On Wednesday afternoon, the Clemson football program began working towards a new chapter with the start of spring practice. Prior to reporting to the indoor facility, head coach Dabo Swinney and select players and assistant coaches spoke on what to expect in this spring.
Here is what we heard:
Swinney stated the team is eager to chase another championship after relishing in the victory of winning the 2017 National Championship Game. The start of spring football means its time to get working towards success in a new season.
“It was really, really good. I think guys are eager to get back out there and get back to work,” he said. “They all understand what it takes. Whether you have just really a bad moment or an incredible high, it is always about what’s next. That is just what we have instilled and part of what we do with that, is we start over. We don’t assume anything. We reinstall the core values of our program. That is who, the what, why and where in how we do things.”
The players also understand the importance of putting in the work in the off-season to make sure success can be continued. Defensive lineman Christian Wilkins said the spring helped him grow the most as a player.
“Spring is a really big time. I love the spring,” the defensive tackle said. “It’s really your time to get a lot better and make that jump as a player. I feel like that is when I made my biggest jump at the end of my freshman year, last year. Really it was the spring, that’s where I got a lot better. I had time to really get down the playbook and pick up every little nuance and just learned as much as I could. You’re not going every day so it is not as fast. You really have time to think about it and walk through things. Spring is really big. I’ll treat it like I’m getting ready for a game.”
Even though the Tigers reached the highest goal in the previous season, the reigning National Champions understand the work it takes in the spring to be able to reach the 15th game.
“You just don’t want to let your brothers down. We did the same thing last year,” wide receiver Hunter Renfrow said. “We got to the pinnacle of college football and lost. Our coaches do a good job of not letting us be complacent and trying to get better everyday.
Changes to the coaching staff were made following the title game, which included the departure of defensive ends coach Marion Hobby (now with the Jacksonville Jaguars) and defensive tackle coach Dan Brooks (retired). Now, Todd Bates has the opportunity to live his dream as the new defensive line coach at Clemson.
“This is definitely a dream situation joining a team that is the defending National Champion, but I just want to fit my piece into the puzzle, roll my sleeves up and work,” Bates said. “I just can’t wait to get out there on the field. That’s where it is always the same to me, I feel comfortable out there.”
Mickey Conn was promoted from being the senior defensive analyst for the Tigers to now will coach the safeties as a new co-defensive backs coach. Conn said he’s not surprised to see the level of success Swinney has been able to help Clemson achieve because they shared the same work ethic all the way back when they were playing together at Alabama.
“We both started off in the walk-on locker room and had to work our way onto the field and playing and we won a National Championship there as players,” Conn said. “Nobody said we could do that. Now, Coach Swinney has taken this program in eight years to totally new heights.”
Conn is excited to finally be coaching the players on the field, but his former position gave him a lot of insight on the talent level of the returning defensive players. One player whose growth stood out to him over the season was safety Tanner Muse.
“On the biggest stage, Tanner came in the ballgame last year against Alabama and did a great job,” Conn said. “So, we just have to build on that. I feel like since he intercepted that pass and ran it back for a touchdown (against Syracuse), his confidence level has just skyrocketed. So, we’re hoping to build off that and get him going.”
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