James Franklin didn’t walk into ACC Kickoff media days looking to stir anything up with Clemson. If anything, the new Virginia Tech head coach made it clear he has plenty of respect for Dabo Swinney, and plenty of history with him too.
“Dabo’s my guy,” Franklin said on Thursday. “We go way back.
We’ve been on the Nike trip for a long time. His wife and my wife are friends.”
That kind of public warmth is rare in a sport where coaches spend most of the year circling each other, recruiting against each other and trying to beat each other into the ground. Franklin, after a long run at Penn State, is now in the ACC, where he’ll be trying to take on Swinney and Clemson while still speaking about the Tigers’ coach like an old friend.
“I’m going to be honest, I wouldn’t say we’re necessarily like the type of people that love a lot of other coaches and a lot of other programs,” Franklin admitted candidly. “It’s hard when you just compete year-round.”
Franklin’s praise for Swinney wasn’t just personal. He also made it clear he understands what Clemson has become under its head coach.
“Obviously, tremendous respect for what he has built at Clemson and what he’s done at Clemson, and what he’s done for the ACC,” Franklin said.
That respect matters because Franklin is no lightweight in the league. He arrives from Penn State with a reputation for knocking off top-10 teams, and now he’s stepping into a conference where Clemson remains the measuring stick. Swinney doesn’t hand out that kind of regard casually, and Franklin has clearly earned a spot on the short list.
But the friendly tone won’t last forever. The calendar already has a date circled: October 24, when Clemson hosts Virginia Tech in Death Valley. That game could end up shaping the ACC Championship race.
And there’s a little extra edge baked into it. Clemson’s most recent game was a 22-10 loss to Franklin’s old Penn State team in the Pinstripe Bowl, a rainy trip to New York that still lingers.
On top of that, Swinney’s defense will get another crack at Ethan Grunkemeyer, the former Penn State quarterback now leading the Hokies. He threw for 260 yards and two scores against Clemson last time.
So yes, Franklin and Swinney can trade compliments in July. Their families can stay close.
But once October arrives, the friendship gets pushed aside. Franklin wants Virginia Tech to prove it belongs at the top of the ACC, and Swinney is still determined to keep Clemson right where it has been.
In Other News...
Dabo Swinney Just Sent The NCAA A Message Clemson Fans Feel
Dabo Swinney says Clemson still has not heard back from the NCAA on the tampering claim it filed involving linebacker Luke Ferrelli, leaving the Tigers waiting for a ruling on a matter that has already drawn plenty of attention around the sport. Ferrellis path alone has made the situation notable, as he transferred to Clemson before eventually re-entering the portal and landing at Ole Miss, a sequence that put the case squarely in the middle of the transfer-era chaos college football keeps trying to sort out.
ACC commissioner Jim Phillips has publicly backed Clemsons position and said NCAA leadership promised the issue would be addressed, giving the Tigers some conference support as they wait. Ole Miss coach Pete Golding has brushed off the controversy and suggested tampering is simply part of the modern game, but for Clemson the unanswered question is still the one that matters most: when the NCAA finally weighs in, what will it decide? [Read more 🡒]
Dabo Sounds Fired Up About Clemsons New Weight Room Era
Clemson has entered a new phase in the weight room this summer, and Dabo Swinney sounds energized by the change. The Tigers are working through a demanding offseason under a fresh strength and conditioning voice, and Swinney has made it clear the intensity level has been noticeable, with players handling the grind well as they push through the program.
One of the early examples Swinney pointed to was Chris Johnson Jr., whose physical progress has stood out during the summer work. The bigger picture for Clemson is the same one that always matters in the offseason: building a tougher, more complete roster before camp opens, and the early signs from the weight room suggest the Tigers like where things are headed. [Read more 🡒]