The "Prove It To Me Mindset" Edition

Lots of content from the floor in Charlotte, plus TJ Pittinger joins the show to talk about Florida State's expectations.

Episode Transcript

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

(00:45):
Clemson Sports Talk has come back two drive time. Hello everybody,
long and Swan back in the saddle once again. It
is the show that Shakes the south Land. Clemson Sports
Talk for you each other afternoon as you make your
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(01:07):
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That's Clemson Sports Talk dot Com, a O three four
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(01:29):
you can be a part of the program anytime, any place,
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(01:52):
as well. All right, out of the gates here on
a Wednesday afternoon, we jump into an interview that we
did on the floor at the ACC kickoff. We wrapped
up the program yesterday talking about the Florida State Seminoles,
talking about their schedule, the possibilities that maybe exist for

(02:13):
them even if they lose their opener to Alabama. And
I don't think it's a certainty by any means, because
of some of the hurdles they have along the way,
including the Miami Hurricanes, the fact that a year ago
they flat out flatlined nearly each and every week going

(02:35):
two to ten. The conversations in the way the tenor
of the conversations went at the ACC kickoff, watching and
listening to their head coach, Mike Norvel. But there isn't
off chance that they could enter that Clemson game in

(02:56):
early November seven and one that game of course on
the road at Clempson, But that would still be a
tall task. But I do feel like in the pecking
order of the Atlantic Coast Conference that I put out
or I gave you as I kind of went through

(03:17):
my predicted order of finish, while I had Miami second
in the league, every other team that Florida State will
play betwixt the Alabama game on August thirtieth and the
Clemson game on November the eighth. Every game in between

(03:40):
that Florida State I personally have ranked lower than the
Seminoles in the Atlantic Coast Conference. And so with that
being said, there is a distinct possibility that they could
certainly be six and two coming into the Clemson game,

(04:04):
and possibly seven and one with a singular loss to Alabama. Now,
how that Alabama game plays out at this point is
certainly up in the air. And can you imagine if
the Seminoles somehow found a way to pull an upset.
That's a three point thirty start on ABC the Knowles

(04:25):
plus thirteen and a half points in that game coverage
on ABC from Dope Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee. Florida State
absolutely abysmal a year ago. Looking back at it, it
was quite frankly, even worse than what you might remember

(04:48):
a fourteen to nine victory over cal And that I
will tell you was barely They nearly lost that game,
you might recall, to nine over Cal and forty one
to seven over Charleston Southern, and it took a touchdown

(05:10):
in the fourth quarter as Florida State trailed nine to
seven in order to win that game, and I feel
like I need to go back into the back into
the archives here, but I feel like, yeah, Cal had
a missed field goal at one point after they were

(05:32):
down fourteen to nine. I think they also had another
play that went against them where they were threatening. Again,
I just don't I have not watched that game since
it took place, but I think there were a couple
of games, a couple of plays where they were threatening
and the Cal Bears couldn't get it done well. Florida

(05:55):
State with just those two wins last season over Cal.
In Charleston Southern. We sat down at the acc Get
Golf with TJ. Pittinger, who covers the Florida State Seminoles.
Here's that interview from last week. Obviously, I think about
the season that they had a year ago, where expectations
are really pretty high. At this moment, Dj Leunglos coming

(06:19):
into quarterback, then you have a two to ten season. Obviously,
on Wednesday, had a chance to see Mike Norvel and
the team making the rounds. What's kind of the feeling
or the tenor for the Florida State Seminole faithful TJ
as it get geared up for this season.

Speaker 2 (06:34):
Well, you mentioned you try to think about last year.
I try to not think about last year. I think
I think most people in our shoes are are trying
to ignore that.

Speaker 3 (06:43):
Man.

Speaker 2 (06:43):
I think it's I think it is. There's very cautious optimism,
but still like you've got to prove it to me mindset,
from the from the fan base, from you know, the
media that covers it. Just listen. We want to believe.
We want to believe that Florida State can get back
to where they were a couple of years ago. But
at the same time, like last year happened, and that's
you know, nobody's going to now they go beat Bama

(07:05):
or something like that to open the year. It'll help
heal a lot of wounds. But I think it's just
so much wait and see. I think Florida State. I
told this to somebody else. I think Florida State is
the toughest team to project in college football this season.
Like you just have no clue. We've never seen such
a high high and a low low. There's fifty one
new players on this roster between the signing class and
the portal. There's five new coaches, there's a new O coordinator,

(07:27):
new decordinator, Like, how do you project all of that?

Speaker 4 (07:29):
Right?

Speaker 2 (07:30):
I mean, you know, Vegas has the hardest job in
the world to try and set spreads and stuff right
now and over under win totals. So I think most
of the mindset is, Hey, we want to be excited,
we want to buy in. We like Mike Norvella as
a person, but man, we just need to see.

Speaker 1 (07:43):
It on YouTube double for us, no slogo following TJ
petten you're joining us here from the ACC kickoffs. So
with that, like I think back, you know, go back
two years and you're thirteen to oh and the college
football playoff and everything the conversations, and it felt like
and I'm sure it felt like this in Tallahassee and

(08:03):
for fans around the country that followed Florida State.

Speaker 2 (08:05):
Like we're back, baby, yeah.

Speaker 1 (08:07):
And so when you have that in what you just
talked about the follow up with A two and ten,
I mean, I gotta imagine, like there's some people in
the fan base that are like fragile on like thin
ice with Norville, and then there's got to be some
other people that say, no, no, no, what we saw
two years ago can be the norm. Where do you
think most of those fans follow or maybe where where

(08:29):
do you kind of follow somebody that covers them.

Speaker 2 (08:31):
Yeah, I think more people fall. I mean, you know
how fans are, right, they're soap. I mean, everybody hates
their own team, and so I think more people fall
toward the pessimistic side, really, because that's just where it's been. Also,
you know, the two years that Mike went on where
they won ten games and thirteen games were amazing, and
they were great and it was great to see them,

(08:51):
you know, use his word, climb up to where they
think Florida State should be. But at the end of
the day, he's had three losing seasons in five years,
and if he was to have an other one this year,
if they would go five and seven or six and
seven los a Bowl game something like that, that would be
four losing seasons in six years. And you know, though
the highs were really really high, that was an apparition

(09:13):
from what's been the norm, right, And so I think
that most people skew on the side of more negative.
They're kind of down on his recruiting, which you know
has not been elite by any means. It's been very
average for Florida state, and so I think a lot
of people skew towards the negative. However, they do understand that, man,
as quickly as things went south last year, they could

(09:33):
go back north this year. And so there's that understanding.
But there's also this man who knows if we're even
close to those the Miamis and the Clemsons and the
Florida's and Bamas of the world right now. And so
I think a lot of people skuw pretty negatively right now.
I'm probably somewhere in the middle. Like I don't think
everybody is just jumping off the ledge fire him today,

(09:54):
but I do think that more people are like, man,
I don't know about this guy after last year. Last
year was just so far down the hole, Like if
they'd have gone six and six, we'd all been disappointed.
But to win two, man, like that, that's just I mean,
you could you can't even imagine that before the season.

Speaker 1 (10:10):
Is no, that's I mean, I think I think in
my life actually, when I was in college at Clemson,
they had a three and eight season, and I remember,
I think it was nineteen ninety eight and the coach
was fired, and so like when you put up that
kind of year, like you could admit what issues maybe
you had at quarterback, et cetera, et cetera. But there

(10:31):
are plenty teams, plenty of teams that Florida State played
a year ago that Florida State was just from top
to bottom better in terms of talent, and that's a
that's a problem. And I don't want to believe, Okay,
I don't want to believe this because even though I'm
a guy that covers Clemson and we focus so much
on the Tigers, I don't want to believe this. But
I will be open with you TJ and say, when

(10:53):
when Florida State went down to that Orange Bowl against
Georgia and had so many guys opting out, and I thought,
you know, like I also don't find myself being like
the ra ra acc guy, but I thought that was
a big moment for Florida State to go prove that, hey,
even though you left us out of the College Football Playoff,
we're good enough to go beat Georgia. And then you

(11:15):
had so many guys opt out, and Jordan had some
guys opt out too, But then the final result and everything,
I mean, are there is it possible that when people
would say, oh, maybe that carried over. I mean, is
that even a possibility that the culture blah blah blah,
you know what I'm saying.

