Tigers Today: James Skalski shares why Clemson is avoiding opt-outs

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James Skalski shares why Clemson is avoiding opt-outs

When Clemson and Iowa State kick off the Cheez-It-Bowl on Wednesday, the Tigers will be with nearly a full roster. The Tigers have been able to avoid bowl opt-outs. Outside of transfers, Clemson has not lost a single player to fast-tracking their move to the NFL draft process.

And while the Tigers will not be playing in the College Football Playoff, they have a group that still wants to be together. That can not be undervalued and is a testament of the culture Dabo Swinney has built.

In his media availability Sunday in Orlando, Skalski explained why Clemson’s upperclassmen are sticking together through the bowl game.

 “I think it’s the culture of this team,” he said. “You get a chance — we get a play football. Yeah, we have been in the playoffs and bigger stages, but to us, I mean, we get to go play a game again. We get a chance to go represent Clemson, show what we can do ourselves. So, I think we all just love playing ball. We love being together, so it wasn’t even opt-out, like, what? That’s not a thing.”

The Tigers’ underclassmen may be losing out on a few practice snaps, but having the seniors together for a final game is the type of culture Clemson has been trying to foster throughout the Swinney era.

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What Clemson OC Brandon Streeter learned from calling plays vs. Ohio State

For the second time since joining Clemson’s staff in 2015, Brandon Streeter is set to call plays for the Tigers.The newly-named Clemson offensive coordinator is in a much better place heading into this year’s bowl game than he was a year ago when he was forced into play-calling duties after Tony Elliott tested positive for COVID-19 just days before the Sugar Bowl against Ohio State.

Instead of a couple of days to prepare as Clemson’s play caller, Streeter has had several weeks after Tony Elliott took the head coaching job at Virginia in early December.

Streeter spoke with Clemson Sports about the new role of offensive coordinator and how he plans to add his own twist as a playcaller.

2023 OL Payton Kirkland details why Clemson made his top seven

This week, Clemson received some early presents from a couple of Florida-based junior prospects.

On Wednesday, consensus top-100 target Derrick LeBlanc included the Tigers in his top seven. The next day, four-star offensive lineman Payton Kirkland labeled Clemson one of seven finalists as well.

While Kirkland has yet to publicly report an offer, Dabo Swinney’s staff is maintaining consistent contact with him. The offensive lineman caught up with Clemson Sports to discuss his relationship with the Tigers.

Five things on the Tigers wish list

The Clemson Tigers football program has undergone a lot of changes in recent weeks.

A lot.

Dabo Swinney has lost several coaches from his staff, including longtime coordinators Brent Venables and Tony Elliott. They’ve also seen four commits depart from their 2022 class in the past three weeks.

In the spirit of the holidays, here are five things that should be on the Tigers’ wish list.

Countdown

Two days until Cheez-It-Bowl