Dabo Swinney Highlights Several Players Who Stood Out in Clemson Tigers Scrimmage

With several upperclassmen who are regarded as some of the best players in college football, the Clemson Tigers are in their prime window to make a serious playoff run.

As Clemson wraps up its second week of fall camp, the team just completed its first fully live scrimmage and showed signs of a team ready to compete at the highest level.

During a media availability after practice, Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney explained that while most opening scrimmages usually have a runaway winner, he was encouraged by the fight both sides of the ball put up.

“Its probably one of the more competitive scrimmages that we’ve had,” Swinney said. “For whatever reason, sometimes in that first scrimmage, sometimes one side will have a better day than the other. But there were moments that I'd be happy with the offense, and then happy with the defense. 

“From my experience, that’s usually not a bad thing. There was good and bad on both sides. It was very competitive. A lot of guys flashed.”

According to Swinney, the best competition came in the trenches. After all, the Tigers return four graduate offensive linemen who combine for 120 career starts, and on defense, they have two pass rushers who are projected as top-five picks.

“You got a bunch of guys who’ve played a ton of football on both sides. So you didn’t see one side just dominating," Swinney said. "There were moments that both sides got a win, but it’s very competitive. This is a very prideful group, and the same thing on the other side defensively.”

While the interior competition was evenly matched throughout the scrimmage, Swinney spotlighted one underclassman who impressed him. 

“The one guy that flashed for me was [Vic] Burley. He had a couple of sacks. It was really good to see him. He had a good spring, and he’s had a good camp so far,” Swinney said. “So it’s been good to see him flash.”

While the former five-star arrived at Clemson with high expectations, he has struggled with injuries early on. As a redshirt freshman, Burley recorded nine tackles while appearing in eight games.

Another group that impressed Swinney was the Tigers’ linebackers. Headlined by ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year Sammy Brown, the Tigers’ head coach explained that he’s also seen an improvement in overall depth at the position.

“The other group that just keeps trending up is our linebackers. I'm really encouraged with what I've seen on the practice field from our backers,” Swinney said. “This is 13 days in a row that we’ve been together, and I really see a good group developing. I'm really encouraged about the depth that they are developing.”

According to Swinney, Ian Schiefflin, one of Clemson’s most intriguing newcomers, has shown some encouraging progression since arriving. After spending four seasons as a productive member of the Tigers basketball team, Schiefflin has decided to use his final year of NCAA eligibility to play football.

“He's trending in the right direction. I'm really pleased with him. He’s a natural,” said Swinney. “We’ve got some technique things to clean up, but he’s willing, he’s not afraid, and he’s ready to improve.”