Time to Attack 2021: Swinney excited about start of spring practice |
It’s time to attack 2021.
The Clemson football team started spring practice Wednesday with a two-hour session, and head coach Dabo Swinney told the media it was good to get going on a new season. "Excited to get back going," Swinney said. "Always exciting to start over and develop a new team. Obviously, we were all super disappointed in how last season ended. Unless you win it all, you always are a little bit disappointed. And I know this: when you're part of a program when people are disappointed you didn't win the national championship, then that means that you're at a special place. Again, disappointed, but another great year. Incredibly proud of our 2020 team. It was a challenge like we've never had. Something I'll forever be grateful for, all that went into it. "We hit every single goal but one and that was to win the closer. We finished third overall in the country and we had 10 wins. There were three Power 65 teams that won 10 games: us, Alabama, and Notre Dame. Incredible accomplishment any year to win 10 games, but to be able to do it under the circumstances we had to manage last year, just a credit to everyone involved. Won our league again and got back to the Playoff for the sixth year in a row. “Had the highest team GPA in the history our program and had 74 guys, most we've ever had, make a 3.0 GPA or better. So a lot of great things. Looking back on it, wish we had won the whole dadgum thing but I know we are off to a lot better start this decade than we were in 2010, that's for sure. I know we have a lot of great more moments ahead. (Winston) Churchill had a quote that I've always loved: 'Success is not infallible. Failure is not fatal. It's the courage to continue that counts.' I've always believed in that. For us, it's continuing to grind, learn, grow, believe and serve. It's always about what's next. That's been our philosophy for a long time. We are excited and hungry to attack this 2021 journey." Swinney then detailed a checklist of what he is looking for this spring. "We have to develop chemistry and leadership, you have to re-establish that each and every year," Swinney said. "We have to create competition. And we have to develop confident and functional depth-- not just functional depth. We have to create confident and functional depth. "We don't have any defensive guys at Pro Day coming up because everybody is coming back. That is really cool. This is the most veteran group we have had since that 2018 bunch. We got a good group, man. They know what we've got to do. We have some grown men that are very, very committed and know what it takes.” Swinney was asked if there any part of his roster that keeps him up at night and he said no. "I think we have got a really good roster. There is nothing keeping me up at night. But from a roster standpoint, the biggest thing for us is the youth we've had at offensive line,” Swinney said. “That was a weakness for us last year— not the line. But our weakness was the youth and inexperience. I really like the guys that we have signed and recruited. We haven't always gotten the elite, elite offensive linemen over the years, but we've been able to take ours and beat yours. That's a credit to Robbie, (Caldwell). "Over the past two or three years, we've been able to recruit a more ready guy from a physical standpoint. I think we signed four outstanding offensive linemen in this class. We have two more guys coming the summer that have long-term potential and high ceilings. We have to get those guys more confident and functional; that was a weakness for us last year. And then defensive line-wise, we have to take another step. I love the talent, but we've got to take another step and be a dominant force in those trenches."
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