The Dave Pasch Podcast - Dabo Swinney

in twenty twenty two. They have two new coordinators, potentially some competition at quarterback. We'll also talk with Dabo about Cardinals connections, including Wes Goodwin. Wes was an assistant to Bruce Arians for a couple of years and is now taking over the defense at Clemson, replacing one of the most successful coordinates in college football the last twenty years in Brenton Venables, who's now the head coach at Oklahoma. We'll also talk about Isaiah Simmons and DeAndre Hopkins, both

played for Davos Sweeney at Clemson. You know I'll watch new Hopkins like teeweek ball, middle school ball, high school ball, and he was the best athlete. He was a legend around here, you know, and not a highly recruited guy at all. And I say he's had a pretty good career. We are presented by bet mgm, the official sports betting partner of the Arizona Cardinals, and by Hila River Hotels

and Casinos. Get ready for a football season like never before with betmgm, an official partner of the Arizona Cardinals. Sign up today using code cards one thousand and get your first bet risk free up to one thousand dollars. Visit betmgm dot com for terms and conditions. Twenty one and over Arizona only. Please gamble responsibly. Gambling problem called one eight hundred. Next step, all right, time for our conversation with Clemson head coach Dabbo Sweeney. Well, dab Well, First,

I guess let's talk about training camp. It's you're fourteen for you fourteenth full season as the head coach at Clemson. How's camping so far? It's been great? Uh? We we bet a healthy camp, which has been a positive for us and just broke camps kind of starting to slip the script and they get their lives back and start you know, getting back to being scholar athletes again. And you know, we've kind of had all football for three weeks,

so it's been good. We've got a lot accomplished a lot a lot, you know, installed offensively, defensively, special teams, situations, you name it. We've got a much better feel for our personnel and roles on the team and all those type of things. So it's been a lot of fun. I think it's a close group with a lot of better in leadership and a team that I think has a chance to compete for this league. And that's really what we focus on every year, if we can compete

for our league and good things come from that. I read where you said this is the best quarterback room you've had, which to me, given that you had a guy that you know was the number one overall picking the draft, and Trevor Lawrence, and you've had Deshaun Watson, obviously,

that's quite a statement. Tell me about this group because Kate Klubnick, who obviously was highly recruited, I'm sure when we call your game for ESPN Labor Day Night against Georgia Tech, we're gonna be talking about him, and obviously a lot of eyes are going to be on your starter. DJ. Yeah, well, we got a long way to go before we can say we've got a Trevor Or Deshaan. But as far as the room, there's no question it's the best room

I've had in that. I mean when when Trevor was here, I mean, we want it all in eighteen, and it was Trevor Lawrence as a true freshman, and Chase Bryce was a red shirt freshman, and our thirteen quarterback was a guy named Hunter Infro, and our fourteen quarterback was our punter, so we really had two guys. And and even when we won it in sixteen, you know, we just didn't have the type of quality depth we got in the room. I mean, we got a bunch of

functional dudes in our room. A lot of people don't have one. But man, we got DJ who's a high level talent and U can can play this game at a high level. We got big expectations for him. And then you know, Kay club Nick number one quarterback in the country coming in here. Uh, he is better than than he's advertised. I mean he's a great, great young talent. He's been here since January, so he really, um is just very advanced and can go win for us without

a doubt. And then we got Hunter Johnson, who was coming out of high school the numb one quarterback in the country. And he's a sixth year guy who started his career here at Clemson and then he went to Northwestern and and uh, you know, started some got injured, had some some challenge there, but he's a he's just a very mature, very polished, uh, unbelievably experienced guy. He's just you know, he's a six year college player and

he's our thirteen guy. And then we've got a kid named Billy Wiles and Hunter helms U two guys that uh can can play as well, that are that are going to be you know, red shirt freshman guys that we feel good about um and a young man named Trent Permis. So we've got We've got who was two time Gatorade Player of the Year in the state. So we've got just just a bunch of guys who who you know, we're not trying to make a quarterback like