Speaker 2 (11:34):
I think I think it's it's probably some aspect of it.
I think it's probably a little bit less than anything.
I think the biggest factor is when you had all
those guys opt out because they were going to the
NFL or they were done playing football in the night
after that game, it was a bigger issue to say, hey,
that's our roster next year. Like that, that was the issue.

(11:55):
The culture side of things. Okay, yes, is a problem
to me in a very light way. I also don't
fault anybody that opted out, But the biggest issue was, like,
those were your guys that you were gonna have to
go out and try and win with next year. And
Georgia is a different animal, and they certainly felt like
they got spurned too winning where they win twenty eight
twenty nine games in a row and then they lose
one game and get left out. Georgia felt like they

(12:15):
had something to prove as well. And but yeah, you
look at that game and you're like, these are the
guys that are gonna have to go compete and so
that to me, that was the biggest carryover is Yeah,
those guys that played against Georgia were the same ones
that went out and win to and ten. Maybe it's
not that big of a shock that I mean, it
still is a shock when you lose to Memphis and
Duke and things like that. But I think that's the
biggest shock. Is are the biggest carryover is yeah, those

(12:36):
were the same guys. I mean, maybe we shouldn't be
shocked at to inten they lost by the most points
any team's ever lost by in a bowl game.

Speaker 1 (12:42):
Double fries, no slaw. That's the show. TJ. Pittens. You're
hanging out with U year at the ACC kickoff. So
let's turn our attention a little bit to offseason Highers
and Gus maus On And I don't ever want to
think that a coach. I know that the Malson and
Norvale have a prior relationship, et cetera. I don't ever
want that they you're hiring your replacement. But I got
a feeling if Florida State starts off, you know, I

(13:05):
think fifteen and a half point underdogs against Alabama. If
they look worse than that, I think fans will be
pretty perturbed. I mean, at some point along the way,
some people might look at Malson's track record, what he's
done in the past at Auburn, etc. Might go and
maybe that's the guy.

Speaker 5 (13:19):
Or even more so maybe for Norvelle, if the offense
is like through the roof, people might.

Speaker 1 (13:24):
Still look and go, hey, maybe that's the guy. Like
it's a weird situation, but he's got he had to
do something.

Speaker 2 (13:30):
Yeah. I've tried to think that through my mind, like
if if a you know, because when they move on
from norvel if there's if they move on from him
and they're still like saying the acc right, or they
haven't left for greener pastors, they don't have just some
they don't have some insane bag of money to go
hire an elite coach or something like that. Would you
maybe look to August Malzan or you know, a Nick

(13:51):
Saban that is being rumored right now, But would you
maybe look to a Gus Malzan to kind of be
your transition guy for three or four years and then
move you on somewhere else. And to me, if the
offense is good, I can't imagine this scenario where that
would actually happen though, because if the offense is really good,
I think they're gonna win too many games because their
schedule outside of those Big four Alabama, Clemson, Miami and Florida.

(14:14):
If their offense is good, even if the defense is bad,
they're still gonna win a lot of games, right, And
so I can't. But if the offense is bad and
that's why they're losing, then obviously you're not going with
Gus there. So you know, I struggled to find the
specific scenario where the offense would look good enough but
they wouldn't win enough games, things would gel on one
side and not the other. You'd have to get really

(14:35):
really specific for it to work out. But I mean,
I agree, I think you had to make I mean,
you had to go to somebody you trusted that was
in your vein enough to where it wasn't a total
departure from what Mike Norvell does, And though Malson is different,
I think it made a lot of sense from that respect.
I think also made a lot of sense to just
bring in somebody who had competed and won at the

(14:55):
highest level to be like, hey man, we gotta get
this looking like Florida State again. Come help us do
that you've coached at UCF, you've coached at Auburn, you
won a lot, help us get it back on the
right track. But I mean, I mean, I was. I
was sitting in a bar before the Florida game. It
was the Saturday after Thanksgiving, and I got the text
of what was happening like two minutes before it, you know,

(15:15):
broke nationally and I was just like, that's a somebody's
joking with me. Like that completely shocked me. And then
I saw you know, Famil and Staples and all that
everybody else like tweeting, and I was like, holy crap,
that's really real. So I don't know, I'm very interested
to see how it works out. I'm not a I'm
not a gust denier by any means, but I want
to see it. Their offenses at UCF were good at

(15:36):
times but also kind of mid at times. So better
athletes for sure at Florida State. But I'm very interested
to see how it works. And you know, he's been
very successful, but a lot of that success happened, you
know with the great one of the greatest college football
players ever and Cam Newton run the show. You know,
I wonder what it looks like this many years removed.

Speaker 1 (15:55):
Yeah, somebody was talking about Cam Newton the other day.
I think on that offense Auburn, I want to say
they said nobody else made it to the NFL. I
think it was ten guys that didn't even make it
to the NFL.

Speaker 2 (16:06):
You ever go back and like, if you're just bored
for anybody listening, go back and watch like Auburn was
that eleven twenty eleven highlights? Like he truly did, like
just yeah, I'm gonna go win this game. Yeah, like
it was.

Speaker 1 (16:16):
Clemson had them down seventeen to three at the half,
and I thought, now it was on the road in
Auburn on the planes, you know, and I thought for sure.
I was like, man, there's no way these guys are
coming back. And then he did.

Speaker 2 (16:26):
He's he was unreal, man, he really was. I'd love
if he had one more year of eligibility.

Speaker 1 (16:30):
Well you got a guy now I see on the
ACC kickoff stuff, Tommy Castellanos. I'm always called Thomas, but yeah,
name change is that change? But you know he's a
versatile guy.

Speaker 5 (16:43):
Yeah, and Gus Malzon's gonna probably take advantage of that versatility.

Speaker 1 (16:48):
You talked about the four big games. Obviously Alabama, Clempson, Florida,
Florida State, and that's maybe the biggest problem is eight
and four is where they could end up. But that
would be in the mind's eye of a lot of
their fan base. They would say, you didn't beat anybody. Yeah,
and that's that's a tough place to be. They go

(17:09):
the front end of our conversation with TJ. Pittinger and
I kind of go through Florida State's schedule with him,
and again, I think they can I'm gonna dive into
this and a minute. I think they can beat Miami.
I think they can beat Florida. I don't think that
they will beat those teams. I don't believe they'll beat

(17:30):
Alabama or Clemson. And so that's kind of the tenor
of our next conversation and their head coach and starting quarterback,
Tommy Castellanos. I don't know when Thomas became Tommy, but
Tommy Castellanos at the ACC kickoff was asked last week

(17:55):
if his confidence was rattled at the end of his
Boston College career because there were some narratives out there
that he quit on the team. Castellanos told ESPN whatever
Bill O'Brien said or is out there he got binched
or he quit, that's not true. Only the people in
that room know what went down legally and personally know

(18:18):
the true story. Castellanos is hinted that a disagreement over
an injury played a part in the split with his
head coach at Boston College, but when asked by ESPN
to expound on the situation, Castellanos declined instead, saying he
was focusing on winning at Florida State. He went on
to say, I know what I'm capable of, and I

(18:40):
love and what I've done and what I'm going to
do this year with the right team that's going to
support me and let me be myself and be happy
and play and be loose. O'Brien, head coach of Boston College,
rejected the notion that the Eagles coaches failed Castellanos, saying

(19:00):
the quarterback's decision to leave last season was entirely his.
O'Brien said this on Thursday. Tommy can think what he wants.
We support, We supported the heck out of Tommy. We
coach Tommy, We taught Tommy, I wish him the best.
We went with Grayson, we told Castellanos. The team needs
you come back and compete and win your job back.

