Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney says Senior Day is special because it is all about relationships.

“I love my guys, all the way back to my very first senior class as an interim in ’08,” Swinney said on Wednesday ACC’s Coaches Teleconference. “Those guys were special to me and each and every class has been special.”

This year’s seniors will play their final home game in Death Valley when the top-ranked Tigers host Wake Forest on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. Swinney says it is a time to reflect on not what the 20 seniors accomplished on the football field, but what they did to get there.

“The thing I love the most as a coach is seeing these guys develop,” he said. “We get them when they are 17, 18 years old and some of these guys you have known since they were 15 or 16 because of the recruiting process. To see them change, grow and to mature into men that are ready and prepared to go onto the next level, and to know you had a part in that … and to know you have a program in place to help them develop those tools they need and an education. It’s awesome.

“To me, that’s why I coach. It’s what I love more than anything is seeing a guy like Eric Mac Lain grow up and develop. See a guy like Joe Gore, knowing how far he has come, to be where he is right now. It is a special time, even though they are not going to be able to play for me anymore.”

The 2015 seniors will leave their mark at Clemson like no class before them. A win on Saturday would give them 43 career wins, the most all-time. They currently stand at 42-7 overall.

The .857 win percentage is best in school history, better than William Perry’s 1984 Class which had a .844 mark. Those seniors finished their careers with a 37-6-2 record.

This year’s senior already own the school-record for ACC wins in a career with 27 and can complete a 28-4 record with a win over the Demon Deacons. The .875 win percentage in conference play will mark the best since the 1941 Class went 16-1-1 (.917) in conference games.

With a win over Wake Forest they can also tie last year’s class with the most home wins all-time. The record is 26. This year’s seniors are 25-2 in Death Valley. Last year’s class was 26-2. They can also close out there home careers with 16 straight wins at home, which is already a school record. They have not lost a home game since Week 8 of the 2013 season.

“They set a new standard,” Swinney said.

And The Best is The Standard at Clemson. This year’s senior class has been a part of some big victories at Clemson, already. They defeated top 10 foes such as LSU, Ohio State, Georgia and Notre Dame. And there is a strong chance they could face one, two or three more before this season over.

“They are not done yet. We still got another regular season game, a championship game and a bowl game for sure,” Swinney said. “These guys have a chance to walk out of here averaging 11-plus wins a year in their careers. That’s pretty amazing.”

What’s amazing is they have already won games against eight of the top 17 programs of all-time in terms of win percentage – Notre Dame (No. 1), Ohio State (No. 4), Oklahoma (No. 5), Florida State (No. 11), LSU (No. 13), Georgia (No. 14), Miami (No. 15) and Auburn (No. 17).

“We will always have relationships and I try to remind them of that. But it is always a fun day,” Swinney said about Senior Day. “This group right here has been incredible.”