with Hunter Infro. We've got guys that can really play the position, and it just gives us more depth than we've had in a while. So again, It's been a long time. I can't remember having three guys like we have that could go win for us. Because I really believe that DJ and Kaye and Hunter Johnson can can absolutely win for us. Um if we need him to go play Dabo. You've got two new coordinators. Both worked

the Bowl game. We called that game for ESPN, so they both have done it when the bullets are live. And actually your defensive coordinator is a guy that Cardinal fans probably should be familiar with, but maybe they're not because they don't remember the role that West Goodwin had here. He was actually basically an assistant to be a assistant to Bruce Arians. I know he had spent time at Clemson before and then after and now he's calling the defense. How's West doing? And just tell me why you went

in that direction with him? Oh Man, West is great, and you know I've known West. So when I got this job in December of eight, hard Woody mccorby. You probably know Woody yea and Woody was coming from Mississippi State at the time. You know, it was the Sylvester Crome there, and you know what he told me. He said, He said, he said, Dad, we gotta I got. I know, you got your staffs at you got everybody will hate us, but we got there's one guy. We gotta on the

way to get this guy to Clemson. And I'm like, well, who is it? And uh that was the first time I ever heard of West Goodwin. And so he came as a grad assistant and uh and it didn't take me long to realize why why would he? Um, you know, said we need this guy? He is He is a he's kind of always been a behind the scenes guy. Um, just a brilliant mind for the game. Uh, you know, understands the game at a level that not many people do.

A great defensive mind, but he also really understands offensive football. Um and um, you know his He's been a really to me kind of a rock, uh within our staff for a long time. And you know, back in two thousand and twelve, you know he actually when we beat LSU in that crazy game down there in Atlanta. Uh, my DD coach had left and and he went to Auburn and so Wes we put him on the field, and man, he did an awesome job in that game house.

The first time I got a chance to see him on the field other than when he was a grad assistant. So he just kept getting promoted here and then he was left to go to the NFL out there with Bruce, and uh, honestly, I probably wouldn't. The best thing that happened to me and Clinston is Bruce retired, uh you know at the time. So when he retired, it was an opportunity to get West back here. And man, he's just been awesome and everybody he's worked with, uh, you know,

Kevin Steele here, Uh, certainly Brent. You know, the first person Brent morened I take. He really wanted to take him Oklahoma, but I wasn't gonna let that happen. But he's just he's just a great coach. He's got a great demeanor. He really relates well to the players. The guys respect him, everybody in the building respects him, and uh so just think he's got a bright, bright future. And it was an easy decision for me because I've seen him since, you know, December of oh eight. I've

watched him and I know what he's capable of. And really, honestly, for the last probably two and a half three years, the only reason he's still been here is. You know, I've told him he was going to get this opportunity, um, you know, because I kept thinking Brent was going to get a job, and he kept turning jobs down. And you know, Wesley's turned down several jobs to go coach linebackers in the NFL or whatever and to stay here.

So he's been patient and it was his time. And I'm really glad, as you said, we got a chance to do the bowl game. Uh you know, street Or got a chance to run the offense and West got a chance to with the defense. And so that's valuable experience for us, especially going against a tough opponent like Iowa State, to be able to have you know, that live in game experience. And he did a great job for us, and man, he's just carried it over into

the spring. We got a great staff, and um, you know again, you know, I think we got a chance to be a really special defense, Brent being Brent Venable who's now the head coach at Oklahoma. You mentioned Woody McCorvey. Woody's nephew, Quinton, actually works for the Cardinals in social media. He runs the Twitter feed and many other things for the Cardinals. So a lot of Cardinals, Clemson connections. And I used to talk to West Dabble all the time

when he was here, and he really impressed me. In fact, in some ways he kind of reminded me of you, Like you probably don't remember this. I did your first game when Tommy Bowden resigned, and I remember the production meeting with you that week. And obviously there's a lot going on in the middle of the season. I know you're close with Tommy. You get the job as the interim coach, but that production meeting when we are calling the game for ESPN stood out because of how confident

