Everything Dabo Swinney said at Tuesday’s media gathering

The official start to the Clemson football season is August 31 when the Tigers open the 2024 schedule against the Georgia Bulldogs in Week 1 at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

The unofficial start is coach Dabo Swinney’s annual media day event, held for local reporters at the Allen N. Reeves Football Complex.

“As coaches, we love this time of year,” an upbeat Swinney said as part of his opening remarks to reporters on Tuesday. “We start over in January. That’s what we do. Just the nature of our world, but it all builds to this. Everything builds to getting back on the field.”

As usual, Swinney wasn’t short on words nor shy about expressing his opinions on the team and the overall landscape of college football. (With the way the sport is now, he’s not likely to run out of things to say any time soon.)

As he embarks on his 16th full season as coach, Swinney answered questions for over an hour Tuesday. He gave updates on position battles, incoming freshmen, and returning starters like quarterback Cade Klubnik.

Other topics discussed were Swinney’s objection to the idea of Clemson moving its home game vs. South Carolina to Black Friday to accommodate the whims of the ACC and ESPN.

Here’s everything Swinney had to say at Tuesday’s media session.