Swinney Discusses Clemson's Gameday Operations

Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney says whether fans are in the stands or not, he hopes to run down the Hill and stay "locked in" on what it takes to win football games.

Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney has kept a singular focus on fall camp, but he's been asked this week about COVID-19 protocols and testing, players and conferences opting out of the fall season and eligibility decisions for the NCAA. 

Now you can add gameday operations to the list. 

"I'm not to the Hill yet, but those are probably all things to be discussed in the coming days," Swinney said Saturday after Clemson's first scrimmage when asked if the team will still conduct its traditional entrance in Memorial Stadium. 

Swinney said he expects to take the bus ride around Death Valley, touch Howard's Rock and run down the Hill when the Tigers host their first home game on Sept. 19 against a to-be-determined opponent, even though he doesn't know if there will be anybody there to see it or not. 

"We've thought about a lot of things," Swinney said. "We have a great event management group around here that's way deep in the weeds."

Swinney said it's easy to get bogged down in the ACC's game operations handbook, but he's staying emerged in his team's preparations for the Sept. 12 opener at Wake Forest. Getting to 1-0 "each week" is his goal. 

Meanwhile, Clemson continues working toward what the season will look like for fans. Full, partial and zero attendance remain options, and it's unknown when there will be an official announcement. 

If tailgating, another integral part of the Clemson gameday experience, is allowed hasn't been decided. It's already known the band won't be on the field, and there will be new, socially-distant protocols to follow on the sidelines. If fans are in the stands, there will be guidelines there as well. 

"Everything will be mitigated, from fans to how we do everything, but when we step between the lines, it's football, whether there's one person in the stands or nobody," Swinney said. "I always tell the team, championships are won when the stands are empty. So literally, they may be won this year when (stands) are empty. I've been saying that for a long time. 

"At the end of the day, we're not playing for that. We're playing, we're all here because we love what we do. Trevor Lawrence doesn't have to play. He's here because he loves to play and he loves his team. I don't have to be here, but I love my job. And I love my guys. We all know that there's risk and so forth."

The ACC, SEC and Big 12 decided this week to forge ahead with plans to play, despite the Big Ten and Pac-12 deciding to wait and try for a spring season. Swinney feels like Clemson has done what's best for the program, and even though it's unknown what gamedays will look like in Death Valley right now, it won't affect his team's goal of winning.  

"Whether there's anybody in the stands or not, it still comes down to blocking, tackling, throwing, catching, execution, playing tough, playing smart, playing with discipline, playing with relentless effort, passion, playing for each other," Swinney said. "That's all we're locked in on."

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