either you were or you seemed. And West is similar to me, and I'm just curious, like, did you how long did it take you to get the confidence to run a program like Clemson? Wasn't immediate because it seemed immediate back in Oa. Yeah, well, you know, I was confident, um in my ability to do it. I wasn't. I knew I had a lot to learn, but I was confident because I had prepared for a long time, you know,

since nineteen ninety three when I got into coaching. You know, I prepared to be a head coach, and you know I had I had um, you know, really worked at it for years and years um as far as okay if I and then I had interviewed for a couple of jobs, um, which really forced me to to pull everything together on kind of like, okay, who am I what? What would what would my program look like? What do what are my beliefs, you know, whether it be discipline, academics, philosophy, offensively, defensively.

What would my staff look like? What? What this? What? You know? I had this vision of player development which is now called Paul Journey, all these things, um, and so you know, and I was just confident in in uh uh myself to be able to get the job done simply because of what my life had taught me. And uh and I was prepared to to Uh. I wasn't afraid to fail, uh, to be honest with you, but that that I knew, man, I had a lot to learn as a head coach. I don't know, there's

no greater teacher than experience. I mean, you just I don't care how much you prepare, how much you read, there's there's there's nothing like doing it. But I felt like I was prepared as I could be. And uh, so you know, and then I and then I knew, I knew I had the support of the players. I knew I had the belief of those kids on that team, and uh that they really wanted to you know, finish and and and and you know, not go out the

way it was. And we did. We went four and two and had a chance to and then I got the jobs. So, um, I knew I had a lot to learn, but it was just a lot of excitement. You know. I was thirty eight years old, and and uh, you know, for fifteen years I had really been preparing for that opportunity. I had no idea would ever ever come. I always thought I'd get a job a normal way that really nothing's been normal in my life anyway, so

it was kind of fitting. Do you still I remember from I still have them actually, I think from the championship years. You were given out to a lot of people. We haven't been there in a while because of COVID in person, but you were given out. They looked like poker chips. I can't. Yeah, do you still you guys

still do those? And what's the what's the theme? Oh? Yeah, yeah, so you know when I when I if you go back and so the very first day as an interim when um um the change happened mid morning and you know, uh, it was a Monday, and you know, we got to practice that night. We're playing this this Georgia Tech team.

By the way, they've just got this new triple option coming in and so you know, Coach Bowden met with the team at like four and then and then I came in and I met with the team all by myself, just me and those guys, I have anybody else in the room. And basically I told them what the AD told me, because you know, the AD told me after I met with him. I went into the meeting with Ad thinking, I'm just you know, he's gonna maybe try to get the next guy to keep me and it's

gonna be a miserable experience. But when I was in there with Terry down Phillips, he basically said, you know, dad boy, I've watched you for five and a half years, and I'm to be honest with you, I really thank you what we need at Clemson. That was exactly what he said. And he goes, he goes now here, I'm gonna interview a bunch of people and I'm gonna hire the best guy. He goes, but no matter what happens, where you win a game or lose a game or lose them all, I'm gonna give you an interview for

this job. And he goes, but here's what I really want. So the next night, seven weeks, he said, for the next seven weeks, I don't want you to be the interim head coach. I want you to be the head coach, and I want you to think like the head coach. And he goes, I want you to look at this as an opportunity, you know, and I want you to do whatever you want to do to fix us, if

you want to fire the whole staff. That was I mean, it's so I mean, I was just kind of blown away with what he told me, and so you know, he empowered me that way, and so I was like, you know, I was like, wow, all right, I got seven weeks here, And basically when I met with the team that night, I wanted them to know what he told me. So I told him what he said, and I said, look, guys, I know I don't have a good chance at this job, but I got a chance.

