Opening Statement:
“All right, well, it’s go time. I know everybody in here is ready to roll, and it’s exciting to kick the season off. This time next Tuesday, we’ll have a result, and we’ll be on to the next one.
Getting the process started is always a lot of fun. It’s a ton of work that goes into just getting to this moment right here. I’m proud of our team and how they’ve worked since January. In particular, our team and our staff, the last six or seven weeks, there’s a lot that goes into getting to this point. They’ve done a great job.
Now we’ve got to go play a ballgame, see where we are, and go from there. Excited to be at home. I know it’s going to be an amazing environment. The team had a chance to get out there last night under the lights.
There’s just something special about game week. It doesn’t matter if you’re a Pee Wee team, a senior in high school, or Aaron Rodgers at 50—when you wake up and it’s game week, it’s game week. And that’s everybody. If this is what you do for a living and you cover this sport, you probably all said the same thing this week: it’s game week, let’s go.
This is what we signed up to do. It’s awesome. I love it. I’m looking forward to watching our team play and compete with everything they’ve got.
Got a great matchup with LSU. Coach Kelly’s track record is easy to look up. He’s been winning for a long time. You don’t get lucky and have jobs like LSU. He’s a great coach and has his team well positioned to have a great year.
This is a very talented football team on both sides of the ball. Similar to us in a lot of ways—they’ve got elite quarterback play, elite skill, and they’ve got dudes in the trenches on both sides. Very similar makeup, and that’s why it’s a top-ten matchup.
I don’t have any doubt it’s going to be one heck of a game. Their quarterback is a really good player, a leader, tough. I’ve got a lot of respect for him. I’ve never met him, but I’ve got a ton of respect. He’s a guy that has stayed, developed, and now he’s on his way to being a high draft pick. He’s got poise, instincts, pocket awareness, big-time arm talent, toughness.
They’ve put a good group together up front. Some guys graduated, and they brought in good experienced players. They’ve got big-time skill—guys that can take the top off, guys that complement the run game with screens and yards after catch. They’ve got compact, physical runners. Number 3 is a rocket ship. Number 4, the kid from Oklahoma, is a big-bodied receiver. Number 29 is as good as we’ll see—very strong, powerful, breaks tackles, and has the speed to take it the distance. They do a great job involving him in the run game.
In my opinion, they don’t have weaknesses on offense. They equip the quarterback to make them right, and most of the time he does.
Defensively, they’ve got elite linebacker play, very experienced. Corners are as good as we’ll see all year. Number 1 is back—great player with length. They got the transfer from Virginia Tech, we know a lot about him, great player. Safeties are strong. Up front, they’re stout. They added the kid from Florida State, who we’ve played against, and the kid from Florida, a very physical edge player.
All three levels, they’ve got dudes. Coach Kelly has said this might be his best defense, maybe his best team. I can see why. Should be a heck of a matchup.
From a health standpoint, we’re in a good spot. Been fortunate to this point, and hopefully it stays that way. We’ve got tough practices today and tomorrow, but as we sit right now, we’re in a good spot injury-wise going into the season.
With that, I’ll take your questions.”
Q: Coach, what do you think about LSU Coach Kelly heightening the emphasis on the opener, putting the Tiger ball up in their weight room?
Swinney: “I don’t have any thoughts either way. I can’t put myself in his team room, locker room. Everybody has their own way of doing things with whatever team you’re coaching. He’s done it a long time, so whatever he wants to do, I’ll leave it up to him.”
Q: Has Walker Parks been in green or yellow?
Swinney: “He’s back in practice. He’s doing good.”
Q: How is Jay Haynes continuing to progress?
Swinney: “He’s coming. He’s not going to play this week, but he’s right there. He’s been in green. Him and Ari have both been in green all camp. Next step is for them to be fully back in contact. They’re close, just cautious with both since they’re coming off knee injuries. They’re doing well, and we’re excited to get them fully activated soon.”
Q: Would you say that Gideon, Keith, and Easy are on the same footing behind Adam Randall?
Swinney: “We’ve got confidence in all those guys. Adam will start it off for us, and we’ll see how it shapes up in live play. Same with Jay when he gets back.”
Q: Elijah Thurmon missed spring. What did you see out of him this month, and how comfortable are you with his versatility, maybe at right guard?
Swinney: “We saw it last year. First series at Virginia Tech, true freshman, and he’s going against the nation’s sack leader. He had a heck of a game. Next game, he gets hurt on the first play at Pitt.
We’ve got a ton of confidence in Elijah. He’s had a great camp. We knew his versatility when we signed him, but you don’t know until you coach him. He can really play five positions. Smart, talented kid. He hasn’t played as much center in camp because we’ve used him at tackle, but he can start anywhere for us. He’s a starter.
Honestly, I don’t know who Matt’s going to run out there first. It’s like when Dan Brooks had five guys for two spots—he graded them in Tiger Walk and pregame, and I never knew who was going first until then. They were all dudes. Same thing now—we’ve got seven offensive linemen we see as starters. Elijah is one of them. He could start at four positions for us, which is a huge blessing.”
Q: How does Amari Adams fit in? And what about Braden Jacobs?
Swinney: “Amari’s rolling. Braden’s coming along too—he’s eighth in the OL rotation right now, but he’s on his way. We feel like we’ve got a strong group of 12 with real depth.”
Q: Growing up, did you view LSU as a rival to Alabama?
Swinney: “Growing up, everybody Alabama played was a rival. But yes, LSU was in our division, and I played and coached against them many times. I’ve got a ton of respect for the program and a lot of memories of those games.”
Q: Both Cade Klubnik and Garrett Nussmeier stayed at one program their whole careers. How valuable is that?
Swinney: “It’s great. We love to develop our players, and it’s hard if they’re not here. Cade’s benefited from continuity, just like Nussmeier. And we’ve got a kid in Christopher Vizzina who’s chosen that same long-term path.”
