What We Learned from Dabo Swinney as Tigers begin Georgia preparation

CLEMSON — The first day of school has arrived for Clemson.

The Tigers held their first scrimmage of fall camp Saturday; and they’ll wrap up camp with one on Thursday. With camp winding down, classes begin Wednesday, marking a change in Clemson’s practice schedule.

With it, the focus shifts to the season opener against Georgia. With Sept. 4 quickly approaching, the coaching staff will turn some of their attention back to the work they put in this summer. Opponent prep will officially begin next Monday and Tuesday, with a staff day on Wednesday. After that, Thursday, Friday and Saturday are all Georgia days leading in to game week.

Dabo Swinney knows the showdown in Charlotte is quickly approaching. But for now the focus remains on improving his roster.

“Well, the biggest thing is they’re together,” Swinney said of his team after Tuesday’s practice. “This is a team that likes each other. And they’ll compete. You know, they practice physical. They’re a focused team. And those are things that excite me. We’re talented, I think we all know that. But having the right leadership, having the right focus, having the right commitment, the right attitude and the right character.

“I think this team has all those intangibles that we’re going to need to have the type of season we want to have.”

Clemson will scrimmage Thursday. But the Tigers are officially approaching Week 1, which means college football is almost back. But before preparations begin for Georgia, ClemsonSports.com is breaking down What We Learned from Dabo Swinney on Tuesday afternoon.

Update on center competition

Matt Bockhorst will be starting on Clemson’s offensive line. Where he will be lining up isn’t certain. The second-team All-ACC guard has been taking first-team snaps at center this fall along with Mason Trotter and Hunter Rayburn. Trent Howard has also emerged as the most consistent player in terms of snapping.

The job is open after losing Cade Stewart to graduation.

“The biggest thing is consistency,” Swinney said. “I think all of them physically can get the job done, and I think all three mentally can get the job done. But consistency with our snaps, that’s the area we’ve got to make some strides in. You’ve got to be 100 percent, 99.99999 percent, when it comes to the C-Q exchange. So, that’s an area that I think we’ve got to clean up as we really hone in coming out of camp here. But all those guys have done a good job.”

Mysterious case of Joseph Ngata

Dabo Swinney has spoken highly of Joseph Ngata for the last two seasons.

But the junior wideout has yet to really live up to the hype. He missed Saturday’s scrimmage and Swinney said Tuesday that Ngata is still out, dealing with a hamstring injury. A 6-foot-3 outside receiver, he had a strong spring capped off by a breakout spring game. He had six catches on eight targets, including an impressive 49-yard jump-ball reception in the third quarter.

“Joe is still out, hopefully it’s not a long-term thing, just been battling a hamstring,” Swinney said Tuesday.

The former four-star recruit out of California has yet to truly make a contribution in the regular season. In two seasons at Clemson, he has 24 catches for 323 yards and three receiving touchdowns. The idea of being a 1-2 punch with Justyn Ross has been alluring to the Tigers coaching staff; it’s unknown when Ngata might return.

“This kid is incredibly gifted,” Swinney said this spring. “He’s still getting 100%, but he’s been out there competing. He’s had a great spring. It’s really just having a great summer, getting his body right where it needs to be, continue to really work on his rehab and his recovery. He’s going to make a million plays if he’s healthy.”

Clemson starting cornerback situation

Dabo Swinney isn’t ready to formally announce his starting cornerbacks. With 18 days until the season kicks off, he has time to continue to evaluate the position.

But he also has to start making decisions. The Clemson coach was asked Tuesday who he would start at corner if Clemson was playing that day.

“If we played today, I think Mario [Goodrich] and [Andrew] Booth would probably run out there first,” he said. “But all those guys are gonna play. They’ve had a good camp. But I’m confident in all six of those corners, those guys have worked their tails off, and you’ll see them all play. And Malcolm [Greene] probably the first guy in their at nickel. But again, we’ve got a long way to go between now and games. So a lot of practices, a lot of stuff. But those guys have had big camps for us.”

Booth has emerged as the lockdown cornerback for Clemson, especially since Derion Kendrick left the team this offseason. And Goodrich is a senior with playing experience; he started four games last season. Greene at the nickel makes sense, too, as the sophomore started three games as a freshman.

Nate Wiggins, Fred Davis II and Sheridan Jones are all still going to be in the mix.

Subscribe to ClemsonSports and get access to all of our content for an entire year for only $10.