Nobody might blame Dabo Swinney if he’s sporting a little bit of a realizing smirk this week.
His Clemson Tigers will visit Florida State on Saturday in a sport that was as soon as anticipated to be not only a marquee matchup within the ACC, but additionally a litmus take a look at on find out how to run a program within the trendy period.
The marquee half is gone — FSU is 1-4 and beginning a backup quarterback.
The litmus half remains to be there although. These are two packages with completely different philosophies which might be doubtlessly headed in numerous instructions — it’s simply not the instructions that the majority would have believed coming into the season.
Clemson is 3-1 and ranked twelfth within the nation, dusting itself off and looking out nice after an opening week blowout loss to Georgia. That consequence sparked a refrain of criticism over Dabo’s distaste for utilizing the switch portal to bolster the roster.
Florida State, in the meantime, has had a disastrous begin to a season the place it was purported to experience the momentum of final yr’s 13-0 common season marketing campaign. A yr in the past the switch portal delivered large for coach Mike Norvell. This time it’s been a bust, leaving this system reeling and prime recruits fleeing their verbal commitments.
Does that reversal justify Swinney’s resolution to stay with homegrown expertise? (The one different packages that didn’t take a switch final offseason have been Military, Navy and Air Power.)
Possibly. Or perhaps not, particularly on the nationwide championship stage the place the Tigers as soon as operated. It does recommend that if his strategy can’t produce a championship-level ceiling, it does provide a excessive flooring. Dabo’s worst season was a yr in the past when the Tigers went 9-4. That appears fairly interesting proper now if you’re in Tallahassee.
“I feel, actually, all people’s stunned of the place their file is, [but] you even have to offer the opposite groups some credit score,” Swinney stated. “They’ve performed good groups, you understand?”
The Seminoles misplaced to Georgia Tech, Boston Faculty, Memphis and SMU. They did defeat Cal by 5. This isn’t what anybody might have imagined. Now they host a sizzling Clemson workforce with out their beginning QB, D.J. Uiagalelei, the one-time Clemson starter who Norvell introduced in as a switch from Oregon State. The job will fall to Brock Glenn.
“Soccer’s exhausting,” Swinney stated. “It is a exhausting sport. Y’all have heard me discuss it lots — a couple of performs right here or there can actually have an effect on the psyche of a workforce, the arrogance of a workforce. A pair performs go your means, and the following factor you understand, it is completely different.
“These children at the moment are rising up with quite a lot of noise, quite a lot of strain — greater than at any time ever in soccer historical past, on the subject of scrutiny and expectations and criticism and simply straight-up negativity,” he continued. “And that is exhausting.”
Swinney isn’t flawed, however that additionally amplifies the stakes on Saturday.
The notion of a program, each internally and externally, seemingly issues extra now than ever. Within the period of the switch portal, any participant who loses religion within the path of the place issues are headed can discover a handy out. It will possibly additionally tighten the wallets of boosters who’re wanted to fund NIL collectives.
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In the meantime, Norvell has to fight any notion that that is greater than a blip on the radar to potential gamers — each potential transfers and conventional highschool recruits. All the things is sped up lately. All the things is on a razor’s edge.
Saturday could be a nationally-televised probability for Florida State to alter the narrative and provide a shot of optimism. Or it may be a possibility for Clemson to place its foot on its rival’s neck and whoop it up at Doak Campbell. It will get them to 4-1 but additionally give Dabo extra justification for what he’s promoting — loyalty to his recruits by not bringing in substitute expertise.
Norvell would like to do it the Clemson means — or one thing shut. Each coach would. Growing gamers over time, constructing a long-term tradition and counting on veterans and expertise is a confirmed blueprint. The portal was supposed to supply a bridge to the Seminoles till their highschool recruiting work restocked the roster.
An ideal common season — regardless of the playoff snub — was anticipated to repay. Florida State has all the time been a fascinating and thrilling place to play school soccer. It’s even higher when it’s successful and it was successful. Add in uncertainty and struggles at instate rival Florida, and they need to have been in a position to scoop up greater than their share of Sunshine State expertise.
As an alternative that appears to have all evaporated in just a little over a month. Three four-star recruits (two from Florida, one from South Carolina) have de-committed within the final month alone. FSU’s current recruiting class has just 11 players and ranks 39th in the country per Rivals.com.
There’s nonetheless loads of time till signing day, however, once more, this isn’t what anybody anticipated.
The more severe the highschool recruiting is, the extra the switch portal is required. It will possibly repay, nevertheless it’s a roll of the cube, as FSU is aware of all too effectively from the final couple of years.
Clemson, in the meantime, needs to show it is again and getting higher, perhaps even sufficient to make that Georgia loss only a dangerous day on the workplace. After six consecutive playoff appearances, it hasn’t certified for the final 4. Within the 12-team period although, it has loads of paths to get again.
Saturday may very well be one other step in that path. And one other step in a distinct path, one inconceivable just lately, for the Seminoles.
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