DABO: We're excited to be here. We really are. It was a long day yesterday. But we actually got everybody back, had a little practice at Clemson, some meetings. And then had a great trip out. And guys were in great spirits. I think all the specialists wore their Christmas suits. And we had several guys wear their hats. And it was pretty fitting because, last night, they were able to – I think all the staff ended up getting boots.
So we're happy to be here. It's an amazing hotel that we're staying at. And just all the Cotton Bowl folks. This is a bowl I've always wanted to be a part of for a long time. So to actually have the opportunity to experience it firsthand and for our players to get such a wonderful experience – these guys have been in Orange Bowls, Fiesta Bowls, Sugar Bowls, national championships. They've had some amazing experiences. And these two, in particular, because they're both fifth-year seniors, were also in the Russell Athletic Bowl. So they've had some great experiences, but this going to be amazing.
I mean, just this press conference. Usually, we show up to practice and we just gather up outside a fence or something, but everything is bigger in Texas, I guess. So here we go. We're excited. I can't wait to get out on the field and check this place out.
MODERATOR: Coach, if you would, please introduce your two student-athletes and tell us a little bit about them.
DABO: We've got Kendall Joseph. This is our starting middle linebacker, number 34. He's an unbelievable leader for us. He's a captain of our football team. He's a fifth-year senior, and has been a three-year starter, a very, very talented and dynamic young man. He's a graduate. Hopefully, he'll have opportunity to play some ball in the NFL, but he's got a really, really nice job waiting on him if he chooses to do that. He's from Belton, BHP High School, in South Carolina. And, again, just a great leader and has been a very productive player.
And then Hunter Renfrow – yep, that's Hunter Renfrow, for those of you who don't know him. He's a fifth-year receiver as well. He's from down in Myrtle Beach, Socastee area, in South Carolina. Same thing, a graduate. He's a captain, just an amazing young man, both from great families, and one of the most productive receivers we've ever had at Clemson. He's got the most starts ever for a receiver, the most catches consecutively in the history of Clemson, just a very productive football player.
And, again, two great leaders and representatives of our program.
Hunter, how much more dynamic do you think this offense is this year compared to a year ago when you guys were entered in the semifinal?
RENFROW: Yeah, just a little different, a little more experience, I would say. We still have Justin [Mascoll] outside that's a freshman, and a few more freshman pieces. But I would say, just the experience we have and just being on that team last year and not finishing the way we wanted to, I think it's definitely going to help us as we finish, hopefully well, this year.
When you went through the quarterback switch, what was that like? And what has Trevor [Lawrence] brought to the offense as a freshman? And does he play like a freshman now, or could you describe him to us?
RENFROW: That quarterback switch seemed like three years ago. I mean, it seems like so much time has passed. But I would say that, yeah, I mean, Trevor has had 13 games under his belt. And so he's a freshman, I guess, still, but he plays like a sophomore.
He's had a whole year under his belt. And he's really just gotten better every week. And that's the thing I would say about Trevor is, every week, he's come and he's gotten better. And just seeing his preparation from week to week. I got to spend some time with him in the quarterback room. And so just seeing from the third week to the fourth week to the fifth week, just how he slowed everything down, how he was able to process everything and really just command the attention of the team.
I think, after Kelly [Bryant] left, it was just a big improvement from that standpoint, Trevor kind of getting all the guys together and leading the charge.
Dabo, is everybody on the roster here present and accounted for academically, eligible otherwise?
DABO: Yes, everybody is here. We've got – we do have an issue that we're dealing with. And, you know, I think that the best thing is to just be transparent in that. This time of year, they obviously do – I mean, we test all year long. But, on Thursday, Dan Radakovich was notified by the NCAA we had three guys that, you know, had a – there was an issue with their drug testing. And so been dealing with that since Thursday.
And just – I think that the biggest thing is to make sure that, you know, everybody understands. Because I've had guys fail drug tests before. And, usually, when you say a guy fails a drug test, people write their own stories. And they have their own innuendoes and their own narratives, and those type of things. And, a lot of times, those things are accurate.
