Exit of talent doesn’t rattle Clemson coach
CLEMSON, S.C. — Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney walked into offseason drills last month and spun his head around.
“I was looking for Deshaun ( Watson), and I couldn’t find him,” Swinney quipped Wednesday.
It will be a year of adjustments and change for the Tigers, who began spring drills less than two months after Watson, the standout quarterback who was a twotime Heisman Trophy finalist, led them to the national championship.
Watson is among several major contributors no longer in school and prepping for an NFL career. Also giving up their college eligibility with Watson were two-time 1,000-yard receiver Mike Williams, Clemson single- season rushing leader Wayne Gallman and Clemson career receptions leader Artavis Scott.
Also gone on offense are talented tight end Jordan Leggett and center Jay Guillermo.
On defense, the Tigers are without leading tackler linebacker Ben Boulware, sacks leader defensive tackle Carlos Watkins and top cornerback Cordrea Tankersley. Their absences leave plenty of areas of concern for fans and analysts to mull over, though Swinney won’t take part in the hand-wringing.
He believes his program has built its depth to withstand seeing top-shelf players walk out the door.
“Our focus is on who’s here,” he said.
Swinney thinks he’s solid at quarterback with rising junior Kelly Bryant, who is Watson’s unquestioned successor.
“But like I tell these guys all the time, there’s no lifetime contracts,” Swinney said.
Swinney expects spirited competition as freshmen Zarrick Cooper and Tucker Israel plus five-star early enrollee Hunter Johnson try to chase down Bryant.
“Maybe it gets resolved in the spring, maybe it doesn’t,” Swinney said.
Clemson hasn’t gone through much uncertainty at quarterback since Watson took control of the position three games into his freshman season in 2014.
That spring, Watson was a promising youngster attempting to gain a foothold in the race to succeed Atlantic Coast Conference player of the year Tajh Boyd over returning players Chad Kelly and Cole Stoudt. Watson might have won the spot, too, had it not been for a fractured collarbone late that spring.
Kelly took himself out of the race by getting dismissed from the team shortly after a heated exchange with coaches on the sideline during the spring game and a contentious meeting with Swinney. That left Stoudt, the reliable senior, as the starter entering the season — a position Watson quickly took over with his steadier performance the first three games.
“These things work themselves out,” Swinney said.
Bryant, a 6- foot- 3 sophomore in his third spring, knows he will be measured by Watson’s amazing output. Watson was the first in the Football Bowl Subdivision to throw for more than 4,000 yards while rushing for more than 1,000 yards in a single season when he did so two years ago. He was 32- 3 as Clemson’s starting quarterback and threw the winning touchdown pass to Hunter Renfrow with a second left for a 35- 31 victory in the national title game against Alabama.
“I’m just trying to be myself. I’m not trying to be Deshaun,” said Bryant, whose cousin Martavis Bryant played at Clemson before joining the Pittsburgh Steelers. “I’m just going to play my game.”