Dabo Swinney Sounds Off: Young Corners Struggle, Cade Klubnik "Checked Out" in Clemson Scrimmage

Coach Dabo Swinney inside the indoor practice facility during a Clemson spring practice. (Photo By Charles Mays/Tiger View Media)

Clemson’s latest spring scrimmage left Dabo Swinney with plenty to say, as he called out young defensive backs, a star quarterback, and an undisciplined offense. With spring break approaching, Wednesday’s scrimmage marked an important evaluation point. And while Swinney remained upbeat, his message was clear and that his team has work to do. Let's break down what Coach Swinney had to say after Wednesday's scrimmage.

Young Corners Struggle

Swinney didn’t hold back words when discussing Clemson’s young cornerbacks, including Corian Gipson, Tavoy Feagin, and Branden Strozier. With limited reps for Ashton Hampton and Avieon Terrell, the younger defensive backs were thrown into the mix and, as Swinney put it, they aren't ready.

"They've all got a ways to go. Thank God we don't play today," Swinney said. "Ain't none of 'em ready to play. Hope y’all print that. I am glad we don’t play this spring.”

Cade Klubnik Struggles in Limited Reps

Quarterback Cade Klubnik didn’t impress, with Swinney suggesting he was mentally already on vacation.

"Very average. Looked like he checked out and thought he was already gone to Cabo or something," Swinney said. "Not very focused. He didn’t have his best day, maybe because he knew he wasn’t going to get a lot of reps." Swinney says this due to spring break coming up for Clemson University this coming up week.

Defense Forces Turnovers, But Discipline Lacking

While the offense struggled with ball security, the defense capitalized, especially in the red zone. However, Swinney made it clear that overall discipline was lacking.

"We were too casual with the ball on the offensive side. I thought defensively, they were awesome in the red zone today. They turned the offense over a few times, which was good to see. But all in all, first scrimmage, first time to kind of play and coach in a game environment, I thought we were really undisciplined." Swinney also revealed that a defensive player was ejected from the scrimmage after a penalty.

Running Backs and Linebackers Flash

On the bright side, Swinney highlighted Adam Randall and Jarvis Green as running backs who made an impact. Freshman running back Marquise Henderson, however, is dealing with a hamstring issue and hasn’t practiced. At linebacker, Dee Crayton and C.J. Kubah-Taylor are trending up according to Dabo, along with nickel Shelton Lewis and safeties Misun Kelley and Noah Dixon.

Tackling Emphasis Paying Off

Clemson’s new defensive coordinator, Tom Allen, has emphasized tackling, and Swinney sees improvement.

"I saw a couple of really good open-field tackles today. Coach Allen has done a great job, he's a rolling ball of butcher blades out there. If you don’t have the right technique, you’re going to hear it." Dabo seemed impressed with the new defensive coordinator as he is looking for major improvement from last year's defense.

Punters in a Tight Battle

The punting competition remains open, but Jack Smith stood out Wednesday, with three of his four punts hitting their marks.

What’s Next?

With spring break here, the Tigers will have time to reset before returning for the second half of spring practice. While Swinney’s critiques were sharp, they come with the expectation that these growing pains will lead to development before the season kicks off. Stay tuned for more updates as Clemson continues its journey through spring ball.