But, in this case, I think it's important, very important, that the message is accurate and that the truth is told because these are three great young men, three great young men, that I believe in and that I know, without a doubt, have not intentionally done anything to jeopardize their opportunity or this team. And I want to make that real clear before I even give you their names, because I know that's the story.
But the letter that came from the NCAA said that these three young men had a slither, a trace of some substance called Ostarine. I have no idea what Ostarine is, O-s-t-a-r-i-n-e. But I have become almost an expert in it in the last three days. There's plenty of stuff y'all can look at. But I would be willing to bet that there's a likelihood that, if they tested all of us right now, we might all – or some of us have something in our system that we have no idea how it got there – a slither, a trace, a fraction. All right?
This particular substance can come from anything. And these three players have no clue – in fact, they thought it was a joke when I called them. They have no clue how this has gotten in their system. It could come from hair products. It could come from a cream. It could come from protein. It could come from a product that you order or buy online that you think there's nothing wrong with it. It could be anything. Literally, it could be a drink – something in a drink. It literally could be anything, as I have come to learn.
And, in fact, I think there's been 40 or so athletes over the past year or so that have had to deal with this same exact thing. And several have later come back to be vindicated. They had no idea. Then they found out where it came from.
So that's what we're in the process of doing. We're trying – we're going to do everything we can to figure out if it is in the system. Heck, I don't know. I mean, who's to say that it is there? I mean, that's what we're being told, but there's – they all will have legal representation, and there will be a process to go through to find out.
But where we are right now is we got the three letters. And they have the – this trace. And so the next step is there's a B sample. And the B sample, they will test that. And we probably won't know until Wednesday or Thursday on that. So we're just kind of at the mercy of the process. And then there's an appeal after that, but that doesn't really help with this game. Maybe it helps for next week or, you know, next year, whatever. But that's what we're dealing with right now.
But I want to be very clear that these guys, this is not street drugs. This is nothing
like that. But the players are Braden Galloway, Zach Giella, and Dexter Lawrence.
Obviously, Dexter is a starter and a very, very significant player on our team. Even though Zach hasn't played as much and Braden is a freshman, they're still missing out on an opportunity that they have worked extremely hard for.
And, again, I don't know how – if it even is in their system, how it got there. But I do know that these three young men have not intentionally done anything. And there's, again, plenty of precedent where the same thing has happened across the country with other people. So, you know, there's a process in place. And we'll work through that.
But, from a team standpoint, we have to get our team ready to play football. We got to get our team ready to play our best four quarters of the season. That's our goal. So we have to prepare as if it's an injury and get the next guy ready. And that's exactly what we're going to do. So that's – I think it's just best, again, to be transparent and honest. Because I don't want there to be any speculation at all on what we're dealing with.
That's exactly what we're dealing with. And I don't really know what else I can say about it other than I love all three of these guys. They're three special young people. And, again, I know they've not intentionally done anything. And, again, this is a hair of a trace of whatever this substance is.
And so we'll deal with it accordingly, hope for the best, hope that the B sample will come back and they'll be cleared to play. But, if not, we treat it as an injury. We've got to get ready to move forward. And our goal has not changed, just to play the best four quarters of the season.
Just to be clear so we understand that, are you expecting to get some clarity on the B sample before the Cotton Bowl?
DABO: Yes. Probably Wednesday or Thursday.
And then I know it's something you've discussed about at length during the course of the season. I don't want to belabor it. But both teams made quarterback switches, and both teams made the Playoffs. In your case, you had a veteran starter coming back. How difficult was that decision, and what were the factors that played into it, in your mind?
DABO: Yeah, it was a very difficult decision, for sure, because, you know, you've got a guy that has won for you and all that. But, at the same time, you know, your team changes every year. And, at the end of the day, my job is to play the best guys.
After four games, we felt like Trevor [Lawrence] deserved the opportunity to start the next game. I didn't know where it would go from there, but our quarterback decided that he wanted to move on. And so that changed the dynamics for our team.
