Clemson’s second and final scrimmage of camp was the kind of day Dabo Swinney didn’t try to sugarcoat.
With the Tigers set to open the 2026 season two weeks from Saturday at LSU, Swinney said Thursday night’s work was more about sorting through the roster than polishing anything for Week 1. Some of the more established players were held back, while others got a bigger chance to prove themselves. The result, in his view, was ugly.
Swinney didn’t hide how he felt about the practice.
He said it was Clemson’s worst day of camp, and by a wide margin. The problems showed up in the red zone and in situational football, where penalties and mental mistakes piled up. He said the staff intentionally held out a number of players it believes are already “game-ready,” which opened the door for others to step forward - and, in his words, get exposed.
“A lot of that was probably because I limited a lot of the dudes that I think have made the team, getting some guys a chance to be the guy - they showed why they're not the guy.”
The quarterbacks didn’t help matters. Swinney said none of them had a strong showing in the scrimmage and made it plain with one line:
“Nobody was good enough to win today.”
He also pointed to the timing of the week. Clemson took Wednesday off for the first day of classes, and Swinney said that usually isn’t a great practice day anyway. By Thursday, he felt the team had drifted into the dog days of camp and lost its edge.
“A lot of guys got more opportunity than maybe they thought they were gonna get, unexpectedly, and got exposed. We've been good.
This is the worst day we've had. We didn't have anything new going in, we're just doing what we've done all of camp.
I just think it was a lack of focus. It's a long camp, dog days, I just thought it wasn't good enough.”
He added: “I'm talking about some of these guys that we will need at some point - show us you can play. It was a rough day for some of those guys, but it's nothing we can't correct.”
There were still a few individual notes worth filing away. Vic Burley was back in the lineup, and Swinney said he “actually noticed him” at least three times on the field, all for good reasons. That was a positive in an otherwise frustrating evening.
At the same time, Cole Turner remains away from the team after being present on the first day of camp. Swinney said the staff doesn’t know when he’ll return and is supporting him while he handles a personal matter.
Jay Haynes was out again after returning for the first scrimmage, then suffering another setback. Swinney said he is working back toward getting in the mix again.
T.J. Moore also missed the scrimmage, though Swinney said he is “fine” and still working and practicing.
The team is now set to take Saturday and Sunday off before shifting into LSU preparation next week.
“The next phase for us is getting their bodies back. If you're not fatigued at this point, you probably ain't been working very hard. And I think it's important for the coaches, too.”
Up front, Swinney singled out Andy Burburija as “tough and gritty” and added, “He's a space eater.”
He was much less enthusiastic about the rest of the group, saying nobody at that position has earned the job yet. He said there’s talent there, but he still hasn’t seen an “alpha” emerge. Clemson’s tackle group includes Brayden Jacobs, Elyjah Thurmon, Harris Sewell and Collin Sadler.
Right guard has been a moving target, too, with Ronan O'Connell and Tucker Kattus getting most of the work there and Easton Ware as another option if Sadler slides inside.
In the secondary, Corian Gipson appears to be settling in at nickel. Swinney said he believes Gipson has a “bright, bright, bright future” and can become an elite player at multiple spots on the back end.
In Other News...
Clemson Heads To LSU With Dabos Team-Building Beliefs Under Pressure
Clemsons trip to LSU puts two very different roster-building philosophies in the same spotlight. Dabo Swinney has long trusted the slower path, leaning on high school recruiting and internal development to shape his program, while LSUs Lane Kiffin has embraced the transfer portal as a faster way to patch holes and build a contender. Even as both coaches now work the portal, they do so with different goals and different levels of reliance, which makes this matchup feel like more than just another nonconference test.
The contrast shows up in the quarterbacks, too. Christopher Vizzina has stayed patient at Clemson, waiting his turn inside a system that rewards continuity, while Sam Leavitts route has been far more fluid, marked by multiple transfers before he arrived at LSU with a significant NIL offer. For Clemson, the visit is another reminder that Swinneys old-school beliefs are being measured against a model that has changed the sport, and the results of that debate will follow the Tigers long after they leave Baton Rouge. [Read more 🡒]
Former Clemson Star Deshaun Watson Faces An Ugly Cleveland Reality
Deshaun Watsons latest brush with Browns fans came in a preseason setting, but the noise around him still sounded a lot like a regular-season verdict. Booed in Cleveland, the former Clemson star pushed back by framing the reaction as personal and disrespectful, a reminder of how quickly the relationship between a quarterback and a restless fan base can sour when expectations collide with uneven results.
Todd Monken didnt try to dismiss the reaction, instead acknowledging the boos and pointing to the simplest way for Watson to quiet them: play well. With Watson entering the final season of his contract and still trying to shake the injury and performance issues that have followed him in Cleveland, the frustration around him feels less like a moment than a backdrop, one that could follow him all year if the on-field answer never arrives. [Read more 🡒]
Clemson Suddenly Has A Defensive Line Problem Before A Huge Opener
Just two weeks before Clemson opens the season against LSU, the Tigers are dealing with an unexpected hit to the defensive line. Head coach Dabo Swinney announced an indefinite suspension for defensive tackle Vic Burley after Burley was arrested for disorderly conduct by university police, leaving one of the more intriguing young pieces on the roster off the field at a bad time.
Burley arrived as a highly regarded member of Clemsons 2023 recruiting class, but his on-field impact has been limited across his first two seasons. Even so, the timing makes this more than a routine roster note, because Clemson is now trying to sort out its interior depth while preparing for an opener that will demand every available body up front. [Read more 🡒]