Swinney Details Scheduling Headaches Staff Endured Over Summer

With so much uncertainty surrounding when the team could start camp, and then when the season would actually start, Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney spent a portion of the summer swamped with scheduling issues.

To say this year's fall camp has been different would be putting it mildly. Not only on the field but off the field as well.

With so much uncertainty surrounding when the team could start camp, and then when the season would actually start, Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney spent part of the summer swamped with scheduling issues.

"I feel like I've got my Ph.D. in planning," Swinney said. "I did three schedules because I didn't know when we were going to start for the longest.

"Then I didn't know if our first game was going to be the 12th, the 10th, or the 7th. So I did three different practice plans, three different calendars. Of course, the original calendar ripped it up. So it's been different, very, very different."

When the Tigers ended fall camp a season ago, they had just over a week to prepare for the season opener against Georgia Tech. This year, things are quite different. 

"Last year, for example, when we broke camp, we started school on Wednesday and we play 10 days later," Swinney said. "So this year, we're breaking camp and start school tomorrow and we still, you know, have three and a half weeks, so it's good."

Swinney feels fortunate to have the extra time. On top of having more time to prepare for the opener against Wake Forest,  it also gives his team a chance to get back some of the time lost over the summer.

"We've got a great plan. I'm thankful we have that time because we're not where we need to be," Swinney said. "I tweaked our camp to reflect really just where we are, what we've had to deal with. These guys lost their May and also their June, as far as being able to train together like we normally would."

The Tigers aren't experiencing anything different than what every other team has been faced with over the summer. The unusual circumstances give the coaching staff a chance to do what they do best. 

"Everybody's dealt with the same thing, but I love our plan," Swinney said. "And, you know, as I said earlier, we will spend next week, still working on Clemson."

You can follow us for future coverage by clicking "Follow" on the top righthand corner of the page. Also, be sure to like us on Facebook & Twitter:

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/allclemson

Twitter - https://twitter.com/ClemsonSI