But, really, just performance, really nothing more than that. Just how he had played after four games. And, in particular, the game at Georgia Tech that we had just witnessed because it was close going into the season. And then, after four games, we just felt like that he deserved the opportunity to run out there first. And it's not that Kelly [Bryant] would not have played. He would have definitely played and may have ended up going back. Who knows? But that's just where we were at that time. And so really nothing more than that went into the decision.
Coach, Charlie Waters played at Clemson and played here and also played for Coach [Gene] Stallings here. And he said that you remind him a lot of Coach Stallings. Giving admiration for Coach Stallings, what does it mean to hear someone say that about you?
DABO: Well, that's kind of surreal for me to just even hear you say that because, in my seven years with Coach Stallings – and y'all have heard me tell Stallings stories a lot.
His favorite all-time player was Charlie Waters. He used to talk about Charlie Waters all the time. I didn't have a clue who – I mean, I knew Charlie Waters when he was a Cowboy, but I didn't know much more about Charlie Waters than that other than Coach Stallings every year would talk about Charlie Waters.
'Brother, hey, he couldn't run, he couldn't do – I tried to cut him every year, but we couldn't cut Charlie Waters because he was smarter than everybody else, he played faster than everybody else, he saw it, he anticipated.' And he would brag on Charlie Waters and his knowledge as a player.
I didn't know until I got to Clemson that Charlie Waters came from Clemson. So, really, kind of neat. And I've had a chance to meet him once or twice. So really special. That's another great thing for me personally that we're here in Dallas is I know Coach Stallings will be able to come and be at the game and, hopefully, maybe can make it to practice. He's just down the road there in Paris. So that's kind of neat, too. Coach Stallings' grandson is with us. And it was actually in the Cotton Bowl that Coach Stallings, his Texas A&M team, beat Alabama and Coach [Bear] Bryant early in his career. So it's pretty neat to be in this bowl.
KELLY: Yeah, we made it in just fine throughout the day. Certainly, we are excited to be here. We want to thank, certainly, the Cotton Bowl chairman, Carl Ice, was there last night. Got a chance to fire up the troops, talk to the team.
He awarded me with a – I don't know if it's customary, but a 10-gallon hat, which I readily accepted as I went over and got my cowboy boots. So I feel as a Texan today. We're excited. Rick Baker has been with us, the president and CEO. I want to thank him. But I know our guys feel very comfortable.
We're in a great hotel. So just first-class accommodations. And, again, we're excited about getting into a routine now. Now that we've gotten settled in, you know, it's really for us now to get into a game week mode and kind of flip it into our preparation.
MODERATOR: Coach, please introduce your two student-athletes. Most everyone here knows them, but there may be a few folks who do not.
KELLY: Well, first and foremost, they are two graduates of Notre Dame. Both of them have degrees in engineering. Both of them are captains: Drue Tranquill, linebacker; and Sam Mustipher, offensive center. So very proud of both of them as graduates of Notre Dame, in a very challenging academic degree as engineering, and both captains for us. So great football players, but extraordinary individuals.
Just curious what you've seen on film about the challenge that the Clemson defensive line presents, and also could you talk about how your offensive line came together this year after losing some key personnel from last year.
OL SAM MUSTIPHER: Clemson has a big athletic front. They've shown that on film, the ability to move, get off blocks and make a lot of plays. It's going to be a challenge for us, and we understand that. And it's just going back to the fundamentals and basics.
Tell us how you guys came together this year after losing so much talent from last year.
OL SAM MUSTIPHER: We have a standard of Notre Dame offensive line play. It's been here long before I got here, long before those guys who moved on last year got here. And we take pride in what we do. And we understand guys on Saturdays who've played here before are watching us. And we go out there every weekend and give it the best we have.
Talk about the defense. You guys were top 10 with defense and pass-efficiency defense. What was been the key to the success of the defensive unit this year?
LB DRUE TRANQUILL: I think it starts up front with our defensive line and their ability to get pressure on the quarterback. And then just playing sound in the back ends.
But I've got to give the kudos to the D-line. We're deep there, and they've been able to get pressure on the quarterback all year. And they can make average linebackers look great. But, you know, we're good all across the board, and they've done a great job getting pressure up front. And then we've held up in the back end a lot of good talent and execution.
