Like

(01:11:43):
I know there are a lot of people like, oh,
you're gonna go get mugged. Well, you know, bad things happen,
there's drugs and blah blah blah all over the place,
or you know, people worry about stuff of that. I
don't even I don't care.

Speaker 7 (01:11:55):
Man.

Speaker 2 (01:11:56):
I've been to cities from coast to coast. I think
the most notable one though, for me is being in
San Francisco or Los Angeles and still feeling comfortable navigating
around after just going a couple of times. Like my
sense of direction, this is gonna be a little you know,

(01:12:20):
I don't want to toot my own horning, but too too.
My sense of direction is incredible, and I've always been
really good at navigating navigating towns once I've been around
at one time. I don't get stressed on the road,

(01:12:43):
I'll be honest. I think the biggest issue that I
have with like driving and traveling this day and age,
maybe more than anything, is the little GPS guy that's
helping me out sometimes makes it more difficult. I don't
know if y'all have noticed that before, but sometimes you
can't really tell what laying your little GPS guys telling
you to go in. You're kind of looking ahead on
the road and you're like, which ways he want me

(01:13:06):
to go? I've missed more turns in my life because
I'm looking and trusting that guy and trying to read
his emotions, like where's he sending me? Where's he sending me?
Eight zero three four five zero zero eighty six eight
don't forget Clemson Sportstal brought you in part by our

(01:13:27):
friends in Alumni Hall on the corner at campus on
College Avenue in downtown Clemson. It's Alumni Hall for all
your officially licensed Clemson merchandise hats, T shirts, Telgate, Gary Moore.
Go check them out online at Alumni Hall dot com
or in store downtown Clemson and let him know we

(01:13:50):
sent you.

Speaker 6 (01:13:50):
Now.

Speaker 2 (01:13:50):
We could talk a lot about Notre Dame today, but
where at the back end. I'm gonna roll that over.
I'm gonna roll over all my Notre Dame chatter till
tomorrow because I'm gonna go to South Carolina gamecock chatter.
And why not, because you know we got Gamecock fans
hanging out with us and peeking over the fence, so.

Speaker 4 (01:14:09):
You could continue to peek over the fence at the
best radio showing the.

Speaker 2 (01:14:13):
Naked that's the late great Cleveland man dropping that dime
on the game cock. So well, South Carolina dropped this
dime on college football. And we talked about Dabo Sweeney
and Shane Beemer being similar. Well now they currently both
have offensive coordinators whose previous stop was TCU. Kendall Briles,

(01:14:37):
it has now been reported, will be South Carolina's next
offensive coordinator coming over from TCU. The one thing though
that has stood out to South Carolina fans about it,
and look, I I mean if five years ago, whatever,
three years ago, when Clemson was hiring an offensive coordinator,

(01:15:00):
if his name had been Kendall Briles and instead of
Garrett Riley, I probably would have been excited too if
I was South Carolina fans or Clemson fans in that moment.
I think offensive coordinator hires are exciting and fun. It's
just the nature of that job. That's part of the
reason we love having Chad Morris on every week. But

(01:15:23):
if you are South Carolina fans, if you've gone into
the comments section on any of these posts, whether they're
from national outlets or from outlets that covered TCU. One
of the things you will notice is that TCU fans

(01:15:45):
are happy about it. TCU fans are like, yes, finally
he's gone. And I think that if you are a
South Carolina fan, would be the thing that would, you know,
make you raise your eyebrows. But here's what I will
say to that. Much like when we talked about Khalil

(01:16:07):
Barnes just a little bit ago, some fans are gonna say, man,
I wish that guy would have stuck around. We really
needed him depth I think he could have still been
a good player. And others will say, you know, audios,
they're good with you. You know, they're good with you
being gone, And that's fandom. There are some people at

(01:16:28):
TCU that I have no doubt, are excited that Kendall
Brows is gone. But for everyone that's excited that he's gone,
there are probably just as many who are sad that
he is gone. But Barstool game Cocks did see it

(01:16:50):
and they were like, why are TCU fans rejoicing in
the comments? And that's the thing. What is it about
this offense that they didn't like? At TCU? Under brills.
That makes them happy that he's gone. And I know
people at Clemson thinking about Garrett Riley. Could Garrett Riley

(01:17:14):
make a return to TCU. That would be an interesting nugget.
But there's also a ton of interest from Coastal Carolina
as well. So we'll see what happens with that situation.
All right, quick break, we'll come back. We'll put the
ball on the show right after this.

Speaker 7 (01:17:34):
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? Always are the same. We win.

