By Will Vandervort.

By Will Vandervort

Jonathan Meeks loves to tease Dabo Swinney, especially when it comes to who was the first player to believe in what he was saying.

“I was actually his first signee as a head coach,” Meeks said. “I was also his first graduate senior that he coached all four years. I like to let him know that.”

Swinney acknowledges that, and he does it with pride. Meeks was part of a class that will be very special to him and to Clemson for years to come. During their time, Clemson won 36 games, including 24 ACC games and 13 straight games at home. The Tigers won an ACC Championship, three Atlantic Division titles and two bowl games as well.

“Coach Swinney changed this program, and he got us to believe,” Meeks said. “Now we have got everyone else believing and it’s going to keep going. Imagine 30 years from now, what it will be like after winning a couple of championships and probably a couple more Coach of the Year Awards.”

Meeks, who will play in the inaugural Raycom College Football All-Star Classic on Jan. 19 in Montgomery, AL, finished his career at Clemson with 157 tackles and seven interceptions. His best moment, perhaps, came this season when he picked off a Logan Thomas pass in the Virginia Tech game and raced 74 yards for a touchdown.

The pick-6 was a game-changing play as the Tigers went on to beat the Hokies for a third time in 12 months with a 38-17 victory on Oct. 20.

“The two receivers ran some underneath, shallow routes and Thomas overthrew the receiver,” said Meeks, who was named the ACC Defensive Back of the Week as well as the Jim Thorpe Player of the Week for his efforts. “I was able to get a break on it. The guys blocked for me and helped me take it to the house.”

Meeks later got a second interception and finished the day with 13 tackles as well. On the year, the senior safety had 62 tackles and five more passes broken up.

“I’m proud of him,” Swinney said. “He could have went somewhere else. But he was one of those guys that stuck with us when we had nothing to offer but to believe in what we were saying we were going to do.

“He believed in me and I will always be thankful to him for that.”

Meeks says it has been fun playing for Swinney this last four years, and he knows the best is yet to come.

“Coach Swinney is going to break so many records here, he is great,” Meeks said. “He is awesome. I love that man.”