Drue, you get the hype all month kind of for this game. How different is it when you finally get to Dallas, Texas, and how have you kind of seen the young guys respond from all this?
LB DRUE TRANQUILL: Yeah, I didn't get here until last night at about 9:30 on the team charter. So we are fairly fresh here in Dallas, but it's been great. Guys are locked in and ready to practice this morning. And, you know, we'll get to enjoy ourselves this evening at the comedy show and get to spend some time with our families. But we're kind of all business right now and got to go have a good practice and get after it.
Drue, you're coming here a day after Jaylon Smith had a pretty big day in this stadium yesterday. What do you think that means for Notre Dame linebackers, and how do you want to continue the legacy this weekend?
LB DRUE TRANQUILL: Yeah, Jaylon is a good friend of mine. We're both from Fort Wayne, Indiana, and I grew up training with him. And so to see him have a big game yesterday was awesome. And just to see him come back from – you know, what he did was truly inspiring. And so we've got to get out there and run around like he does and make plays all over the field for our team. And certainly hope to see him this week and get to catch up with him. Great guy and great player.
For both Drue and Sam, was there a game, a moment, anytime where you started thinking that this would be a real special year for Notre Dame during the course of the season or even before the start of the season?
OL SAM MUSTIPHER: I think what makes this team special is that we just took it one day and one practice at a time and we took it one game at a time. So we really didn't look too far ahead. And we understand that, if we go out there and we do what we need to do on Saturdays, that it was going to be an opportunity for us that was going to be there.
LB DRUE TRANQUILL: For me, I made the decision to come back last December. And I knew we had the pieces. It was just a matter of execution at that point. And so, you know, when we got into fall camp and I saw the way our defense was executing, you know, 11 as one we weren't really playing as individuals; we were playing cohesively together. I knew we had a special thing going there defensively. And then watching our defense just get after it against Michigan. And then just transitioning quarterbacks like it was nothing. The special unit over there.
So, defensively, in fall camp, I was like 'We got this thing.' And then, offensively, they've just continued to prove themselves and be great each and every week.
MODERATOR: All right. At this point, we'll let Sam and Drue get ready for practice, and we'll continue with Coach Kelly.
KELLY: I think that I'm the one who should go to practice. These guys are awesome. I want to sit here and listen to them.
Brian, it's kind of interesting that both these teams are undefeated and both made quarterback changes during the course of the season. Talk about what went into your move to Ian [Book] and all the factors. You're obviously unbeaten at the time, but what factored into it and what kind of development have you seen from him since he took over that job?
KELLY: I've spoken on this a number of times. We felt like the offense was coming to us, but there was a lot of work that needed to be done for it to come to us in terms of we had to play a complete game both offensively, defensively, and special teams.
And, you know, even though we had won our first three games, I think – and one of the games, we played defensively over 90 snaps. So there was a lot of work going into it. So as we evaluated moving forward, we felt like Ian [Book] would give us the best shot at winning each and every week that we played and doing it with more efficiency.
So it was a matter of looking at it from much more of an overall perspective of how it would affect our entire team, not just offense. Because Brendan [Clark], you know, won a lot of games as a starter. So it wasn't about just winning games on offense, but it was for the entire football team.
And then I think where Ian has grown is just game situations, settling into the game, making game adjustments, getting a feel for the game, all the things that you would expect somebody that was a first-year starter that he needed. And so he's gained that game-like experience where you can make some adjustments. And he picks up on it and is able to execute. I think that's where we've seen the growth.
Coach, I know sometimes for these bowl games, some people don't show up because of academic reasons or injuries and such. Do you think everyone will be available for this weekend's game?
KELLY: Yeah, this is not a bowl game. This is a bowl – it's sponsored by the Cotton Bowl, but this is a playoff game. So all the players that are here are eligible to play, and so we took everybody. So we don't have anybody that's not eligible to play.
We do have one injury update. Dillan Gibbons had a fracture in his foot during practice, and he had surgery. So he will not play. He wasn't going to play anyway. He was being redshirted.
