Dabo Swinney says Clemson has no depth chart, no starters for fall practice

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Past production won’t guarantee anyone a spot at the front of the line for Clemsonfootball this fall.

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With the Tigers back on the practice field Thursday, Dabo Swinney is treating the start of camp as an opportunity for players across the roster to prove where they belong. That applies to veterans with significant experience just as much as younger players and new additions.

“I don’t have any starters,” Swinney said. “There ain’t nobody starting. Somebody’s going to run out there today because you’ve got to go practice, but we’re going to evaluate them every day.

“If you run out there first tomorrow, then that’s because you earned it today, not because we just think you’re supposed to be the best one. That’s just where we’re at.”

That approach gives Clemson a month to sort everything out before traveling to Baton Rouge for a major season-opening matchup against LSU on Sept. 5.

Swinney isn’t interested in making those decisions based on reputation or offseason expectations. Even after coming away encouraged by Clemson’s preseason weigh-in Wednesday, he quickly pointed out that physical development is only part of what the coaching staff needs to see.

“We ain’t going to win no games standing on a weight scale, but we look good,” Swinney said. “We’re a good-looking football team. We look good on paper, we look good in the weight room, and hopefully we’re going to look good in the practice room today.”

The next several weeks will be especially important for Clemson’s returning players. Coaches gave them specific areas to address coming out of the spring, and Swinney now wants to see evidence that the summer produced meaningful progress.

“I want to see the best version of them since they’ve been at Clemson,” Swinney said. “They all had specific things that we needed them to do to take that next step. That’s the big thing we’re looking for.”

Clemson has plenty of talent and experience heading into the season, but Swinney clearly isn’t interested in letting expectations determine the lineup. With LSU waiting at the end of camp, the Tigers have the next month to turn offseason potential into something that actually matters on Saturdays.

This article originally appeared on Clemson Wire: Dabo Swinney says Clemson has no depth chart, no starters for fall practice

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