Dabo Swinney addresses coaching his son in win vs Georgia Tech

Dabo Swinney led Clemson in a close contest in the Chick-fil-a kickoff game versus Georgia Tech, until they ran away with the lead in the middle of the fourth quarter, coming out on top 41-10 against the Yellow Jackets. Clemson’s big lead allowed them to let some fresh faces get some playing time in the last offensive drive of the ball game.

All eyes were on highly-recruited freshman quarterback Cade Klubnik, who led the final ten-play, touchdown drive in the first snaps of his first collegiate career. But another player on the field in that drive was walk-on senior wide receiver Drew Swinney, son of head coach Dabo Swinney.

Dabo talked about the special moment of being able to watch his son perform and coaching him during his time at Clemson.

CLICK HERE to subscribe for FREE to the On3 YouTube channel

“Drew’s a good little player man, he really is, if you ask anybody on the team they’ll tell you that. He’s worked really hard, he’s had some injuries, he broke his collarbone he’s got a plate and nine screws in his collarbone, he missed a little time. But he probably had as good a spring and camp as anybody, he’s a kid we trust and he’s gritty,” Swinney said.

Drew had two catches on the final drive of the game for 27 yards and ended the game as the Tiger’s fourth-leading receiver. He entered the season with six catches for 33 yards in 115 career offensive snaps, and played a role in Klubnik’s touchdown to Will Taylor, creating space for Taylor on their two-man tandem route combination.

“He’s played some special teams and really happy for him, proud of him, and it was fun. Cade [Klubnik] put the ball on the money, he finished the plays and then great execution on the little bunch route with he and Will Taylor for the touchdown,” Swinney said.

Dabo’s three sons Drew, Will, and Clay have all played for the Tigers during his coaching tenure. His oldest Will graduated last season, Drew will graduate following this season, and Clay just joined the team this year as a freshman.

Will set the bar high for the Swinney walk-on receiver lineage, ending his career last year with 35 receptions for 195 yards and a touchdown. The torch has been passed down for the past few years, as the Swinney name continues to appear not only on the coaching staff but on the Clemson roster as well.