And for the next seven weeks. Then I'm all in, all right, and I explained to them what that meant, you know I mean, And then I laid out the expectations of what it meant for them, And I mean an absolute and absolute commitment to being and doing their best and everything that they do, becoming people of excellence

and learning. How that that when you when you when you decide to live your life that way, it carries over into every area of your life, you know, whether it's being a better football player or being a better

person and the relationships, whatever it is. And I just said, you know, we're gonna practice the six and I laid out how we were going to change things, from how we were gonna practice, to how we were gonna travel, to how we were going to meet YadA yadi, and I said, if you want to be a part of that, and you truly are all in, then you come to practice. If not, clean your locker out, Hey, your scholarship's good. When the next guy gets hired, hey you come on back,

no problem. But for the next seven weeks, here's how we're gonna do it. And so everybody showed up at practice that night, and then what happened is when that practice was over, I went in, I mean, I thought I was gonna talk to two reporters or something, and they got this you know, whole room, and the media asked me, and I told the media what I told the team. I said, hey, look, I'm all in. I had seven weeks and I don't know how it's gonna go.

And I know I don't have a great hand. I kind of got like talcket eights, but I got a chance and I am all in. And so that's where it came from that Monday night, and it kind of took on, you know, a life of its own there at OA. And so later on in the week, as we were really trying to, you know, build the mindset of the team, you know, I'm like, you know what, why don't we Is there anything? I went to a guy I said, anyway we can make like a poker chip, like and what I want to do. I want to

put one in their locker. And the last thing I wanted to do is they walk out of that locker room. Is I want to I want to get a big bucket and it says I'm all in. I want to have to tangibly throw that chip in the bucket as just kind of one last reminder of the commitment that everyone has made. And so that's how it started, and then and then we to this day. So if it's if it's if it's game five, there's five chips in their locker. If it's game fifteen, there's fifteen chips in

their locker. And the last thing we do to this day is, man, we throw those chips in that bucket and it's and it's just a again a tangible, visual, physical reminder of hey, I'm committed, you know, to being my best, doing my best, and everybody's everybody's committed with me. So that's where that came from. And it's it's you know, the all endships here or something that's just a staple in our program. It always has Danny and you know,

so just a part of who we are. So as we say it's it's just as it may be a slogan in some places, but it's a lifestyle here at Clemson. A couple of questions on former Clemson Tigers that are playing for the Cardinals, and then we'll get you out of here. One of the reasons stab of that you and your staff have been able to have so much success is recruiting Isaiah Simmons, who was a first round

pick a couple of years ago by the Cardinals. They're depending on him to have a huge year and they're moving around a lot similar to what Brent Ventibles and you guys did with him there. How did you find him? How did you How did you know because he was in Kansas right a community college? How did you find him? And what did you expect from him? And how often

do you talk to him? Now? Yeah, So you know, he's one of those great stories and one of the reasons that we have the philosophy that we have here at Clemson, and that I'm always trying to slow the recruiting process down because the recruiting process is sped off and now it's like, you know, you're you're some evil empire if you don't offer a freshman, you know, or

a sophomore, God forbid. You know, he's played one year of varsity football and and now where everybody's expected to just offer all these kids, um, and you know, we forget football is very much a developmental game. Even at the pro level. There's still guys that are developing. And but in high school, I mean, these kids are they're changing daily. I mean, it's just a it's there. They're at that stage of their life. So I'm always slowing

the recruiting process down. And and so we go go back to two thy fifteen, we played in the National championship game, got beat and you know, as a coach, you only like you get eighty five scholarships, and so you know, you plan your scholarships for the next class based on how many seniors you have, or if you have a junior or two that has told you they're leaving, you know, you kind of plan your your your roster

that way. And uh. And so you know, we've never been program that has oversigned or overcommitted or anything like that, because then you get into problem because then you got to start running people off and that stuff. So that's just not how we operate. That particular year, you know, we had some guys that had decisions to make and we're in the national championship run for the first time since nineteen eighty one. I mean, it was it was it was a and nobody nobody was ready to make

a decision like that. They didn't everybody was just focused on what they were doing. And then all of a sudden, we get done with that game, and we had we were not recruiting, so as a result, all my dds were juniors and we were planning on them being back. And you know, all of a sudden, when that game's over, Jay Ron Kirsh decides to go pro. McKenzie Alexander decides to go pro, Travis Blanks decides to go pro, and then a young junior, a young junior named t J.

