CLEMSON, S.C. — Clemson Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney spoke candidly about the competition among the offensive line and the readiness of backup quarterbacks as the team heads into training camp.
Addressing the offensive line, Swinney emphasized the depth and versatility of his players. "There's competition all across the board," Swinney said. "Blake Miller has really solidified himself. I think he’s a guy we don’t really worry about. Tristan Lee is a guy that has really settled in and become honestly one of the best leaders on this team, one of the most committed guys. That guy has really, really done a great job."
Swinney highlighted the flexibility of the line, noting the ability of several players to cover multiple positions. "Marcus is a guy that can play multiple positions. We’ve got about five guys that can really play multiple positions, which gives us some flexibility if a guy rolls an ankle," Swinney explained. "We can move to get our best people on the field. So we’ve got more flexibility than we’ve had, especially at tackle."
Discussing individual players, Swinney praised Sadler’s capabilities. "Sadler is as good a player as we have. He can play guard, he can play tackle," he said. Swinney also mentioned Trent, who has shown significant improvement. "Trent’s had his best summer. Really, really proud of him and what he did in that weight room."
The coach reiterated the competitive atmosphere within the team. "There’s competition everywhere. You got seven guys that have run out there and started for the Tigers and know what that feels like," Swinney said. "They all want to run out there first. They have a lot of respect for each other, and there’s good continuity in chemistry."
Turning to the backup quarterback position, Swinney expressed confidence in the depth of his quarterback room. "We’ve got four quarterbacks that can play for us, and I’m super excited about that," Swinney stated. "It’s been a while since we’ve had four guys that are ready to play, that can functionally go do everything we need them to do."
Swinney identified the quarterbacks by name and order. "I think we know where we are with Cade and CV as two, Trent as three, Paul as four," he noted. "We’ll go through 20 days of camp and see how it all shakes out."