(19:21):
It's called life. LFE deal with adversity. He's fine. He's
the starting quarterback at Florida State. It worked out well.
I wish him the best. So that's what Bill O'Brian said.
He didn't say heck, he didn't say we supported the
heck out of Tommy. But you know this show, never
in its history have we ever dropped any bomb on

(19:43):
the air, even the most insignificant of bombs. If you're
picking up what I'm putting down, we come back. We
wrap up our conversation from the Floor with TJ. Pittinger,
who covers the Florida State sim Rocking and Rolling on
a Wednesday, Clemson's Sports Talk again our interview from the
Floor or the ACC kickoff with TJ. Pittinger talking about
the Seminoles and their expectations. We got just a few

(20:05):
more minutes of I think they can beat Florida. I
think they could beat Miami. I'm not sure they'll beat
Alabama or Clemson this year. But I mean, what do
you say if they go eight and four and those
are the four losses? Did he do enough? Because I've
had some people say they didn't think that would be enough.

Speaker 2 (20:23):
Yeah, I mean eight and four. I would almost take
my life on that eight and four will get it
to be enough year. Like he's not getting fired if
they go eight and four. But I said this to
somebody else too. If they go eight and four, all
things considered, not not for the standard at Florida State,
but that would be a good year at eight and four.
But for the fan base to be happy, I think

(20:44):
they got to get to nine wins. They got to
beat one of those four teams. And I don't think
the fan base cares who it is. They'd love to
beat Bama Open, they love to beat Clemson on the road.
They love to beat one of the rivals, absolutely, But
for you to feel good about it, I think you
got to get to nine regular season And you know
the problem is they're not as talented top to bottom
roster as any of those four teams. They just aren't right,

(21:06):
and so you're you're gonna have to go upset somebody
or upset somebody at home. Miami's probably their best shot,
but eight and four would pacify and make next year
a real prove it year. But for the fan base
to feel good. I think you got to get to
nine wins.

Speaker 1 (21:22):
Do you think that would be enough?

Speaker 5 (21:23):
At with two losses in the league, you think they'd
be here in Charlotte and in the ACC Championship.

Speaker 1 (21:28):
I think it'd be close. But what do you think?

Speaker 2 (21:30):
Yeah, I mean if they if they beat Miami, then possibly,
you know, if they beat Clemson, I don't know, they'll
probably lose another you know, Clemson probably won't take another
ACC loss. So you're kind of like trying to figure
out like the tie breakers and who plays there. You know,
last year you had three teams undefeated until like what
three weeks left in the year, and that made it
tough for a lot of scenarios and stuff. I don't

(21:51):
know if two conference losses will get it done, you know.
I mean the best case scenario for two conference losses
would be to beat Miami and Clemson and then lose
to somebody's dad, because then you have tie breakers. And
but I really think, I mean, I'm high on a
lot of ACC teams. I think Miami schedule sets up
really well, having to play a Florida State team that
we know nothing about. I think, you know, they don't

(22:11):
have to play Clemson, they get Louisville at home. They
don't play Georgia Tech, which has been a thorn in
their side. So I think Miami's gonna win a lot
of games. I think Louisville's gonna win a lot of games.
I know they play, you guys, they play Clemson at home,
So it would be tough for me to think two
losses would get them there. I don't think it's the
craziest thing that could happen. But the problem is those
two losses are probably gonna be teams that they need
tie breakers against. Yeah, so if they have two losses,

(22:31):
Clemson'll get in over them. If they have two losses,
Miami will get in over them. That's what's where it's tough.
I mean, one loss would probably almost certainly get them
here without wide open the league is, but I think
two would be pretty tough.

Speaker 6 (22:41):
You know.

Speaker 1 (22:42):
The thing from the Clemson standpoint that I know everybody
nationally is I've kind of had to try to calm
the expectations. But like Clemson plays SMU, Clemson plays Louisville,
Clemson plays at Georgia Tech Week three, and I think
those teams have a legitimate chance to be three of
the top six teams in the conference, you know, and

(23:03):
that doesn't even include Florida State as being a team
that Clemson's gotta play anyway.

Speaker 2 (23:07):
Not me, I'm trying to HiPE you guys up. Cade's
my QB one and not even in a joking, Like,
I really am high on Clemson this year and I
think they're gonna be really good. Not to you know,
butt of the fan base up, but I do think
Clemson has a chance to be really really good. I
like their defense. I'm a huge Tom Allen fan. He's
actually from Tampa, where I'm from. So I think that
they're gonna be really good, and it's probably the game

(23:29):
I'm least confident. I think I have a better chance
of being BAMA thank Clemson this year.

Speaker 1 (23:32):
Well, I'll say this, I have been surprised, more so
than after winning the championship in twenty sixteen, more so
than after going undefeated in twenty eighteen. I really believe
there's more talk about Clemson being great now than there
was when Trevor Lawrence and travesse Ctmore on the roster,
and that kind of blows my mind a little bit.

Speaker 2 (23:54):
Yeah, But I like Kate a lot. I think the
defense will be a lot better. I know that was
the thorn last year, but their wide receivers are insane
moors from Tampa to Yeah, yeah, he's insane. So I
think they're gonna be good, you know, to the detriment
of FSU fans. But I do think they're gonna be
really good this year.

Speaker 5 (24:13):
Double fries, no slog. Go check it out on YouTube.
TJ Pittinger, TJ Man, have a safe trip home. Always
appreciate you, thanks, buddy.

Speaker 1 (24:20):
So some quality stuff there on the Florida State Seminoles,
and thinking about what I said before the break, you know,
about the line where Bill O'Brien and the fact that
in my years on the air, I've never once said
anything remotely what somebody might call a cuss word or
swear word. Nothing close. One of the things that he

(24:44):
got me realizing is that somehow my twelfth year anniversary
on this program came and went while I was on
vacation a couple of weeks ago. Not my twelfth year
on this program. That's not fair. My twelve year on
the airwaves at iHeart has come and gone a dandy dozen,

(25:06):
if you will. And back in the back in the
olden days of the show. I would reset some of
the quality conversations and calls that we had in the past.
Some people, as I always noted here, some game Cocks

(25:28):
really liked the show at the beginning.

Speaker 4 (25:31):
I'm a Carolina fan.

Speaker 5 (25:32):
I would listen to your show, and I want to
compliment you on your even handedness between Clemson and Carolina.

Speaker 1 (25:39):
But not every game Cocks always liked the show.

Speaker 5 (25:41):
I listened to sports talk radio all over the nation,
but the one do You Come Across?

Speaker 4 (25:46):
Makes me sick.

Speaker 5 (25:47):
You're gonna find yourself not on the radio, and so
what I'm gonna have to do.

Speaker 1 (25:56):
I'm gonna have to do a little digging, and I'm
gonna have to see if I can find some of
the old lips maybe maybe Friday, and piece together some
sort of anniversary edition of the show that shakes the
south Land because the fans deserve it. We got college
football looming and it's time to hop in that time

(26:21):
machine and bring back some of the old classics. So
I'm gonna do what I can on Friday to see
if we can't get some of that, we'll have We'll
have a live audio too. Don't worry but a dandy

(26:41):
dozen years on the air. Unbelievable. I don't know where
the time went. Quite frankly, I have no idea where
the time went. All right? Eight O three four five
zero zero eighty six. That is the text on in
the phone line. I do want to hear from more
of you on the program. This college football is speak
a little louder, but I'm have to my phone. I

(27:03):
want to hear your thoughts. And if you are listening
to the podcast, call in eight oh three four or
five zero zero eighty six and just leave us a message.
We'll get you on the program. We'll get your hot
takes on this show.

Speaker 4 (27:18):
I think that your time is done, and I think
that the spotlight should go on top of me.

Speaker 1 (27:24):
Yeah, stay with us here Fox Sports Radio, Lawton Swan
back with you on a Wednesday afternoon. Don't forget about
our friends in Alumni Hall on the corner of campus
on College Avenue, right there in downtown Clemson. For all
your officially licensed Clempson merchandise, hats, t shirts, tell gay gearmore,
go check them out today. It's Alumni Haul where Tiger

(27:48):
fans shop, also online at alumni haul dot com. Don't
forget to ask them. If you're in store and your
Clemson student, faculty member or in the military, let them
know so you can get a ten percent discount that's
in store only at Alumni Hall. So yesterday we talked
about kay Clubnick, and Antonio Williams being named to the
twenty twenty five Maxwell Award watch List. That Maxwell Award

(28:13):
goes to the top player in college football. To returning
semi finalists include Kate Clubnick, San Diego Pavia from Vanderbilt.
Clemson of course represented twice as I mentioned moments ago,
but Leonora Sellers from South Carolina also on that list well.