Greene safety decides to go pro. So now we're sitting here, man, we got three weeks to go recruiting days in February, and we just had four juniors who had another year lead. So we got in the DV business real quick. And uh, and so I'll tell you who we signed. So we're we're looking, so we're gott We're looking all over the place and we find it. We knew about Trayvon Mullin, but but you know, we didn't really heavily, heavily recruit him until we knew we had a spot. So Treyvon

probably was going to go to LSU. But Trayvon ends up coming to Clemson and UM and now you know it was with the Raiders in the second round pick. Uh, then we signed UM. We signed h treyvon Mullin. Uh. We signed a kid named Kevan Wallace who I had never heard of in my life, met him, met him a few days before, like the week before signing date. He was a kid that blossomed as a senior in high school. Not was hardly recruited at all as a junior,

you know, some lower level. And then his senior year, at the end of the year, man he got he started getting some schools and Brent got a call and he evaluated and finds it. And so we get Kava Wallace, who now is with the Philadelphia Eagles. And then we got uh, we got a kid. He comes to me and he says, hey, let's watch this kid and he played receiver and safety, big old long Langley, gangly guy out in Kansas named Isaiah Simmons. And so I get on the phone with Isaiah Simmons because he had and

I because I said, all right, here's the deal. I said, if if you are willing to come visit Clemson, I'm gonna fly out there and meet with you and your family. And he was interested. With one visit left, so I flew out and um and we had a great meeting where he and his family, uh there in Old Laysa, and he was a guy that as the sophomore in high school, you were not going to offer Isaiah Simmons. You know, he was just like a young giraffe, you know,

growing into his into his awkward body. And uh, but all of a sudden, as a senior, he's this high level track guy. Could fly, he could jump, you could see, was still a wall guy and uh, but man, he had some he had just now till traits. And so he comes on his visit and he loved it, and so you know, hit it off with he and his family as broad brother had played college ball as well, and they had a good understanding of the process. So he comes in here red shirts, the same thing he

was in. Wasn't ready to play. He red shirts. Then he plays as a red shirt freshman, you know, and the kid grows in and develops into who he is and as the eighth pick in the draft or whatever, just this incredible dynamic player. But never he never met him until January of his senior year, didn't even know

who he was. And now all of a sudden, we get a kid that's eates picking the draft, and then we got this kid named Nolan Turner out of Birmingham, Alabama, who I think I think we were his only Division one offer. I think he had some one double A offers, but I think we were his only Division one. And I had played with his father, Kevin Turner, who played and was a great NFL player for a long time,

and he and I were great friends. And his father they had passed away from als and I just always kept up with no one were Riginally we didn't have a spot, and I said, like, you know what, let me go watch Nolan's Turner. And so I watched his tape and it's high school coach who coached fifty years there in Birmingham. His exact words to me. And I called Buddy Anderson, I said, I let's talk. I said, because I know what I see on tape and so,

but I felt like I was a little biased. So I took I take, I go down to Brent and I said, how, I want you to watch this kid and tell them what you think. So we pull him up in Vinible's Ghost. We start watching him Invinibles goost. Who's this guy? What's it? You know? He just starts getting on Hawk signed he's like and I said, and I said, so you really like this guy hunt He goes coach, this guy can play? Where is he? And

I said, all right, that's all I need enough. And so I I call his high school coach, Buddy Anderson. I'll never forget it. Buddy's coached a million guys in college. And I said, coach, I'm calling you about Nolan. And I had alfered him a walk on spot the year before. I said, I'm calling you about knowing. I said, hey, listen, I know you know relationship will have with the family. That what's your opinion on him? And he goes coach he's as good a football players I've ever had here.

