Talking Tuesday: #Clemson coach Dabo Swinney previews Saturday’s ACC matchup with Virginia (AUDIO)

Clemson coach Dabo Swinney will have two major firsts at Death Valley on Saturday. It’s a weekend where CJ Spiller will be inducted into the Clemson Ring of Honor, the first player coached by Swinney to be inducted. And facing off against Virginia coach Tony Elliott will be Swinneyi’s first matchup against a former assistant who is now a head coach.

At his press conference Tuesday, Swinney praised Virginia’s coaching staff, starting with Elliot. Swinney raved about Virginia’s quarterback, Anthony Colandrea. Colandrea can do it with his arms and legs, causing many defense problems. The Cavs run lots of zone read, short scorees and play-action. It starts with Colandrea, who has 1750 total yards of offense for the Cavaliers.

Defensively, Swinney said the defensive line creates issues, the linebacking core is solid, and the safety play is impeccable. It could be a tough game for Clemson if the Tigers play undisciplined and let the QB make plays.

For the Tigers, Swinney once again raved about the experience of the offensive line. They have allowed six sacks in six games and don’t have many problems with penalties. Guys like Colin Sadler and Harris Sewell plug and play well. He raved about Coach Matt Luke, relying on the experience from former jobs and teaching the offensive line at Clemson.

For the receivers, Bryant Wesco Jr. is “day-to-day,” while Tyler Brown is “week-to-week.”

Swinney closed his press conference by talking about NIL and squad building. He likes where his roster is with only 12 scholarship seniors, and NIL revenue sharing will start in 2025.

Story by Brooks Thomason

Some of Swinney’s key comments Tuesday:

• Called Virginia “a really good football team” and saying that Coach Elliott “instills great coaching into their team…They play hard and fast in all three areas of play.”
• QB Anthony Colandrea is “a problem…he is great…He runs around you, and he is gone. He is one of those guys that creates a lot of problems. Good receivers and tight ends are good.”
• Former Clemson and current Virginia RB Kobe Pace: “He does everything well, and we saw it first hand here at Clemson.” Their defense is great, “D-Line is amazing; safety is an eraser in the air. Their defense has great schemes. We must take care of the ball and execute at a high level. It will be a tough match for us.”
• About Peter Woods, “He is really playing himself back into true football shape. He is good to go.”
• “We love our quarterbacks…we are confident in our quarterbacks. We didn’t take one in 2024 because we got Christopher Vizzina for that role. He is a really good player who is only getting better…we only had two QB’s in 2018, our third guy was Hunter Renfrow.”
• Virginia offense is “very similar to Clemson. Tons of zone read, motions, swaps.”
• About Virginia QB Colandrea, “We have to squeeze him, you cannot over rush him. He is a problem. We have to cover forever. He extends the play for a long time.”
• On OL Coach Matt Luke, “Matt’s done an awesome job (on cutting down penalties); we also have a lot of experience across the board. The experience of Matt and offensive line has come together…the line is a cohesive group. They play really well and physical.”
• DT Vic Burley is improving after increased snapload at Wake Forest, “He has battled a million injuries…he is a big old dude who is still a kid and has not fully developed yet. Naturally he can do stuff that is super impressive.
• “The depth at offensive line and wide receiver is impeccable…Sewell and Sadler can swap out with the offensive line and plug and play…We have a really good nucleus (at OL).”

Dabo Swinney previews the Virginia game