(28:35):
The Outland Trophy watch list also came out recently by
the Football Writers' Association and that features two Tigers, including
Blake Miller and Peter Woods. They recognized fifty returning interior
linemen on both sides of the ball, and again both

(28:59):
Peter Woods and Blake Miller making the cut for the
Clemson Tiger. The award's eightieth winner will be selected from
players representing at least thirty five different programs, and the
recipient will be announced at the Home Depot College Football
Awards Friday, December twelfth on the ESPN. The official presentation
will take place in January out in Omaha, Nebraska. Now

(29:26):
two teams feature three players on the list. Alabama with
offensive tackle Caden Procter you remember him from his transfer
Saga Parker Brailsford, a center at Alabama, and offensive guard
Jaden Roberts, meaning three of Alabama's five offensive line starters
making the cut. Also, Oregon has three players on the list,

(29:51):
all three from the offensive line. Emmanuel Pregnant a guard,
Ipana Lalulu a center, and Isaiah World offensive tackle. But
those are the only programs Oregon and Alabama that have
three players on the list. A lot of programs have

(30:14):
to mentioned Clemson obviously, Florida, Penn State, Texas A, and
m Notre Dame. So there are several Ohio states another
one that has a couple of names on the Outline
Award watch list. As that gets cranked up more of
the watch list, we are in watch list season and

(30:36):
that goes to the best interior offensive lineman in college football.
There are sixteen guards and fifteen offensive tackles on the
list to go along with ten defensive tackles and nine centers.
And it's the first time since twenty twelve that guards
actually lead the way in player selections. Now. Additionally, today

(30:57):
is also a big day Clemson because it is way
in day, the Big wigh in to be specific. And
one of the things we're gonna try to do this
season is go through and do our best to go

(31:19):
through and where we can with players who are already
on the roster. I want to have a up and
down you know, plus six, minus four, whatever that number
looks like for those guys from where they were allegedly
last year. Now, I can't guarantee it. Sometimes I feel
like over the year's Clemson has done that, but we're
definitely gonna try to get those numbers together and out

(31:42):
to you as well. Now, in addition to that award,
there are several others that have come out. We will
quickly dive into the fact that three Clemson Tigers did
make the release of the Bronco Nigersky Award as well,

(32:04):
Avion Terrell, Peter Woods, and TJ. Parker. Now, the Bronco
Nigersky Award is presented annually to the nation's top defensive player,
and so those three guys, two of which we talked
to at the ACC kickoff in Woods and Parker, and

(32:25):
we're currently in the midst. If you don't follow us
on TikTok, I would encourage you too, because we are
slowly rolling out the interviews and videos that we did
with guys like Peter Woods and TJ. Parker and Antonio
Williams and k KLUBC and Dabo Sweeney. And the reason
we're rolling it out like that is because I think,

(32:50):
as much as I know you've heard those audio clips
here on the program, sometimes it's really nice to see
the players and how they react to it. So the
Football Writers Association of America announcing those three Clemson defensive
players Abiantorell, Peter Woods, and TJ. Parker are a part

(33:11):
of that list. For the South Carolina game Cocks defensive
end Dylan Stewart the lone name from South Carolina on
the Bronco Bronco Nagirsky preseason watch list. So as those
awards continue to come out, we will have them listed

(33:33):
and up on Clemson sports Talk dot com so that
you can take a look over the full list, see
the other names, et cetera. As we get closer and
closer to kick off of the college football season, and
as soon as Clemson puts out, well, I don't want
to say as soon as but when it is released,

(33:55):
when I can get my grubby little hands on, then
hopefully during this program we will get give you the
rundown of the the Big Way in so that hopefully
will be coming up here on the program. And then
in hour number two at the ACC kickoff, we had
a chance to sit down with the commissioner of the

(34:20):
College Football Playoff. We're going to run that interview with
Rich Clark right here on the show The Shakespeare south
Land in hour number two. Okay, so keep it locked.
Final segment coming up in our number one right here,
Fox Sports Radio fourteen hundred the Midlands, around the world
on the iHeartRadio app, and certainly you should follow us
over on Twitter at Clemson Sports. As the show The

(34:44):
Shakespeare south Land rolls along on Fox Sports Radio fourteen
hundred right here on a Wednesday afternoon, keep it a
lock for more Clemson sports talk. Final segment of our
number one Clemson Sports. You know, we talked a good
bit this week about Florida State. Obviously, the Fire and
Brimstone passion of Mike Norvelle and I went through their

(35:07):
schedule the other day and thinking about the possibility right
that they could have a decent record. If Clemson's lucky,
they'll be seven to one coming into that game. I
do not again think they're gonna beat Alabama. I really
don't think they'll beat Miami, so six and two might
be more likely. But it was a terrible year last season,
and last season concluded with a convincing loss to the

(35:32):
Florida Gators thirty one to eleven. Now I bring that
up because Florida Gator fans were truly super excited about
DJ Lagway and the prospects for Lagway this season in Gainesville,

(35:57):
and the news came out recently that Lagway has an
injury to his foot and will begin fall camp in
the same place that he spent spring practice watching from
the sidelines. According to reports, Lagway has been dealing with

(36:20):
a calf strain and wearing a walking boot. Head Coach
Billy Napier offered no timeline for his return, But it
does feel significant to me that this versatile young quarterback

(36:41):
out of the state of Texas who was highly sought after,
certainly Clemson tried to land him. This young man out
of Willis, Texas who's quarterbacking the Florida Gators, turning down

(37:01):
opportunities to go to Texas A and M and other programs,
and is very versatile. But to be banged up and
out to open fall camp is not great. Now it
could be worse, right, like, this could be a mid
season issue. And as a highly thought of recruit and

(37:28):
what felt like, maybe from an athleticism standpoint and a
leadership standpoint, a guy that just really felt like you
couldn't miss on. He's now missed spring with a shoulder
injury after undergoing a sports hernia surgery. Napier is saying
on Wednesday, quote, it's not ideal. In the perfect world,

(37:51):
he would be perfect every day of the off season.
I think the good thing is his attitude towards it.
And this is a positive of having a guy honestly
like DJ Lagway who has those positive characteristics and traits.
Nabor's saying, I think the good thing is his attitude
towards it. I think he's really positive he's in here two.

(38:12):
I think he understands what's required to be ready. It's
not ideal, but I think ultimately we'll come up with
the best plan we can to have him ready. Now
Florida open their fall practices on Wednesday, or their training
camp if you want to call it that. And so Lagway,

(38:35):
who was six and one in seven starts a year
ago as a freshman, is certainly one of the prospects
that's going to be in the mix for the Heisman Trophy.
But because he was injured during the spring with his
right shoulder, he did not get an opportunity to play there.

(38:57):
So you know, you're looking at a very talented, very
confident player, all the qualities leadership, hard work, athleticism, smart,
but you can't at this point rule out injuries taking

(39:20):
a huge toll on what seems like a very promising prospect. Now,
who knows, maybe he comes back one hundred percent. Maybe
he's a guy that you can look at your schedule
and see if there's a way to perhaps maneuver through
the first couple of games of the season without him

(39:41):
against Long Island and then South Florida. But week three
you're on the road at LSU. The following week you're
at Miami, and again I have no idea how healthy
he will be. Florida does have backup quarterback Harrison Bailey,

(40:09):
who was the backup quarterback at Louisville a year ago
as a part of their roster there in Gainesville. But
Lagway was supposed to be the guy and will be
the guy when he's healthy. I don't have any doubt

(40:31):
about that fact. But I can assure you that any
program in the country, including Florida, minus a player of
his magnitude, with the confidence, the charisma, everything that he

(40:52):
brings to the table with him out their team is
not nearly is not nearly as talented as it is
when he's out there right. And now this calf injury
just a growing part of setbacks that he's dealt with.

