And so it begins.

The unofficial start to the football season kicks off this morning for Clemson as head coach Dabo Swinney hosts the media in his annual media golf outing at The Reserve at Lake Keowee in Sunset, S.C.

This is the day when the media gets to interview, not only Swinney and his coordinators, but also his six other assistant coaches. This is the only time during the entire football season we are allowed to talk with the other assistant coaches so you can imagine there are a lot of questions to ask.

Of course the No. 1 question, I suspect, will be about the future of kicker Ammon Lakip. As you all know, Lakip has been suspended indefinitely by Swinney following his June 6 arrest for driving under the influence and simple possession of cocaine. The question now is when does Swinney lift that suspension or does he?

The next question will be about the offensive line. How will the Tigers handle Isaiah Battle’s sudden departure from the team? Freshman phenom Mitch Hyatt will get his opportunity to start at left tackle, but what is the backup plan? Who moves over to help out at the tackle positions since the Tigers have just three ready offensive tackles on the depth chart?

The good news is we will be able to discuss the Tigers’ plan with offensive line coach Robbie Caldwell as well.

The next question will most definitely be about Deshaun Watson and his left knee. Is the all-everything quarterback going to be officially cleared to practice as he expects or is there more to the story than we all know? It will be nice to get some final clarity on what has been the most pondered question since the 2014 season ended.

I also want to know how the Tigers plan to use Kelly Bryant this season. The true freshman made huge strides the last week of spring practice and concluded it with a solid performance in the Orange & White Game. I know the coaching staff would prefer to redshirt either him or Tucker Israel, but Bryant has the ability to possibly help the Tigers this season in some capacity. I like the fact we get the opportunity to speak with quarterbacks coach Brandon Streeter on this and get an update on Bryant’s and Israel’s progress over the summer.

On the defensive side of the ball, we will get to ask defensive ends coach Marion Hobby and defensive tackles coach Dan Brooks about the defensive front. Without a doubt these two units have been the strength on Clemson’s defense the last two years, now they must replace six seniors from those units. There is definitely talent there, but I can’t wait to hear what Hobby says about Kevin Dodd, and who Brooks thinks will be able to help them this year in the interior of the line.

The linebackers and the secondary have some question marks, too. However, it seems there are more answers in those areas than questions, though it will be good to talk with Brent Venables and Mike Reed. Neither is short at answering a question and both always give you good insight to their players.

So, let it begin. Football season is here. There may not be a game for another six weeks, but information on the upcoming season is going to start flowing from here on out.