What we learned from Dabo Swinney, Clemson players at ACC Kickoff

CHARLOTTE — The ACC saved the best for last.

Clemson coach Dabo Swinney and Tigers players D.J. Uiagalelei, Matt Bockhorst and James Skalski met with the media Thursday afternoon at the ACC Kickoff event in Charlotte.

Clemson was the final team to speak at the podium and in breakout rooms.

Here are some quick notes on what Swinney, Uiagalelei, Bockhorst and Skalski had to say:

Dabo Swinney

— On Texas and Oklahoma possibly joining the SEC: “I would say you’ll hear a lot of conversation over the next 5-7 years. I would imagine there will be some type of restructuring of college football over the next decade. I don’t have any intel. That’s just my gut instinct. But we’ll see.”

— Swinney said any time you play at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte you know it’s a big game. Adds that Georgia might be the best team in the nation and Kirby Smart does a great job.

— He believes the offense will be more consistent this year and is hopeful receivers can stay healthy after Justyn Ross, Frank Ladson and Joseph Ngata were banged up last year.

— Swinney believes it’s possible that players on playoff teams will opt out if the playoff goes to 12 teams. He added that if the playoff expands, the NCAA needs to look at less regular season games.

— Swinney said his relationship with Florida State coach Mike Norvell is “totally fine.” Norvell said earlier in the day he hasn’t talked with Swinney about the FSU-Clemson game being canceled last year.

Matt Bockhorst

— Clemson’s left guard loved what he saw from the offensive line this summer. The competition was great and he loves where the OL is.

— He’s excited for an early test against Georgia and to find out how much Clemson has really improved from a physicality standpoint since the loss to Ohio State.

— Will Shipley has been impressive throughout the spring and summer.

— Sophomore OL Paul Tchio is really strong and could have a very good year, particularly if he can gain some confidence.

James Skalski

— The defense needs to be better at communicating and being in sync at all three levels this year. Skalski expects that to happen.

— This spring was really good for him as he didn’t take live reps and was able to be more of a coach. It also ensured he stayed healthy.

— Freshman linebacker Jeremiah Trotter Jr. is a “freak” and will have a great career.

— Trenton Simpson is a versatile piece of the defense and is more than ready for an increased role.

— As far as freshmen, Will Shipley and Trotter have stood out the most.

D.J. Uiagalelei

— He learned a lot from Trevor Lawrence but hasn’t talked with him much lately as Lawrence is busy starting his NFL career and was also recently married.

— Uiagalelei loves throwing the deep ball and has had to work on taking what defenses gives him instead of going for the big play.

— He was plenty confident before the Boston College and Notre Dame games, but those performances certainly didn’t hurt from a confidence standpoint.

— Shipley was really good this spring and gave the defense fits.

— Uiagalelei just got his drivers license about a month ago, at the age of 20.