While Jeremiah Alexander was on the receiving end of a lot of praise during the spring and fall, the transfer linebacker only saw action on special teams in Clemson’s season-opening loss to LSU.

While some on the outside were questioning Alexander’s lack of opportunities, Dabo Swinney had a pretty simple explanation as to why he didn’t register a defensive snap.

“The first guy in is Kobe (McCloud). He has earned that. Kobe is next up,” the head coach said on Tuesday from the Smart Family Media Center. “He’s had a great camp.”

After suffering a season-ending injury in the second game of last season, McCloud missed all of the spring while recovering. With a new defensive coordinator in Tom Allen and a new linebackers coach in Ben Boulware, no assessments were able to be made at that time.

“I am not sure Tom and Ben thought that during the spring because Kobe was out,” Swinney said. “Tom didn’t even know much about him.”

McCloud is now in his fourth year with the Tigers, and is listed as the backup on the depth chart at both the WILL and the MIKE linebacker spots. He logged five snaps in the loss to LSU, registering one tackle.

“Kobe has not always necessarily looked the part, but he is a baller. Kobe is a good football player. He plays beyond his attributes. Kobe is the first backer at MIKE or WILL.”

Alexander signed with Clemson back in December after spending his first three years at Alabama. The former five-star mostly saw action on special teams for the Crimson Tide during his tenure, and is looking for a fresh start with the Tigers.

Photo by Bart Boatwright