Clemson’s latest preseason practice came with a blunt verdict from Dabo Swinney: it was the worst of camp.
That wasn’t a throwaway line, either. With the Tigers nearing the end of preseason work and starting to pivot toward LSU preparation for the Sept. 5 opener, Swinney deliberately held out a number of players he already considers ready for the season.
The idea was to give the rest of the roster a bigger stage. What he got, in his words, was a rough showing.
“I thought it was probably our worst practice of camp,” Swinney said. “Not even really close.”
The session offered a clear snapshot of where Clemson stands as camp winds down. Some players fighting for jobs didn’t seize the moment, the Tigers are about to shift into opponent-specific work, and one position group - linebacker - has given Swinney reason to feel good.
The practice itself turned into a proving ground, and not everyone passed it.
Swinney said the setup was similar to an NFL team’s final preseason game. Clemson’s established pieces were limited, which opened the door for players lower on the depth chart to show they could handle more. Instead, some of them confirmed why they still have work to do.
“We limited some guys that we know are game ready,” Swinney said. “Really tried to challenge some guys that think they're game ready. And some of them got a baptism today, got exposed a little bit.”
The mistakes came from everywhere. Clemson had penalties, offensive formation problems, offsides flags on defense and shaky situational awareness. One sequence in particular seemed to set Swinney off: after Clemson intercepted a pass in a two-minute situation that should have ended the rep, the defender kept running instead of immediately going down.
There were other costly errors, too - a defensive hold on fourth down, lining up offside on a field goal and jumping offside on fourth-and-6 late in a two-minute period. Those are the kinds of details that can swing a game.
“We did some dumb stuff today,” Swinney said.
He stressed that the issues weren’t coming from anything new. Clemson wasn’t unveiling fresh material that could explain the sloppiness. These were things the Tigers have already worked on throughout camp, which is why the lack of sharpness stood out.
“I just think it was a lack of focus,” Swinney said. “And some of the guys just kind of lost their focus.
It's been a long, it's a long camp. It's a lot of stuff, dog days.”
That’s part of the reason Swinney views these practices as evaluation tools as much as teaching sessions. He’s not only sorting out starters. He’s figuring out who Clemson can trust when depth gets tested during the season.
“And kind of like a last preseason game, you're getting some guys that are getting kind of a chance to be the guy,” Swinney said. “And they showed why they're not the guy.”
Starting Monday, the Tigers begin that next phase. The focus shifts more directly to LSU, the number of groups getting reps will shrink and scout-team work will become part of the daily rhythm.
“Now it starts to be, okay, who's the opponent?” Swinney said.
“Let's get ready to take what we, here's what we've been working on. Now let's, of this, what do we wanna go play this with?
And you start paring down and you put your game plan together.”
He said Clemson wants most of the plan in place before game week even arrives.
“We've got plenty of time, but you'd like to have everything in really by next weekend,” Swinney said. “And that way, you kinda take game week and you just really details and polishing and just really honing in on the execution of the plan.”
The changeover also comes with a reset for tired bodies. Clemson will take Saturday night and Sunday off before returning Monday, and Swinney was direct about the wear and tear of camp.
“The next phase for us is getting their bodies back,” Swinney said. “I mean, they're fatigued. If you're not fatigued at this point, you probably ain't been working very hard.”
Even with the move toward LSU prep, Clemson won’t stop competing against itself. Good-on-good work will continue, but the emphasis is shifting.
Camp has been about building the 2026 team. What comes next is about getting it ready for LSU.
If one position group has already given Swinney what he wanted, it’s linebacker.
“That's a group with the arrow up,” Swinney said.
Clemson entered camp with Sammy Brown, Kobe McCloud and Jeremiah Alexander among the established names, and Swinney said those players have been solid. But the real growth has come from the next wave behind them, the group Clemson needed to see take a jump.
“It was that next group that we needed to see a big jump, and man, they've done a great job,” Swinney said. “I mean, a great job.”
Drew Woodaz is one of the clearest examples. Listed on Clemson’s 2026 roster at 6-foot-2 and 220 pounds, the sophomore has begun to look the part, in Swinney’s view.
“Drew is a guy that looks like a linebacker now,” Swinney said. “He's got three years left. He's just kind of been in the crock pot.”
Freshman Brayden Reilly has also made an impression, even though he still has plenty to learn as he moves over from more of a safety background.
“He don't know what he's doing, but you just notice it,” Swinney said. “I mean, he really doesn't. I mean, he's got a lot to learn.”
That kind of depth matters for more than just the starting lineup. Clemson needs linebackers who can hold up if injuries hit, help on special teams and give the staff options over the course of a long season. Through camp, Swinney believes that group has delivered.
“I think the group has done what we need them to do,” Swinney said. “That group has been right on point for all camp.”
On a day when the head coach didn’t have many positives to offer, that was one of the clearest ones.
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