Clemson’s preseason work is done, and now the Tigers are moving into the next phase of the run-up to LSU: less installation, more opponent prep.
Dabo Swinney said after Clemson’s final preseason scrimmage Aug. 20 that once team activities resume Aug. 24, the Tigers will start turning their attention to the season opener in Baton Rouge, La., on Sept. 5.
The broad summer work is already in the books. Now comes the more specific stuff.
“Now it starts to be, ‘OK, who's the opponent?’ Here's what we've been working on.
Of this, what do we want to go play this with?” he said.
“You installed your stuff for the season. Now you get ready to play a game.”
Swinney said Clemson still has time, but he wants to have “everything in” by the weekend before kickoff so the actual game week can be about sharpening, not scrambling.
“You really don't want to be, shouldn’t be, burning midnight oil up here on game week this time of year for the first game. You ought to be plan ready,” he said.
What qualifies as “everything” is still a little murky. At minimum, that means the playbook is in and the game plan is set. It’s not clear whether the Tigers will also have their personnel decisions settled by then.
That matters because Clemson has not publicly named a starter in its quarterback battle between Christopher Vizzina and Tait Reynolds. Other major-conference teams that had similar competitions, including Tennessee and Alabama, have already announced their Week 1 quarterbacks.
Swinney said Aug. 15 that the decision could even stretch to game day. In Clemson’s previous quarterback race involving Kelly Bryant, Trevor Lawrence and Chase Brice, Bryant got the nod the Monday before the Furman opener.
Quarterback isn’t the only spot still sorting itself out. Swinney said he’s also still working through the depth chart on both lines as offensive and defensive linemen continue battling for position.
The Tigers’ final stretch of camp also has to account for bodies, not just plays. Clemson mixed in five indoor practices and six outdoor sessions at Jervey Meadows and Memorial Stadium over three weeks, all while dealing with what Swinney described as a record heat wave in South Carolina. He didn’t sugarcoat it.
“freaking hot.”
By the end of the final scrimmage, Clemson had already started limiting some players who had locked in roles. This coming week will also be used to bring back certain players who have been resting or recovering from injury.
“They're fatigued. If you're not fatigued at this point, you probably ain't been working very hard,” he said.
Once camp ends, the Tigers will operate under NCAA in-season practice rules. That means no more than 20 hours per week, no more than four hours in a single day, and no more than two “live” practices - full pads and tackling - in a week. Teams also have to take one day off each week.
So even with LSU looming and the calendar ticking down, Clemson won’t be able to treat the next stretch like a sprint. Swinney said the program has a built-in progression for how hard to push, and when to ease off.
“There's a process that we have in place as far as how far you got to push them and strain them, and then you start to pull back,” Swinney said.
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