Death Valley Scrimmage Notes: Swinney holds several players, updates injuries

Dietrick Pennington (59) was one of the younger O-lineman to stand out to Dabo Swinney during the final scrimmage of camp.

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Wed Aug 16 15:46:46 GMT-04:00 2023

CLEMSON – Wednesday’s stadium scrimmage was a chance for the coaching staff to let some of the older players rest and get a good look at some of the younger players.

The Tigers scrimmaged for close to three hours in Death Valley Wednesday afternoon and head coach Dabo Swinney met with the media after it ended.

“We just finished our last full scrimmage. We will still have a little competitive work and a few live periods probably Monday and Tuesday of next week and then it's all game prep from that point,” Swinney said. “So today was our second preseason game, if you will. A big day. Big day for a lot of guys. We held a few guys and got some guys a few reps—some guys we held completely. We have a lot of guys we are trying to evaluate. Just like the NFL in preseason games, they have a lot of guys they are trying to get reps for. They know who is going to make the team if you will, and then you cut people. The good news is we aren't going to cut people; we get to keep them. But we need to evaluate.”

“So this is a big day for a lot of guys. I saw a lot of good things. The best thing I saw today was I thought our two's (second team) closed the gap a little bit. We kind of went 1s on 2s all day today. The last scrimmage I saw a pretty good gap. In this scrimmage, I saw some guys make some strides and show they belong. Another really competitive day with a lot of situational work. We had an overtime period. We did some short yardage. We had some special teams. We had a couple of two-minute drives, which is good to see. It was a hot day. We were out here almost three days. But guys pushed through.”

The Tigers are close to closing out fall camp and starting preparations for Duke (Sept. 4 in Durham, 8 p.m. ESPN).

“We will have a solid, light workout tomorrow and take the pads off, grade this tape and start making decisions,” Swinney said. “And tomorrow we will break camp and give everybody Friday and Saturday off and allow for a mental recharge. And then we will come back Sunday afternoon and turn the page to opponent prep.”

*Swinney said the players held out were running backs Will Shipley and Phil Mafah, defensive tackle Tyler Davis, defensive end Xavier Thomas, and linebackers Jeremiah Trotter and Barrett Carter. Trotter is battling a sore hamstring, but Swinney said if today had been an actual game, Trotter would have played.

*He said he’s not ready to name a starter at left tackle. Tristan Leigh, Mitchell Mayes, Marcus Tate, Blake Miller, and Collin Sadler have all taken reps at that spot. Swinney also had praise for Dietrick Pennington, who took a big step forward in the scrimmage, on the interior.

*Vic Burley’s injury isn’t serious, but he could miss the opener at Duke.

*As we detailed this morning, Swinney likes what he sees out of linebacker Dee Crayton.

*Misun Kelley has been playing wide receiver, but the coaches wanted to see Kelley at corner. Swinney said that Kelley can play there if needed.

*Also, we noted this morning that safety Khalil Barnes would likely earn a special teams spot and then play snaps when they’re available, and Swinney confirmed that to be the case.