(41:13):
He injured his right foot during the Under Armour All
American Game back in January twenty twenty four. I missed
parts of training camp last fall because of shoulder soreness.
Lagway strained his left hamstring against Georgia last year and
missed the following week's game at Texas. He returned down

(41:34):
the stretch to help the Gators win their final four games,
including that matchup thirty one to eleven over Florida State
that I mentioned earlier. Teammate defensive end Tyreek Sap said,
the sky's the limit for that kid, and I agree,
he seemed like the right kind of player that you
would want. But if you can't stay healthy, while unfortunate,

(41:57):
it certainly deals a blow to the numbers and the
success that you can have collegiately. Our number two coming
up on Fox Sports Radio fourteen hundred each time for
Clipson Sports Talk with Lawton Swan Swanny, it is our

(42:54):
number two. That's drivetime right here on the show that
shakes the south Land, Clemson Sports tal Long Swan hanging
out with you on a Wednesday afternoon as we get
you closer to kickoff of the college football campaign the
Tigers tomorrow, your Clemson Tigers on the practice fields today,

(43:15):
the big way in. We'll give you those numbers hopefully
here in our number two today as soon as we
get our grubby little hands on them. And again, thank
you to our sponsors like Mets Plumbing seven three two drip, drip,
drip drip, you know the jingle seventh three to two drip.

(43:35):
That's Mets Plumbing, mets Plumbing dot com. That's the website
as well, and all of our other sponsors for supporting
this program. And thank you for being a part of
Clemson Sports Talk. All right at the ACC Kickoff. About
a week ago, we had a chance to sit down
with Rich Clark, the executive director of the College Football Playoff.

(43:59):
It was a spectacular interview with Rich Clark. We dive
into that one here for you on a Wednesday back
of the ACC Kickoff uptown Charlotte, North Carolina. Rich Clark,
executive director of the College Football Playoff, joining us here
on a Thursday after dude, Rich, Welcome in.

Speaker 4 (44:19):
Man.

Speaker 1 (44:19):
I appreciate you carving us out into your schedule.

Speaker 4 (44:22):
I know it's very busy, no a lot, and it's
great to be here and I appreciate you fitting me
in well.

Speaker 1 (44:27):
So give me some insight as the season begins to
kick up for you. I'm guessing you make your rounds
to all of the college leagues and things of that nature.
What's it like for you at this point as we
are in What I guess is this kind of the
back end of your schedule?

Speaker 2 (44:42):
I would assume, yeah it is.

Speaker 4 (44:44):
So this is sort of the end of media days
across the board, and I've hit several of them over
the last few weeks. But it to me just the
way to kick it off because it starts that anticipation,
you know, and we know that the kickoff, the first
kickoff is just around the corner, and you know, just
being able to answer questions for folks and to talk

(45:04):
about it where we've been, where we're going is very
exciting for me. So and love being here with the
ACC because there's some amazing teams here. We're looking forward
to seeing this season kickoff as well. For this conference, Yeah,
no doubt.

Speaker 1 (45:18):
I think the other thing too, like from the fan experience,
we go from the BCS era to the four team
era to then what we had last year, and guys
like me, I have to talk about all the ins
and the outs of what I think the future will be,
you know, I get to kind of prognosticate that stuff.
But I can remember in the four team model saying, guys,
I really think it's going to make if we went bigger,

(45:39):
it would make games in November more valuable and some
people say, no, water it down. And then last year
you had all these games across the country at the
back end of the season where hey, if team if
Team A wins, they might be in. If Team B wins,
they might be in. And I think that really enhanced
the viewership for fans across the country. Is that kind
of the vibe that you got.

Speaker 4 (46:00):
It totally did just not just the vibe, but the
numbers that we saw because we obviously tracked viewership with
our media partners, and uh, the viewership was up and
it was it was higher than it's been in a
long time. Maybe ever. I'm not sure if if you know,
because we can only go.

Speaker 1 (46:17):
Go so far back.

Speaker 4 (46:18):
But I'll say this, whatever, when whenever that was that
you were thinking that was gonna happen, you were right.
You're like Noster Damis or something in college football, but
you're you're exactly right. And there were people that were
saying that it might water down the regular season, but
even right up to the conference championships, people were going, Okay,
this is this is gonna be telling and how it

(46:40):
works out. So and in the ACC especially, that was phenomenal, Right,
Clemson SMU that game was pivotal for for both of
those teams. So I'll, you know, double down on what
you said that absolutely it helps the regular season raise.

(47:01):
I always say, rising tides lifts all ships. That's what
happened with the college football playoff again.

Speaker 1 (47:07):
Rich Clark, Executive director of the College Football Playoff sitting
with us here on the show that shakes the south Land.
So the other thing too, And I have to tell
you when I talk to like Gary Stoken from the
Chick fil A Peach Bowl and all that, one of
the things we always get into is the foundations that
they support and the benefits because I think from the
fans standpoint, they just want to know who's playing in
the games. But there's a bigger message and a bigger

(47:30):
issue that you guys deal with. And I think at
last check, you guys are still partnered with Extra Yard
for Teachers? Is that where you're still with So I'm
an educator, I teach STEM I teach working at elementary
school for my day jobs fantastic, then I do the
radio in the afternoon. So what you guys do is
so important. So give our listeners some insight into the
value of that and what all the College Football Playoff

(47:52):
does for Extra Yard for Teaching.

Speaker 4 (47:53):
Yeah, that I appreciate you bringing that up because it
is a key part of our role and it's i'll say,
the sort of philanthropic role of the college football playoffs.
And for me personally, both of my parents are teachers, okay,
and so they finally are thinking that I did something
worthwhile with my life now that we have the extra
r for teachers as part of this, but that organization

(48:15):
gives millions to teachers and to schools to do makeovers
or to give cash donations to even individual teachers to
spend for their classrooms, but just to help students and
to lift them up, because frankly, it's the teachers and
the students that are the seedcorn for what we do.
Our student athletes all had teachers, they all went to elementary,

(48:39):
junior high high schools, and so for us to be
able to give back to those organizations in that broader
institution of American education is honor and a privilege. And
our commissioners, all of our conference commissioners, are really committed
to that effort. So millions though that we're able to
give back, And you know, in a game, it's always

(48:59):
a privilege because I get the honor of presenting checks
to different people, and you know, my mom sees me
and she gets teary eyed, but everything else I've ever done,
she's like, whatever, you're pull yourself together. But with that,
it's like, Okay, he's finally doing something worthwhile.

Speaker 5 (49:15):
Yeah, oh man, that's great. And you know I heard
Jim Phillips talking about the Conference Commissioner from the a
SEC about the student athlete, and that's an emphasis certainly
for Dabosweeney the program I cover. And I was actually
speaking with Darien Mensa who's at Duke, who transferred from Tulane,
and I pose this question to him because there are
guys now that we see in the NFL where when

(49:36):
it lists the schools they went to, it's four different institutions,
and always wonder did they graduate. Now just because guys
stayed at one school back in the day also didn't
mean they graduated. But you know, when you look at
the broader scope of college football and the transfer portal,
I mean, is it healthy for these young men, in
your opinion, to maneuver around the way that some of

(49:58):
them do.

Speaker 4 (49:59):
So here's my view on this. I was the superintendent
at the Air Force Academy that's equivalent to the president
of the institution, and I have seen students just generally,
not student athletes are there, but students generally who get
into a situation and they realize that maybe this isn't

(50:19):
the best fit for me, and I need to go
somewhere else, to some other school to maybe pursue a
different degree, or it's a different place closer to home
or further from home, whatever it might be. But students
have been transferring schools forever, and I think it is
a good thing if you land somewhere not a good fit,
to be able to go somewhere else and find that fit.

(50:42):
And that's the same for our student athletes. Now. I
will say that there should be some guardrails.

Speaker 1 (50:47):
To it, though, because when you played, there were.

Speaker 4 (50:49):
There were, right, and there should be, and so I
think our conference commissioners are really doing a great job
to try to put some guardrails on that, working with
the NCAA to ensure that students have the opportunity to
find that best fit for them, but also to make
sure that it's not just county option and they could
just leave at any time, and do you know, do

(51:11):
whatever might, whatever whim they might, you know, come across them,
but do it in an orderly way that's going to
benefit them in their education.

