Matt Connolly: Welcome to Clemson Sports
In November of 2015 I was working for The State newspaper in Columbia when I was asked by my editor if I would be interested in covering Clemson football for the rest of that season.
I was hired earlier that year to cover South Carolina football and baseball, but with Clemson undefeated and set to face Florida State in a top 20 showdown, we felt it was the right time to beef up our Clemson coverage.
I said yes, made the trip to Death Valley and have been covering Clemson football ever since.
It has been an absolute blast covering the Tigers over the past 5+ years.
I’ve been to places I had never visited and wasn’t sure I ever would – places like Phoenix, California, Syracuse, Boston College and Notre Dame.
I’ve had a front row seat (well, press box seat) to watch Clemson win six straight ACC titles, reach the College Football Playoff six straight years and capture a pair of national titles.
I’ve written about classic games – some of the best in college football history. And have had the privilege to share some incredible stories involving Clemson athletes.
I’m thrilled that I will get to continue to do that moving forward.
As of Monday, I am moving into a new role as the Senior Writer for ClemsonSports.com.
Our website is committed to providing in-depth coverage of Clemson football and more, taking you beyond the box score to break down what went right and what went wrong in games. We’ll also produce plenty of other features and content that will allow you to get to know Clemson athletes as people, in addition to players.
Clemson reporter Matt Connolly chats with Deshaun Watson during his time on the Clemson beat.
We will be expanding our coverage over the coming months to add more talented journalists, as well as former Clemson players who can provide unique insight. We will work every day to make ClemsonSports.com your go-to place for Clemson coverage.
For someone who grew up wanting nothing more than to work in sports for a living, I’m ecstatic that I’ll get to continue to do that while covering one of the best football programs in the country.
It’s an exciting time to be a Clemson fan. The basketball team is in the NCAA Tournament, the second-year softball program is already in the top 25 and Dabo Swinney again has sky-high expectations for the Tigers as the D.J. Uiagalelei era gets underway.
It’s an exciting time for me as well as I transition into a new role and a new site. Clemson fans – I hope you’ll follow along.