Tigers Today: Dabo Swinney reflects on son's career at Clemson

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Dabo Swinney reflects on son’s career at Clemson

For the past five seasons, there has been more than one Swinney inside the Clemson program.

Along with head coach Dabo Swinney, the head coach’s oldest son Will Swinney has been a member. And for the last four years, Will’s younger brother Drew has been on the team as well.

This past weekend, Will Swinney earned his first career start on his senior day. The former walk-on has been the team’s holder since the 2017 season. But on Saturday against Wake Forest, Will Swinney became the first son of a Clemson coach to start a game on offense or defense since Frank Howard’s son Jimmy in 1963.

“He’s literally gone from a little bitty boy to a grown man on that field. Nineteen years, he’s never missed a Clemson home game,” Dabo Swinney said following the game. “Nineteen years straight. I haven’t either. So it’s been an amazing journey. It’s hard to understand the joy of being a parent until you are one. And then they grow so fast. He’s grown up in this town. There’s nobody who loves Clemson more than Will. Unbelievably committed, he’s just a grinder. 

“Just crazy how it worked out. He did a good job, man, he was ready and took advantage of his opportunity. He’s done an unbelievable job in his role since he got here. It was a very special moment. I’m really proud of him. The biggest thing I would say about Will and really all three of my boys – if the good Lord took me home today and before you left they said ‘What’s your greatest accomplishment on this earth?’ What I would say is my boys know Jesus.”

An All-ACC Academic Team selection last year, Will Swinney was also a William V. Campbell Trophy semifinalist. And while his father has built a winning culture at Clemson, he has been along for the ride and played a role.

“The second thing is my kids have grown up a lot different than me,” Dabo Swinney said. “That was a goal of mine, for my kids to grow up different than me. But man, they’ve still got that same grit, they’ve got that same work ethic.”

Clemson commit Toriano Pride earns fifth star in updated On300 rankings

Although the Tigers recently missed out on priority wide receiver target Andre Greene Jr., Clemson’s 2022 class is still regarded as one of the best in the nation.

That was validated once again on Monday as On3 unveiled its updated On300 rankings for senior prospects across the nation. The big news of the day, for Tigers fans, was Toriano Pride earning his fifth star on our network.

For a full breakdown of where Clemson commits stand in the updated rankings, click here.

Tony Elliott talks coaching carousel, conversation with TCU

Clemson offensive coordinator Tony Elliott has had several opportunities to leave for head coaching jobs in recent years, including last offseason.

Elliott has turned them all down, however, to remain as the Tigers offensive coordinator. Still, he has said in the past that he wants to be a head coach at some point.

There are several openings right now, including Virginia Tech, TCU, LSU and Florida that could come calling. ClemsonSports.com senior writer Matt Connolly discussed the carousel with Elliott on Monday.

In-state DB Travon West believes an offer from Clemson is ‘close’

Clemson’s football program has already extended offers to eight defensive backs in the 2023 class.

The staff recently missed out on one of them — five-star Alex “Sonny” Styles — as he committed to Ohio State last week. This, along with the natural progression of a recruiting cycle, opens the door for the Tigers to offer another DB or two in the near future.

One of the recruits on their radar is in-state junior Travon West. West, who attends Wren High School in Piedmont (South Carolina), attended Clemson’s game against Wake Forest on Saturday and then chatted with ClemsonSports.com senior recruiting writer Joseph Hastings about the trip.

Counting down

• Clemson at South Carolina: Four days