CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Friday’s interview session began with a bang. We went live at 9:00 in the morning—not exactly a normal thing since we generally have a top-of-the-hour break—with Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney. He was typical Dabo, jovially greeting us with some jokes and laughs. He feels great about his team; in fact, he told us this was the best top-to-bottom roster he’s had since he’s been at Clemson. He was especially complimentary of the offensive line, which he said was his deepest position group—a revelation that shocked me.
Swinney also had some interesting comments related to the ACC Network unveiling that took place on Thursday. He said its impact on Clemson would be negligible, noting that “it really isn’t about the league or the network, it’s about the program” in our conversation. He makes a valid point here. The Tigers haven’t needed a league-wide network to build a bigger football brand, so while it may help some other members of the ACC, its impact might not be felt as strongly in Clemson.
About half an hour later, we got a rare treat: Both Ben Boulware and Deshaun Watson joined us as a tandem for a 15-minute interview. It was very insightful. Boulware showed up in what can only be described as an “interesting” wardrobe, and he blamed Watson for it, saying he felt his quarterback would show up wearing something a little less conventional than the navy suit he chose. (If you haven’t seen a picture of Boulware on Twitter yet, it means you don’t have Twitter.)
Boulware made it perfectly clear he wasn’t very concerned with anything going on around the league. In fact, he uttered the phrase “I don’t really care” (or some variation) about a half-dozen times during our interview. He is perhaps the best embodiment of the “it’s all about Clemson” mantra. He also told us the program’s development is particularly personal to him since he grew up in the area and has been doubted his whole life. The way he carries that chip around on his shoulder plays a starring role in his emergence as an elite player on Clemson’s defense.
Watson, on the other hand, was reserved—not in any way a shocking revelation. He had a very basic interview with us, displaying the strong and quiet confidence that has epitomized his time at Clemson. Both guys confirmed the stories about Dexter Lawrence being a man-child during spring practice. Watson dropped his head when I asked the question, then told us about being intercepted by Lawrence during a scrimmage. Boulware says Lawrence will be the breakout star this season on defense. Watson’s choice on the offensive side of the ball? Wideout Trevion Thompson.
Right after Swinney left for a busy day of speaking with the media, Syracuse linebacker Zaire Franklin joined us live on air. He was friendly and direct, telling us he is excited to see what the future has in store under new coach Dino Babers. After playing a super aggressive style of defense under Scott Shafer, Franklin’s unit is switching to a Tampa 2 (think Tony Dungy’s defenses) that asks linebackers to drop into coverage more frequently. Franklin seemed to prefer that route, at least with the types of players on Syracuse’s defense, as a way to better maximize the available talent.
Speaking of Babers, the first-year coach was perhaps the most engaging interview we had over the two-day span. He set the record straight on his philosophy—most commonly tied to offense, which makes sense given his background—by telling us that his priority in year one was to be fast as a program. He said he knows mistakes will happen, but that he just wants to see what his team can do playing with pace. He had an optimistic outlook, but he wasn’t delusional; he made sure to tell us he wasn’t saying his team could shock the world and win the Atlantic Division. On the other hand, though, he said it wasn’t impossible.
Babers also spoke about the difficulty of creating a positive culture at a place that hasn’t enjoyed consistent success in a while. I asked him if it felt like he was pushing the ball uphill sometimes in that regard, and he responded, “Not as long as there’s buy-in around the program.” My favorite line of his: “If you tell someone he’s bad long enough, sooner or later, you’ll start to believe it.” Clearly he has a bright future, at Syracuse or elsewhere.
We concluded our time in Charlotte by visiting with Florida State tailback Dalvin Cook. He was an excellent interview. He actually joked with Dabo Swinney about committing to Clemson and ultimately signing with the Seminoles, with Swinney telling us, “He recruited me, then he left me at the altar,” while he waited for an interview at an adjacent table. Cook said his greatest offseason development has come in the area of durability, specifically strengthening his smaller muscles since that was the issue that led to him missing time a year ago. He said the ACC crown is Clemson’s to lose until they lose it and was gracious in discussing the Tigers’ run in 2015, but he also didn’t shy away from his excitement to try to win the conference title this time around.