But, yeah, we have no issues relative to academics. We don't have anybody that is not playing because of their NFL aspirations or any injuries that may have occurred during the last couple of practices.
How would you say Myron [Tagovailoa-Amosa] has, I guess, progressed over the last few weeks?
KELLY: Been very impressed. I think he's capable of playing and playing well. Now, sometimes you get a player back and maybe he can give you a few snaps here. I think he can play, and I think he can play well for us.
Can you talk a little bit about Drue's [Tranquill] journey throughout his time from safety to linebacker and what you've seen from him this year and how he's grown while you've been coach.
KELLY: Yeah, so he's actually made two position changes. He started at safety, tore his ACL, had to fight through that. Then we moved him to rover. He tore his other ACL, fought through that, and we moved him to linebacker. So his journey has been amazing in terms of injuries, overcoming injuries, just an amazing – just off the field, on the field, what he's been able to do.
He's now married. He's got a child on the way. He's just – he's everything that you want in this business relative to coaching. You know? Just a mentor to our players, a great leader, somebody that overcame adversity through his career here and a great representative of our university as a great student.
So you know, that's the mold – right? – that you'd want, you know, to get a guy like Drue Tranquill. And sometimes it's almost where he had to really grow is that he wasn't believable in a sense almost. You know, here's a 4.0, clearly, you know, student– maybe not quite a 4.0, but that kind of student. And guys couldn't identify with him because he was this guy that they just couldn't live up to.
But this year he just became so much more of a mentor to our other players that, you know, somebody asked the question, when did you know that you were going to have a special team? I knew we were going to have a special team when Drue Tranquill was able to reach everybody in our locker room, because when you have a guy like that that can reach every player, he's going to impact them all.
When did that transition occur? Is there a certain moment that you think showed him not being able to necessarily relate, because you said he has such an unbelievable story, to really connecting with his teammates?
KELLY: Yeah, I think when we did some leadership training and we talked about traits of – you know, one of the traits that he had, self-discovery, was that he had a hard time relating to some people based upon what his strengths were. You know, he's very spiritual. He's driven. And sometimes that didn't exactly connect with people. And so, when he saw that those were some of his traits, he went to work on those. And so, through January, February, and our off-season, he went to work on those things. And you could see how that was kind of taking shape.
Brian, kind of the same question that I asked Sam [Mustipher], in terms of what you've seen from that Clemson defensive line on film and also how your offensive line has come together after losing two All-Americans from last year.
KELLY: Yeah, I mean they are who they are. There's no denying that this is one of the top, if not the best, defensive lines that I can remember facing. I mean, maybe Alabama in '12. There's some similarities to the '17 North Carolina State front. but this is as good as it gets.
Versatility, explosiveness, edge presence, we have to be – the ball has got to come out quickly. You can't stand back there and hold it. You've got to move the launch point. You have to find a way to keep them off-balance in the run game. But you're not going to run it down their throat. You're not going to bludgeon them up front. But you have to keep them off-balance. So it will be a challenge.
But I think what's happened this year with this offensive line is that they work well together. They now know each other, they know how to work with each other, and they play off each other pretty good.
Coach, what's your relationship with Coach [Dabo] Swinney, and how far do you guys go back? Do you go back to 2015 and that first game, or is it even further?
KELLY: Before '15, we had met a couple times prior to that. But we spent some time in the off-season, '15, at different events. And we play in the Peach Bowl Classic golf tournament together, so we've been able to spend some more time outside of football.
I think we just enjoy our company in the sense that we can talk about other things than football. We talk about our foundations and what we do in our foundations, and can keep it lighthearted from that perspective. So it doesn't have to be all about football. I think we kind of like it that way.
I don't know how aware you were during the final weeks of the CFP debate. You were clearly in the playoffs, but there were people going 'you don't have to play a championship game.' Some of the teams on your schedule were enjoying down years, that sort of thing. How – you know, you don't normally associate Notre Dame and respect in the same thing, but is there a little bit of a respect factor at all for you and your team coming into this game?
