We spoke with Dabo after practice on Wednesday, and he was in good spirits with just a few days before facing the most talented team on his regular season schedule. No.1 Clemson will square off with No.11/12 Texas A&M in Death Valley on Saturday in a rematch of one of the most exciting games of 2018. Thankfully, there are no injuries to report, and it will be interesting to see if Amari Rodgers plays on Saturday. The slot receiver tore his ACL back in March but is way ahead of schedule with his rehab. I asked Dabo two weeks ago if Amari might be able to play against Texas A&M, and he said there was no chance. However, on our Sunday evening teleconference, Dabo was asked the same question and left open the possibility.
Dabo talked about how impressive freshman TE Davis Allen is with his understanding of the offense despite missing all of camp with an ankle injury. I asked him how the other freshman TE, Jaelyn Lay, graded with his blocking in the opener, and Dabo said he didn't have a passing grade but that he played with great effort and that he has still come a long way since last spring.
Finally, an interesting connection on the coaching staffs. Jimbo Fisher played quarterback for Terry Bowden at Samford, the same school for which Bobby Bowden played. Terry Bowden is now on Dabo's staff as an unpaid graduate intern. I asked Dabo if Terry shared any good stories with him about young Jimbo Fisher, but Dabo didn't have anything good for us. I'll have to see if I can talk to Terry Bowden at some point.
The full interview is below. Don't forget to check back on Thursday night or Friday for my extensive game preview and prediction!
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