Dabo talks Walmart shopping, Christmas plans, Alabama prep and NFL draft
Clemson players had fun with Friday’s practice, the final one before the Tigers break for Christmas, as they swapped jerseys before going through the work out.
Quarterback Kelly Bryant wore defensive end Clelin Ferrell’s jersey, Dexter Lawrence squeezed into Mark Fields’ small No. 2, and Clemson continued its preparation for its matchup against Alabama in the Sugar Bowl.
“I have no idea where that tradition came from… But forever and a day since I’ve been here the last practice they all swap jerseys,” Tigers coach Dabo Swinney said. “They’ve done that forever. I always forget about it until I walk out to practice on this day every year and I go, ‘Oh, it’s that day again, when the quarterback’s wearing 99.’ ”
While Clemson had some fun on Friday, the Tigers have been all business over the past couple of weeks as they prepare to face Alabama in the College Football Playoff for the third time in three years.
The focus has been particularly strong since exams ended late last week. Swinney wanted to have Clemson’s entire game plan ready to go before the Tigers leave for New Orleans, and that is the case.
“I’m really pleased with what we got accomplished here at Clemson. The guys have been super focused, especially since last Saturday or Friday when we finished finals,” Swinney said. “These guys have really put in good work and we feel good about what we’ve gotten done. We’ve got the plan put in, so excited for everybody to get a little break.”
NFL DRAFT UPDATE
Swinney has had conversations with several underclassmen as far as their thinking in regards to the NFL draft.
Offensive lineman Taylor Hearn is the only underclassmen to declare for the draft, but several other juniors and redshirt sophomores will have a decision to make. Swinney has been very pleased with his players’ ability to stay focused on the next game and not potentially turning pro.
“I’ve had conversations with several of them, you know, just because you wanna give them the best information. There’s a couple of them I think that have made decisions, but there’s a couple that are probably up in the air,” Swinney said.
“I think that’s one thing I really appreciate about this team, these guys, they don’t really wanna talk about it. I’ve kind of had to force a couple of them. They’re very committed guys, very focused. I love that about this team.”
CHRISTMAS SHOPPING
Swinney will have a busy few days celebrating Christmas and finishing shopping.
He will celebrate Christmas at his house on Saturday before going to Alabama for a couple of days to visit family.
Swinney said he was out shopping Thursday night and planned to shop Friday in the Upstate before finishing his shopping in Alabama.
“If you see me at Walmart I’m roaming around. Yesterday, last night I was doing some shopping. I gotta finish today, and then we go to Alabama. I spend all Christmas Eve shopping. That’s always an adventure,” he said.
Swinney was spotted shopping in Alabama last year and received friendly remarks. He isn’t sure that will be the case this year after Clemson beat the Crimson Tide in the national title game.
“I’m probably going to get some stares this year. Last year everybody was nice to me because you know they beat us the year before, and we were probably going to lose to Ohio State, so they didn’t think they’d see us again, so everybody was real nice to me. This year it might not be as friendly,” Swinney said, before being asked if he will wear a disguise. “I don’t wear Clemson, I just wear a hat. I guess my nose gives it away.”
This story was originally published December 22, 2017 at 4:02 PM with the headline "Dabo talks Walmart shopping, Christmas plans, Alabama prep and NFL draft."