Dabo Swinney is about to see a familiar Clemson star on the opposite sideline Saturday, and this one comes with a twist.
Georgia Tech’s new wide receivers coach is DeAndre Hopkins, the former Tigers standout who spent three seasons at Clemson from 2010-12 before becoming one of the program’s biggest stars. Hopkins is now helping guide the Yellow Jackets’ passing game after Georgia Tech made a series of staff changes, including the departure of wide receivers coach Jafar Williams. Hopkins had been the assistant wide receivers coach in his first season on staff in 2026 before being promoted.
Swinney and Hopkins have stayed close, and the Clemson coach sounded genuinely happy to see a former player move into coaching.
“I’m excited for him, if this is what he wants to do,” Swinney said. “I know he’s working on trying to graduate and finish up school at some point, so I’ll be excited about that too when he gets that done.”
Hopkins’ Clemson career left a mark that still stands out. The Central native finished first in school history in receiving yards, receiving touchdowns and 100-yard games after his junior season, then entered the 2012 NFL Draft and went in the first round to the Houston Texans.
Swinney said Hopkins may have been thinking about life after football as his playing days were winding down, even if he never laid that out directly.
“He never really expressed that to me, but maybe that’s something; as his career was winding down, he started to maybe have a little interest in staying a part of the game,” he said. “I mean, he’s done a lot of things.”
That list has included business ownership and real estate, and now Hopkins is in Atlanta with a Georgia Tech program that has struggled under Brent Key, sitting at 2-7. Clemson, meanwhile, heads into Saturday looking to stay in the race for an ACC Championship at the beginning of November.
Swinney also pointed to Hopkins’ football IQ as a big reason he was such a special player in the first place, and why he can help a young receiver group now.
“I think that’s probably just something. . . he’s played for a long, long time, and what, he played 12 years or so,” he said. “Long time, and I think that’s one of the things that I think made him a great player is he was a very smart player.”
And if Hopkins decides coaching is where he wants to stay, Swinney believes the fit will work anywhere.
“If he wants to coach, he’ll be a great one,” he said. ‘There’s no doubt about it.”
Clemson and Georgia Tech kick off at 12:30 p.m. Saturday, with the game airing on the CW Network.
In Other News...
Dabo Swinney Is Losing The Clemson Stage He Owned Most
The College Football Playoffs move from 12 to 24 teams next season is bringing a quiet but significant shift for Clemson, one that reaches beyond the bracket itself. With the Power Four conference championship games set to disappear, the ACC title stage that Dabo Swinney has so often used to shape Clemsons season is headed for one final run, closing a chapter that has been central to the programs rise under him.
For Swinney, the change trims away one of the most familiar proving grounds in his Clemson tenure, and it comes at a time when the Tigers are trying to understand how the new postseason landscape will alter their path. The expanded playoff should create more access in theory, but it also removes a game that has carried real weight in Clemsons identity, leaving Swinneys legacy tied to a stage that will not be there much longer. [Read more 🡒]
Clemson May Be Stuck With A Problem Brad Brownell Can't Ignore
Brad Brownell is already dealing with a Clemson roster that looks nothing like the one he hoped to have this early in the season. The Tigers have been forced into a limited rotation because Carter Welling and Zac Foster are both out with torn ACLs, while Dillon Hunter is still waiting to become eligible, leaving Brownell to piece together lineups and minutes on the fly.
The bigger concern now is how long Clemson can keep covering those absences without the cracks showing on the defensive end. Brownell has made it clear the Tigers need to tighten up there before their upcoming game against Georgetown, and with the rotation already stretched thin, every possession is becoming more important than usual. [Read more 🡒]
Clemson's Unbeaten Start Got A Real Scare Against North Dakota
Clemsons unbeaten start survived a real test Tuesday night, but not without a few uneasy moments against North Dakota. The Tigers won 92-77 to keep the record clean, with Liutauras Lelevicius and Chase Thompson each scoring 21 points as Clemson leaned on its top scorers to steady things when the game got uncomfortable.
North Dakota made the Tigers work by catching fire from deep, hitting 13 of 27 three-point attempts and repeatedly forcing Clemson to answer. In the end, Clemson had enough offense to pull away, but the performance served as a reminder that even a perfect start can get stretched when an opponent is shooting with confidence. [Read more 🡒]