Speaker 1 (51:19):
Rich Clark, executive director of the College Football Playoff. Two
more questions. If we have time, we're good, all right.
First off, I want to talk about that transition Bill Hancock.
To you, it seemed from the outside looking in seamless.
I mean, his leadership at the beginning of the college
football playoff era was certainly immense, and that now yours
during the expansion. Could you kind of walk us through
the timeline on how that all played out and it

(51:42):
just the I guess kind of the understanding that you
guys had to work together to make it work as
well as it has.

Speaker 4 (51:49):
Yeah, so that's a great question. So I got a note. Well,
I was asked to put my name in the hat.
You know, I was a superintend at the academy at
the time, and they said, hey, would you put your
name and half of this job? And I was like, yeah,
I have a chance. They were like, you got a shot.
So you're saying I got a shot, put me in.
And so I went through a series of interviews and

(52:10):
I got the job. But then the Air Force and
I was going to start in January of what would
that be, twenty four and the Air Force said, hey,
we need you to stay a little bit longer. And
Bill Hancock was so gracious he said, listen, I'll stick
around until rich can move from the Air Force into
this role, but in the meantime, maybe he can come

(52:32):
and do some overlap, come visit, sit in on some
of the selection committee, go to the National Championship game.
Hurt me. So he was great with just making it
a smooth transition, really mentoring me along the way so
that I knew the staff. By the time I got there,
I understood the process. I wasn't deep into it, but

(52:53):
I understood what the general outline of the process was.
So when I came in and we were ready to
hit the ground running, and I am so grateful for
the team that I have at CFPN. Bill built that team.
They were just fantastic. When I came in and people
were like, so are you going to replace people? Are
you going to bring in your own folks, I was like,

(53:14):
are you out of your mind? No, this team is
fantastic and they understand this A great group of professionals, right,
and we just picked up and kept moving right on
through the playoff and it was it was just awesome.

Speaker 5 (53:27):
Now now we could go through all the scenarios of
the future five plus eleven, everything everybody wants to talk about.
But I'll just ask you this because I think this
is what fans would want to know what do you
guys have a lot of conversations about what fans might
ask transparency, you know, that type of aspect of it, like,
so that they understand more why was team X versus team?
Are those things behind closed doors that you guys are

(53:48):
really focused on as we move forward.

Speaker 1 (53:50):
Forget about the format.

Speaker 4 (53:52):
Right right, No, we talk about transparency and how much
you want to put out there about the selection process.
But one of the things that we also have to
do is we have to protect the members in the room.
We have thirteen athletic directors, coaches, former coaches, former players, journalists,
people that make these decisions and you know, some of

(54:13):
them are stepping out on a limb and the things
that they're doing. So we want people to understand generally
what the process is, but sometimes people want to know
even as detailed as who voted for what and how,
you know, what were the conversations in the room. There's
a level that we have to kind of hold in
the room to make sure that people are protected. But

(54:37):
we do want fans to know what the process is,
why generally the committee made the decisions that they did,
and that's why we have the chairman of the committee.
Every week go on ESPN and talk about what went on. Generally,
he doesn't get into details who said what, who did what,
but the general conversation, the general process, thought process that

(55:01):
went into it. So we want to do more of
that and give more transparency without getting too much into
the details of what actually was said by ex member
or something like that, because that would not go well.

Speaker 5 (55:15):
He is the executive director of the College Football Playoff.
Rich Clark, Rich, it's great to see you, and thanks
for spending some time with us.

Speaker 4 (55:22):
Thank you a lot, and I appreciate it. It's great being here,
and thanks for what you do to help college football,
just bringing it closer to the fans and helping people
really be engaged in it. We appreciate that very much.

Speaker 1 (55:33):
There you go, Rich clark Man, what an awesome interview,
What an awesome opportunity to talk with him. Quite the
story for sure. You know, if you ever get a
chance to really take a look at his impact and
his history and getting into this situation or this job,

(55:55):
maybe not situation, but to do the things that he's
done in his life with the United States Air Force
after graduating, his incredible tours of service during combat, all

(56:17):
of the Distinguished Service medals and things of that nature
that he acquired. Man, what a story. And when you
sit down with him, the first thing that hits you
is just what an impressive human being he is. And

(56:37):
if you go over to the College Football Playoffs website,
you can read about everything that he's done. He was
a command pilot with more than forty two hundred flight hours,
more than four hundred combat hours. He's flown to B one,
the EC one thirty five, the KC one thirty five,

(57:00):
T one, the T thirty eight, the T six, and
the C twenty one. I mean, he is literally is
about as buttoned up as you can get and just
a incredibly nice gentleman who we were fortunate enough to

(57:20):
have an opportunity to sit down with. That's Rich Clark,
the executive director of the College Football Playoff eight zero
three four five zero zero eighty six text line, phone line,
And you could be a part of the program anytime,
any place, anywhere on our website, clemsonessports talk dot com.
So we talked about DJ Lagway a little bit earlier.

(57:44):
Florida is not the only team though, in the Southeastern
Conference right now without one of their young counted playmakers.
The Tennessee Volunteers are without Boo Carter, who is a
sophomore defensive back but was on the Southeastern Conference All
Freshman team for his play in thirteen games a season ago,

(58:07):
where he made five starts. He ranked sixth on the
Volunteers defense with thirty eight tackles, including twenty eight solo tackles,
and also led the Southeastern Conference averaging sixteen and a
half yards per punt return. So a versatile player for
the Tennessee Volunteers. And of course Tennessee you will recall
lost their starting quarterback who everybody really was looking forward

(58:31):
to seeing this year as well, Niko Iomaliava, who transferred
from Tennessee to UCLA just before the spring game. Now
here's the situation with Boo Carter. According to Josh Hipel,
head coach, Carter is going to have the opportunity to
get back on the field, but he has to earn

(58:51):
it after he reportedly missed workouts this summer. Josh Heipel saying,
Boo was a part of our team here, there's something
he's got to accomplish to get back on the field
with us. Don't have a set timeline on that our
leadership council has been a part of those things. Those
discussions with me and with Boo. Hypel did say he's

(59:14):
proud of the leadership council, and the coach said that
he'll be the one handling all questions on Carter early
in camp. Tennessee also allowed Carter, because of his versatility
last season, to work a little bit at slot receiver
during spring practice, which gave him a chance to maybe

(59:34):
following the footsteps of what we saw at Colorado with
Travis Hunter. Now the volunteers will need Carter this season
with cornerback Jared McCoy recovering from an ACL injury sustained
earlier this year. Tennessee opens their season against Syracuse, remembering

(59:55):
one of those kickoff classics over in Atlanta. They will
open against Sarah Syracuse in the Chick fil A Kickoff Classic,
which is a lot of fun. And again we talked
with the director of Peach Bowl Ink the Chick fil
A Peach Bowl, Gary Stoken at the ACC kickoff. The
good news I guess for volunteer fans at this point

(01:00:18):
is you're still a month away, exactly a month away
from that matchup. And perhaps in between now and then
bu Carter can get himself out of I guess what
seems to be the doghouse if you will.

Speaker 3 (01:00:38):
Now.

Speaker 1 (01:00:38):
Final thing we talked about Dion sanders Well, Colorado lost
a running back, Charlie Offerdahl has decided to step away.
He got up in front of his teammates on the
first day of fall camp on Tuesday and announced that
he was retiring from football due to a history of concussions.
But it's not all bad. He's on track to graduate

(01:01:01):
in December. And get this, he is going to go
to dental school. So pretty cool opportunity for this young
man to switch gears have having earned a degree, he'll
graduate in December and then he can go out and

(01:01:25):
pursue a career in dentistry. So good for him. I mean,
you like stories that end like this. You hate it
when a guy has to give up the sport that
he loves because of a you know, issues like a concussion, etc.
But man, it does make you feel really good when

(01:01:46):
there's a silver lining at the end and hopefully a
lot of silver teeth and cavity feelings along the way
for what I assume will be at some point doctor offered, all,
all right, quick break. When we come back, we'll play
our interview we do with Kay Clubnick get the ACC
kickoff right after this. Back at it, Clemson Sports Talk,

(01:02:10):
Lawton Swan hanging out with you on a Wednesday. We'll
hear from Kay Club met momentarily. But I do want
to get this to you because it just came out
a few minutes ago. We talked about my preseason poll.
I'm actually gonna compare mine. I'm going to compare my
preseason poll in the Atlantic Coast Conference to the preseason

(01:02:35):
poll of the media. Okay, because your Tigers were picked
as the preseason favorites in the ACC. That news coming
out just a few minutes ago. So we'll run through
that list and I'll give you the comparisons, uh to
my selections as well. So we both you recall I

(01:02:58):
did pick Clemson number one. Check let's see how and
there may be a way to kind of give myself
a bit of a score if you will on it.
But either way, here's how my list compared. So I
nailed the top two Clemson in Miami Bingo. The media

(01:03:21):
says SMU third. I put SMU fourth. I actually have
Louisville third. The media has Georgia Tech fourth. I've got
the Yellow Jacket sixth. The media has Louisville fifth. That's
the team that I have third. The media has Duke sixth.