Speaker 2 (01:18:46):
Final segment on a Tuesday afternoon Clemson Sports Salon and
swan again. Man, we are under under an hour forty
five minutes or so from tip off of Clemson and BYU.
Big matchup for the Tigers tonight, the Jimmy B Classic

(01:19:08):
up in New York City. Clemson seven and two BYU
seven and one. And let's not forget the Tigers played
pretty well on the road at a very good Alabama team.
Even though they got down by nineteen, they stormed back

(01:19:28):
and actually took the lead in that game, had a
chance to win it. And that's really all you can
ask for when you go on the road, even if
it's in the ACC SEC Challenge, when you're facing off
against a very good Alabama team. And I would venture
to guess that that Alabama team's considered a national seed.
I think most people would expect them to finish or

(01:19:50):
to be in the NCAA Tournament, probably at like in
one of the top four seeds for sure, right, A
lot of veterans on that ball club, and you go
out there and play well against them, that's really all
you can ask for. And so I think tonight neutral
site game, this is much more similar in my mind

(01:20:12):
to what we would, you know, talk about an NCAA
tournament game, because these two teams are meeting on the
neutral site and the stadium will be, I would imagine
very neutral. I have no idea. I'm sure if you're
a Tiger fan in New York, this is this is

(01:20:32):
an exciting couple of weeks for you because you could
go watch your Tigers play basketball today and then in
a few weeks you can go watch your football team
play a Yankee stadium for Tigers, for Tigers in that area.
I mean, this has to be just a great couple

(01:20:53):
of weeks. I mean, how often do you really get
to see Clemson play.

Speaker 3 (01:20:59):
And so.

Speaker 2 (01:21:01):
We'll see if they could kind of continue to play
as good as they have been. As I noted here
on the show. And I know people are critical of
Zach Foster late in that game because of the way
he played at Alabama with some misshots, but dude, that
guy's gonna get it, and when he does, look out
like right now, Clemson is very balanced, but he's one
of your better scorers, specifically at the guard spot. Clemson

(01:21:25):
Ledden scored by R. J. Godfrey averaging twelve point one
points per game. Then you got Carter Welling, the junior,
averaging ten point six. This is where that balance for
Clemson comes into play. Justin Porter, the graduate transfer guard
averaging ten point two. Dylan Hunter, another veteran, averaging nine

(01:21:47):
point two points per game. Then you've got Jake Walleen
at eight points per game. He's a kid from Utah.
Wrote an article about him on the website today, tyree
Ingram did go check that out? As he's matching up
against BYU sort of a homecoming rivalry for him. Nick

(01:22:11):
Davidson also averages eight points per game. Then you've got
Zach Foster averaging seven point eight and Ace Buckner averaging
seven point seven.

Speaker 7 (01:22:25):
So what is that?

Speaker 2 (01:22:27):
Ace Buckner seven point seven, Carter Welling one, two, three, four, five,
six seven. Eight guys on this team averaging nearly eight
points or more per game. I mean that's good. Now,
you don't have somebody averaging eighteen, you don't have somebody

(01:22:49):
averaging twenty five. But you got eight guys that at
any moment can give you a few buckets. And clymps
has got the ability to do a couple of things.
One that can run these different groups out at you
in different you know, different combinations of guys, which is
really good. But number two, let's say you have a

(01:23:10):
guy that goes out. Let's say that Justin Porter goes
out and hits back to back threes real quick. Well,
now you don't have to maybe feel like you got
to work in Ace Buckner real soon, or switch it
and say that Porter's a little bit cold early. You
put in Buckner and let's say he knocks down a
couple of threes and picks up a you know, a
drive and a foul and now he's got nine points,

(01:23:32):
and you're like, Okay, we'll stick with the freshman, fellow,
the red shirt freshman for a little bit. Like there's
some things that Brad Brownell. There are some things that
I think Brad Brownell can do with this team that
he hasn't been able to do with some of the
other teams. As a matter of fact, even though he
used the portal, I think this is the deepest team

(01:23:53):
he's had. And in those numbers, we didn't even bring
up Budda Johnson, who I would venture to guess by
the end of the season another senior. I bet Budda
Johnson's averaging close to ten points per game. I really
like the group that Brad Brownell has assembled. And here's

(01:24:17):
something else about these guys. I think they play hard.
I think, you know, Clemson grit, all that stuff. I
think these guys, you know, Dabosweeny tries to find the
right pieces in football, and I think Brad Brownell has
found the right pieces in basketball. We'll see how it
works out tonight against a top ten opponent, but I
would expect it to be a really good game. I'm

(01:24:37):
not guaranteeing a Clempson win, but I bet they'll be
in the fight. All right. We gotta get out of here.
We'll be back tomorrow at four o'clock. Until then, it's
always I'll take care now and go Tigers.