KELLY: Nah, I really don't think so. I think that there was a little bit of – I think every team other than maybe Alabama and, quite frankly, Clemson, who has been here four times, everybody's going to get picked at a little bit. But, you know, we think our schedule has always been set up to play the very best. And, you know, we won every game we played.
So, you know, I think it's natural that there's always going to be a little bit of chatter, but I don't think we ever felt that there was disrespect. We've got to go out and win, you know, in these big games, certainly, you know, because we're still being compared to what happened in 2012, fair or unfair. We need to set a new kind of parameter there.
But, no, I don't think our guys – they've heard enough of it. They're ready to play, but I don't think we've lost any sleep.
THURSDAY 12/27
DALLAS – The Clemson Tigers took some time outside of their preparation for this year’s College Football Playoff Semifinal at the 83rd Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic to visit patients of Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children.
Head Coach Dabo Swinney and the entire squad visited with the patients inside Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children cafeteria where many activities like Fortnite Dancing, cornhole and arts and crafts awaited them. Scottish Rite’s President Doug Walker gave a grand welcome to all in attendance, followed by a special $10,000 check presentation by General Manager of Goodyear North America, Todd Macsuga. The squad was also welcomed by a couple of special guests, Layton Horner, patient of Scottish Rite and honorary captain, and patient Sophia Guilkey who presented the team with a drawing she created of a football that honored this coming Saturday’s matchup.
Coach Swinney was honored to be in attendance, holding ties and passion to what Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children does. Prior to his coaching career, Swinney studied to be a hospital administrator and looked to run a children’s hospital like Scottish Rite, because of what his mother went through as a child. She was diagnosed with polio and severe scoliosis and was in a hospital similar to Scottish Rite for 10 years.
“This is a real privilege for us,” said Swinney. “For me its personal. My sweet mom of 74 spent the first 10 years of her life in a children’s hospital in Birmingham, Ala. My mom is a big reason why I’m here and the main reason she’s here is because of the great work of the children’s hospital. To have facilities like this that a kid can come to and get better is amazing. I know the work that goes into it and it’s an honor to be here.”
For the Tigers student-athletes it was an honor and time for them to spread cheer and love to the patients. QB Trevor Lawrence was grateful to be there, as he loves to give back and spend some time with the children and keep them in good spirits.
“This is an awesome time,” said Lawrence. “I think it’s importance to give back and I’m grateful to Coach Swinney and everyone who sets these up has a good mind to allow us to go to these places. It’s cool to give back to this community and cheer the kids up a little bit.”
CB Trayvon Mullen was going around the cafeteria and enjoying the moments with the children as he autographed Scottish Rite caps for the children, showing the appreciation and love he has for them.
“At the end of the day, this is what it’s all about,” said Mullen. “Even though we have a big game Saturday, we still make the time to come show our love and appreciation because on the football field that is what we do as well. We show how much we love and care for each other, even though we may not know each other, the love is still there, and you must have some soft spot in your heart for everyone.”
As the morning passed on, each child was given a Cotton Bowl goodie bag filled with trinkets representing the big game by employees of American Airlines. Inside the bag was an 83rd Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic t-shirt and poster provided by the Cotton Bowl Athletic Association, stuffed teddy bear and football, provided by Goodyear, crayons and a clear plastic Clemson Tigers backpack filled with pom poms, a t-shirt and stickers given by the Clemson squad. Refreshments were provided by Dr Pepper/Snapple.
The Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic celebrates its 83rd anniversary on Saturday, Dec. 29. Live coverage on ESPN is set for 3 p.m. CST, with kickoff slated for 3:10 p.m.
This marks the fifth consecutive year for the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic to be a part of the ESPN bowl lineup. Sean McDonough and Todd Blackledge are set to provide the call from the booth with Holly Rowe and Tom Rinaldi reporting from the sidelines.
ESPN Radio returns as the Classic's national radio partner for the seventh consecutive year. Bill Rosinski teams with David Norrie in the booth and Ian Fitzsimmons on the sidelines to describe all the action from AT&T Stadium.
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