(01:03:43):
I've got Duke eighth on my list. The media has
Florida State seventh. I'm buying the Siminals a little more
at fifth in the league. The media has got North
Carolina eighth. I've got the tar Heels twelfth. The media
ranks Pitt nine. I've got the Panthers at eleventh. The

(01:04:08):
media ranks NC State tenth. I've got the wolf Pack twelfth.
The media has got Virginia Tech eleventh. I've got the
Hokies' seventh. The media puts Syracuse twelfth. I've got the
Orange Man tenth. The media has got Boston College thirteenth.

(01:04:29):
I've got the Eagles fifteenth. The media says Virginia's fourteenth.
I've got the Cavaliers ninth. I was worried about that one.
Remember that the media has cal ranked fifteenth. I've got
the Bears fourteenth. The media has Wake sixteenth. I've got
Wake seventeenth, and the media has Stanford seventeenth. Then I've

(01:04:49):
got Stanford's sixteenth. So I would just say, all in all,
I'm not too terribly bad. My biggest difference is I'm
plus five on Virginia, which is the one I was
concerned about. I'm plus four on Virginia Tech, plus two
on both are actually on Florida State, Louisville and Syracuse,

(01:05:14):
plus one on callin Stanford. I'm minus four on North Carolina,
minus three on NC State, minus two on Duke Georgia Tech,
pitt and Boston College. And I'm minus one on SU
and Wake Forest. But I do think, all in all,

(01:05:39):
I feel pretty good about it still. Anyway, that's what
the numbers look like. All Right, we gotta get into
our conversation with Ka Clubney from the ACC kickoff from
last week. We jump into that conversation right here. We're
at the ACC kickoff Clepsy quarterback club Nick back again

(01:06:01):
in Charlotte.

Speaker 5 (01:06:03):
More veteran experience this time around. I think, what your
your third run year?

Speaker 3 (01:06:08):
Yeah?

Speaker 1 (01:06:09):
Not many Tigers have had three runs through the car
wash man.

Speaker 5 (01:06:12):
How's that experience been. It's been good. It's been good.
It's uh, it's been great. Feel like I know what
I'm doing now, you know, third time around, you know,
like giving Peter Woods and TJ kind of the I'm like, yeah,
y'all better bring some snacks.

Speaker 3 (01:06:25):
You ain't get hungry. So talking a lot.

Speaker 1 (01:06:28):
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 russelllethe La Bowl when Deshaun Watson was injured. But
you're really the first quarterback since Taj Boyd. That's been
a four year you know, a senior going into this

(01:06:50):
final year. What does that mean to you? In an
era where heck, when Tash 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 K
Club next time? At Clemson?

Speaker 5 (01:07:04):
Yeah, special man, I mean, Clemson's home. You know, it's
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

(01:07:24):
looking to that point yet, you know, just excited for
these last few months that I got and trying to
enjoy every single day.

Speaker 1 (01:07:30):
But you know, I think that you.

Speaker 5 (01:07:31):
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 1 (01:07:43):
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 at twenty eight team from the outside,
the off season buzz about this team is as high
as I can ever remember, and that includes coming off

(01:08:06):
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. Man,
A year ago, I was here and everybody told me
I sucked. I don't think I did, but okay, no,

(01:08:27):
not you.

Speaker 5 (01:08:28):
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 affect us.
But we heard it and we felt the heaviness of that.

(01:08:48):
And I don't think that you know, you know, Clemson,
we're not a team that's gonna bring in thirty new.

Speaker 2 (01:08:53):
Guys every year.

Speaker 5 (01:08:54):
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. Uh, we
remember what it's like to sit in at four and
for in Clemson, South Carolina, it's not a fun place
to be. It's it's not the expectation there. So you know,
when we hear the new buzz of whatever it is that,

(01:09:15):
you know, we don't we don't forget what we've been through.
So we're still hunger team and a team that's been
through the fire and 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 1 (01:09:29):
That's Clemson quarterback k Clubney from the ACC Kickoff. We'll
hit a quick break, we'll come back and we'll wrap
up this interview. Find out what his parents think about
all of this. When we were Lawton swan back with
your own a Wednesday afternoon, don't don't forget about our
friends at Alumni Hall on the corner of Campus of
College Avenue in downtown Clemson. It's Alumni Hall for all

(01:09:50):
your officially licensed Clemson merchandise, hats, t shirts, Telgate, Gear,
Moore go check them out today or check them out
online at Alumni Hall dot. It's Alumni Hall where Tiger
fans shop.

Speaker 4 (01:10:04):
All right.

Speaker 1 (01:10:05):
So we were talking with Kay club to get the
ACC kickoff last week and I kind of asked him
about his parents and what this whole process is like
for them. What's your parents' message to you as you've
been through this process, because I know how much they
mean to you. What's that like when you talk to
him after a game or throughout the season. I mean,
I've got a sun this a little bit younger than you,

(01:10:26):
and then 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.

Speaker 4 (01:10:33):
Man.

Speaker 5 (01:10:34):
They're just excited for the journey and they love it.
And I think they love this just as much as
I do. My mom talked to my mom a few
days ago. She's like, I just can't wait. It was
so excited. 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

(01:10:55):
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. So we're excited. They love it. They
love Clemson football and everything that it is. And they're
going to have their tailgate with you know, sixty eighty
people there and have everybody there, but they're soaking up
every bit of it.

Speaker 1 (01:11:14):
So K clubnit with us here for a few more
minutes at the ACC kickoff. So two years ago, you
know 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

(01:11:35):
to 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?

Speaker 3 (01:11:47):
You know?

Speaker 5 (01:11:47):
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 sophomore year 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. But then I'm like, well I didn't.

(01:12:08):
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 mindsets. 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

(01:12:29):
what I've been trying to do.

Speaker 1 (01:12:30):
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.

Speaker 5 (01:12:45):
You have to race that ghost. I mean, do you
feel like you're kind of chasing that guy? 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 1 (01:12:57):
Well, final final thing for you. You know, obviously you
got 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.

Speaker 5 (01:13:16):
You know, I feel good about you know, I love
coach Riley and 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.
It makes the game really fun. It makes it fun
to go to work every single week. And yeah, man,
it's just excited, excited, ready to get back out there.

(01:13:37):
That's right, won't be long, that's right to beg You
got all those practices coming up, that's right, club Nick
k Man, I always appreciate you, buddy.

Speaker 1 (01:13:44):
I appreciate you. Good to see you. Three years man,
three years to talk with k clubning get the a
SEC kickoff, and I feel like last year I thought
you was kind of cool as a cucumber. This year
I thought, as I mentioned after the fact, that I
thought it was pretty uptight and nothing wrong with that now.
Kate Clubnic also met with the media in the ballroom

(01:14:07):
at the ACC kickoff addressing, and Clubnich was asked what
the value he felt really was about being coached by
Dabo Sweeney, where Dabo focuses on the things that are
right in the world.

Speaker 3 (01:14:20):
Oh man, it's unbelievable.

Speaker 5 (01:14:22):
So so thankful the coach Sweeney gave him the opportunity
to come to Clemson, you know, just you know, I
think looking looking back in the last three and a
half years and going into my last season just just
kind of brings my heart a lot of joy. You know,
my my recruiting process was a little wild, and.

