ACC Network is set to air a one-hour special featuring two legendary coaches – Clemson’s Dabo Swinney and Bill Belichick, now of course the head coach at North Carolina.
ACC Huddle Special: Dabo Swinney & Bill Belichick debuts tonight (Wednesday, May 28) at 7 p.m., when you can see Swinney, the two-time national champion, and Belichick, the six-time Super Bowl winning head coach, share stories about their careers and coaching philosophies ahead of their first season competing against each other in the ACC, as well as discuss a number of other topics.
Their wide-ranging conversation is hosted by College GameDay host Rece Davis. In one excerpt released ahead of the special, Davis asked Belichick the question, who’s his favorite Clemson player that he ever scouted, of all the players he saw while scouting pro days?
Belichick pointed to a defensive lineman that Belichick and his New England Patriots teams saw plenty of in AFC East competition – former Miami Dolphins star Christian Wilkins, now of the Las Vegas Raiders.
“It probably would be Wilkins,” Belichick said. “Character. Playing ability. All-around player. He could rush. He could run. Had a heck of a college career and then a heck of an NFL career. We had a hard time blocking him at Miami twice a year, so I didn’t like that.”
Swinney told Belichick that Wilkins will “appreciate that” answer as a Massachusetts native and Patriots fan growing up.
As for fellow former Clemson D-lineman Dexter Lawrence? The New York Giants three-time Pro Bowler might have something to say about Belichick’s answer, Swinney added jokingly.
“Christian, he’ll appreciate that. He’s a huge Boston guy and he was a big Patriots fan. I don’t know if he’ll see this or not, but he’ll appreciate that,” Swinney said.
“Now, Dexter Lawrence might see it too and have something to argue with you about.”
“Thankfully, he was in the NFC,” Belichick responded. “He was unblockable.”
A 2019 first-round pick (13th overall), Wilkins spent the first five years of his NFL career with the Dolphins and amassed 353 tackles, 20.5 sacks and 43 tackles for loss over 81 career games (77 starts) during his time in Miami.
After his outstanding tenure with the Dolphins, Wilkins agreed to a massive four-year, $110 million deal with the Raiders ahead of the 2024 season, making him the second-highest paid defensive tackle in the league. The 6-foot-4, 310-pounder recorded 17 tackles (two for loss), two sacks and six quarterback hits over five games with the Raiders last season before suffering a broken foot. He was placed on injured reserve after undergoing surgery for a Jones fracture.
At Clemson, Wilkins was a three-time All-ACC selection, as well as a three-time All-American who became the fifth unanimous All-American in school history in 2018. He finished his four-year Tiger career (2015-18) with 250 tackles, 41 tackles for loss, 16 sacks, 56 quarterback pressures, 16 pass breakups, three forced fumbles and four fumble recoveries over 59 games (45 starts).
Watch Belichick talk about Wilkins and other Clemson pros that caused Belichick “a lot of headaches” through the years:
–Photo courtesy of Robert Deutsch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images