Sharpening the axe is key to Tigers success

Swinney believes that the work put in before the Tigers take to the field, is just as important as the time when they are on the practice fields.

CLEMSON—For the fans, the start of fall football camp signaled the beginning of football season. But for the 2019 Clemson Tigers, it was the start of the third phase of their journey.

"A lot of our fans and stuff, they get excited about today because for them this is when it starts, but this is just the halfway part for us," head coach Dabo Swinney said. "We have a journey every year and it starts in January and this is, we're getting into our third quarter of our journey. The third phase if you will. So we've been putting a lot of work in since January, not just today. Today, the lights kind of come out and we get to be on the field as a team and put it all together."

The Tigers' three phases are: transformation, prime time and championship .

And Swinney believes that the work put in before the Tigers take to the field, is just as important as the time when they are on the practice fields.

"Abraham Lincoln said, 'If you give me six hours to chop down a tree, I'm going to spend the first four sharping the blade,'"Swinney said. "That's kind of what it's about in football because you spend so much time preparing and this team has put a lot of work in—sharping the blade if you will—and now it's time to get out there and put the work in. So I'm looking forward to it."

The reason for the emphasis on "sharping the blade" this season is the fact that this year's Tiger squad is full of youth.

While there were a bunch of players that have never lost a college football game–quarterback Trevor Lawrence, wide receiver Justyn Ross and defensive end Xavier Thomas among other sophomores that were a part of the Tigers' 15-0 season—the Tigers coaching staff is now tasked with "meeting this team where they are."

"We've got 120, and we've got 80 freshmen and sophomores that bring a lot of hunger and competitiveness, energy, enthusiasm and offer us a bright future for sure," Swinney said. "We've got 40 juniors and seniors that bring us a lot of experience—that really know and understand what it takes. They have a very clear vision, and we're counting on those guys to help lead the way. But it's going to be a lot of fun.

"Our roster's kind of different than it was last year when we had such an experienced group, but ready to get to work."