Speaker 3 (01:14:43):
Man, God is so good.

Speaker 5 (01:14:45):
And uh, the fact that he got to bring me
to Clemson and and take take me through what he's
brought me through, and it's been so good. And to
have a coach like Coach Sweeney to lean on through everything,
through the upside the downs.

Speaker 3 (01:14:59):
Has been believable. And Uh, to have somebody.

Speaker 5 (01:15:02):
That that believes in me, you know, after my sophomore year
when everybody kind of told me I sucked and wasn't
very good and a lot of people wanted me out
of Clemson, and Uh, coach when he pulled me into
his office and UH told me, Kate, I believe in you,
and let's go to work.

Speaker 3 (01:15:17):
And for somebody that I look up.

Speaker 5 (01:15:19):
To and believe in told me that that he believes
in me just filled me with confidence and when he
could have gone and done what a lot of other
coaches would do but didn't and and and pulled me
in tight and and said, I believe in you. You know,
I'll I'll never forget that moment and that that conversation

(01:15:39):
has fueled me for the last two years and so
so thankful for my time at Clemson and it's been
really awesome.

Speaker 1 (01:15:47):
Club That was also asked about preparations for this season
and the things that he's really trying to instill in
this Yeah.

Speaker 5 (01:15:54):
I think our mentalities, man, we're just we're keeping our
head down, just kind of keeping it low. We're just
going to work every single day. You know, we're not
allowed team. We're not going to be shouting and hollering
in the app and a whole lot about what we've
been doing or what we're gonna do. We're just putting
our head down and going to work. I think that
starts with the leadership that we have. We have a
really good leadership all around, and that's kind of our mentality.

Speaker 1 (01:16:14):
Man.

Speaker 5 (01:16:14):
We've been through the fire, We've been through it, and
we've stuck together and That's the biggest thing is we've
stuck together and we've come out the other side and
just continually trying to persevere and go be the best
we can be. And in terms of our offense, we
got a lot coming back. That's really exciting. I know
somebody hit on it earlier, but I mean, we've been
a young team. I feel like every year I've been here,

(01:16:36):
and we're a veteran team and very experienced. Got a
lot of guys that have played a lot of ball
and that's really exciting.

Speaker 3 (01:16:43):
But we got to go do it.

Speaker 5 (01:16:44):
You know, we got to go do it, and we
got to take advantage of every opportunity we get.

Speaker 1 (01:16:47):
And that's Kate club Nick from the ballroom up at
the ACC kickoff now when we come back, final segments
coming up around the Bend. Kate Club Nick was asked
about the fact that this is Clemson's first home open
or since twenty nine, nineteen, and the fact that it's
a big ball game against LSU and Death Valley. Will
hear his response to that question when we return right

(01:17:08):
here on the show that Shakes the south Land.

Speaker 6 (01:17:12):
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 (01:17:31):
Always are the same. We win.

Speaker 1 (01:18:25):
Final segment on a Wednesday, Clemson Sports All on Swan
hanging out with you again. We've heard a good bit
here in the back end from k Klubnick. The Big
Way in did not make its big way out for
me to give it to you here today. That's all right,
we'll roll it over. We'll roll that over.

Speaker 5 (01:18:45):
The Thursday, Clemson again was selected as the top pick
in the Atlantic Coast Conference, a matchup potentially looming with
Miami based off of what the media expects in twenty
twenty five. I'm a Clemson quarterback met with the media
after no I think he met with the media before

(01:19:08):
he sat down with us. We played our one on
one exclusive with k Clubney here on the show just
a little bit ago. But we also have some time
with kve Clubnic on the floor of the ACC kickoff
up at the podium, and he was asked about Clemson
having a home opener for the first time since twenty nineteen.
In the big matchup against LSU, the Death Valley matchup.

(01:19:31):
In all of that, here's Kay Klubnick talking about it
from Charlotte Nork.

Speaker 3 (01:19:36):
That's right.

Speaker 5 (01:19:37):
I'm very excited to open up at home. Yeah, I
uh never been on to do that in my college career.
So I'm excited to be in Death Valley for the
first one. It's gonna be awesome. Obviously excited for the
first game. It's gonna be a great opportunity for us.
It's a great opportunity for us with a great opponent.
And but you know, we're excited for every game this year.
Every game has to be treated like it's the national championship.

Speaker 3 (01:19:58):
Well it's week one, week.

Speaker 1 (01:19:59):
Five, eight.

Speaker 5 (01:20:01):
We have to take advantage of every single week because
that's what college football, you know, that's what it is.
And you have to give the highest respect to every
opponent that you have. And that's the type of mentality
that I try to have, and that's the mentality coach Sweny,
you know, gives us every single week. So I'm excited
for a Week one, excited to start off at home.

Speaker 1 (01:20:21):
And that game will be here before you know it. Again,
Clemson opens preseason fall camp whatever you want to call
it tomorrow, we'll hear from Dabo Sweeney. I'm sure some
long form conversations there that might make it on the
program tomorrow, but if not, certainly we will have it
all for you here on Friday, and again we want
to make sure that you get a chance to hear

(01:20:42):
from Dabo Sweeney and the Clemson Tiger coaches and players
as they get geared up for that matchup against LSU
and head over to our website Clempsonsports TALT dot com
if you haven't been lately, man, we have been churning
out the content, including an article today on TJ More
and Bryant westco as those two guys look to TEP

(01:21:03):
to take their game a step forward this season, plus
the full article on Clemson being picked as the preseason
favorite in the ACC. We've also tried to do a
good job of going through and giving you some highlights
from the opposition in the Atlantic Coast Conference, not just
the teams Clemson's playing, but even the teams at Clemson

(01:21:24):
could potentially play in the ACC Championship game. By having
storylines from the floor at the ACC kickoff, which has
also been not only a lot of fun for me,
but it's it's been an opportunity for me to learn
a little bit more about some of these teams that
maybe I did not get a chance to either be

(01:21:48):
in their podium time, you know, in the main ballroom
because I'm down there on the floor doing interviews. And
also our gallery from the acc kickoff is available in
our conversation with Adam excuse me, with Antonio Williams about
Adam Randall as well, all that on the front page.
Go check it out. Clemsonsports dot com. Don't forget, one

(01:22:11):
dollar gets you in the door, and most of that
is free only the recruiting stuff right now is behind
the premium branding that. But one dollar gets you in
the door. After that at sixty three dollars and seventeen
cents for one year of coverage of your tigers. And
of course you heard us right, Gamecock fans, I said
it sixty three seventeen, so you could.

Speaker 4 (01:22:29):
Continue to peek over the fence at the best radio
showing the.

Speaker 1 (01:22:33):
Naked and we'll also do our best as South Carolina
gets geared up to go back out on the practice
fields for their opener against Virginia Tech. And speaking of
the Hokies, we talked with Brent Pry at the ACC kickoff,
and man, he was awesome. It was a lot of fun.

(01:22:54):
I kind of felt a little bit like I was
talking to Matthew McConaughey. And the crazy thing about Brent
Pry is and I have no idea how long he
lived in Altoona, Pennsylvania. I think that's the name of
his hometown if I remember correctly. I don't know how
long he lived there, but he sounds like he grew

(01:23:15):
up in like West Texas. Like I mean, the accent
is phenomenal. So we'll play that all year for you
here tomorrow and hopefully Tim Bray, longtime Clemson sid will
also be able to join the program to talk about
the Clemson Tigers as they enter day one officially of practice.

Speaker 7 (01:23:39):
When you just talk about practice, we sit in here,
I supposed to be the franchise player, and we in
here talking about practice. I mean, listen, We're talking about practice,
not a game, not a game, not a game. We're
talking about practice, not a game, not the game that
I go out there and die for and play every

(01:24:02):
game like it's my last.

Speaker 2 (01:24:03):
Not the game.

Speaker 7 (01:24:04):
We're talking about practice, man, I mean, how silly is that.

Speaker 1 (01:24:09):
The great Alan iverson on that one. It's not silly
when this football SE's a baby. And we'll be talking
about practice right here on the program tomorrow. Until then,
as always, y'all take care

Speaker 2 (01:24:20):
Now, money money, money, money, money, money, mone