And I can't get anybody to recruit him. And he said, I don't understand, and it's frustrating and blah blah blah. And I said, well, I'm gonna recruit him. And I'm coming off from a scholarship tomorrow. And I flew in the next day, went and saw his dad and it

was just a really cool moment. And and actually, when I get off the soul of you, I'm I'm gonna be on the phone with the bucks Rick Stroud that one of their top Uh yeah, because it looks like he's gonna make their team as an undrafted free agent. And he was a great player here for US. So that was our dB class that year. And all of those guys are in the NFL now, every single one

of them. TJ was a second round pick, you know, Cavon was like a fourth round pick, trey Von was a second round pick, Isaiah was the eighth pick in the draft, and Nolan is, like I said, undrafted, kind

of like he was coming out of high school. But looks like he's got a good chance to even make the kick the three man roster as an undrafted free So I'd say we hit on all those guys that Isaiah was just again a classic example of you know, if you fill up with a bunch of tenth graders, well you don't have any room to take a guy

like Isaiah as a senior, you know. And so that's why my philosophy here at Clemston is we're not offering freshman and sophomores, you know, unless unless I know them, they've been here, you know, because that's a good way to to to go out of business quick, because you know, you go miss out on some good players that that develop in high school. And you got some some young guys that are great players as tenth graders and you know what their max out, and as a senior, they're

not there. You wouldn't offer them as a senior, but you're already committed to them as a tenth grader. So that's just kind of been how we've gone about it. And Isaiah is a great example every year for who our staff. And so I'm just really you know, Travis Etian is another one. Travis. I never met Travis for a December of the senior year, you know, and same thing. He wasn't He wasn't some highly recruited tenth grader or

eleventh grader. You know, he was in an option offense and and just kind of kept blooming, you know, just kept blossoming. Next thing, you know, he's got all kind of offers everywhere, and the rest is history. H So that's that's kind of the backstory there on Isaiah and then new Copkins, who's there with you, you know, I we still to this day, there's there's three guys in the NFL from from this Little Daniel High School right

here in Clemson, South Carolina. You know, I watched new Copkins played teewee ball, middle school ball, high school ball, and he was the best athlete anywhere he was. He was a legend around here, you know, and uh he did it all. He was an unbelievable basketball player, unbelievable safety, unbelievable receiver, just everything he did. And uh so, you know, we kind of had the insight track. Not a highly

recruited guy at all. A lot of people didn't offer him because he didn't have you know, great times, you know, coming out of high school. But again, kid never really had learned how to run as far as for times and things like that, and you know it was undersize. Came here about one eight, he left here about two ten, two twelve, and I'd say he's had a pretty good career. So he was a local kid that we had a lot of inside information on great stuff. Dabo. I know,

you got to run. Really appreciate the time. Man look forward to Senion person in Atlanta for the Chick fil A kickoff game and best of luck this season. You got it. They see you. So all right, thanks Debo. Well you can imagine what our production meetings are like with Debo. It's great though. He tells you everything. He spends so much time, gives you so much detail on players, and you can just sense his love for his former players.

And they've done a fabulous job of finding guys like Isaiah Simmons and then DeAndre Hopkins, who was a local kid, not highly recruited, but somebody that the Clemson staff, including Dabo, had monitored, even going back to middle school. What a great success story DeAndre Hopkins, Isaiah Simmons, and Dabo Sweeney and Clemson football in general. We are presented by bet MGM, the official sports betting partner of the Arizona Cardinals, and by Hila River Hotels and Casinos. You can follow us

on Twitter at pash pod. Also go to your podcast platform. Tell us what you think, whether you like us, whether you think we stink. We'd love to hear from you. If you have any thoughts on future guests. We do have Charles Davis, CBS broadcaster and ESPN NFL analyst Marcus Spears coming up, but if there's anybody else you want to hear from, let us know what you think. Thanks again to Clemson head coach Dabo Sweeney. I'm Dave Pash.

Thanks to you for listening to another edition of the Dave Pash Podcast.