CLEMSON — Clemson safety Andrew Mukuba described the importance of Dabo Swinney’s motivational tactics concerning his maturity as a player.

Mukuba will start at nickel for the ninth-ranked Tigers when they kick off the 2023 season at Wallace Wade Stadium Monday night at Duke.

When asked about the impact of Swinney challenging him last season, Mukuba said, “That’s something that I needed because I was down a lot of times. I feel like I needed someone to challenge me so now I feel like I have no choice but to go do it [on the field].”

In 2021, Mukuba earned freshman All-American honors and secured the ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year Award. After a difficult season in 2022, Mukuba says Swinney has been pushing him to get healthy and get back to the way he played as a true freshman.

“He’s gonna do whatever it takes to get it out of me… that’s definitely what I needed, and you know everybody’s accepted the challenge, and I’m still going. I’m going to keep going,” the defensive back said.

This year, Mukuba will play as both a safety and a nickel for the Tigers. He believes strongly in this year’s secondary, saying they are “the best group in the country.”

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