Swinney Raves About Depth In Secondary

For Clemson, some of the most heated battles of fall camp are expected to take place in the secondary. While there is a lot of playing time up for grabs, head coach Dabo Swinney says it's a very deep group and is expecting to have his most flexible secondary to date.

Through the first week of camp, head coach Dabo Swinney has been thoroughly impressed by what he's seen out of his secondary group. 

While there may not be a lot of experience in some areas, there is a ton of talent, and Swinney thinks they could be deeper than they've been in quite some time.

It all starts with whoever winds up winning the job opposite of Derion Kendrick as the team's other starting corner. That battle is expected to be between junior Mario Goodrich and sophomore Andrew Booth Jr, and could extend into the season. 

"I think we've got more options than we've had in a long time", Swinney said after practice Wednesday. "We've got several guys that I think it's gonna come down to how it shakes out at corner and then kind of where we go from there."

Another important battle will be for that third cornerback spot and Swinney thinks they have a multitude of options when it comes to filling that role.

"You know, Mario (Goodrich), it could be Mario," Swinney said. "Could be a young guy like Malcolm Greene. You know, there's lots of guys that could go in there and do it. I just think we got to let it battle out, but Brent's (Venables) got a good, good feel for where we are with the candidates."

One of the more pressing issues in fall camp is having to replace A.J. Terrell, K'Von Wallace, Tanner Muse, Isaiah Simmons and Denzell Johnson from last year's playoff team.

If there is one thing that has really stood out among the young secondary guys in fall camp, though, it is their willingness to listen and learn. On top of that, Swinney also anticipates the group will have the necessary depth needed to get through a season with so much uncertainty looming. 

"Most coachable group we've had, all on the back seven from a totality standpoint," Swinney said. "I do think that's a position that we're gonna have a lot of flexibility in and I think we've got seven legit corners, and we have not had that."