Swinney Press Conference
The day started with head coach Dabo Swinney’s press conference, the final pregame press conference for any member of the Tigers. Swinney met with a throng of media members, including many national writers, in a hotel ballroom.
Swinney fielded questions on a variety of topics, both on the field and off. Of course he handled all the questions in his typical fashion, with direct answers and a smile.
After the 40-minute question and answer session, Swinney walked over to the Orange Bowl trophy and posed for pictures with Oklahoma head coach Bob Stoops.
Coaches Luncheon
A total of 22 players and head coach Dabo Swinney returned to Jungle Island for the Orange Bowl Coaches Luncheon. The Tigers entered the ballroom through a line of cheerleaders, Rally Cats and Tiger Band members to “Tiger Rag.”
After the players enjoyed a delicious lunch and some awards were handed out, the 2015 Orange Bowl Hall of Fame class was introduced. Alex Brown (Florida), Reggie Kinlaw (Oklahoma) and Ernie Koy (Texas) all joined the prestigious club.
Next up was Swinney, Eric Mac Lain, Deshaun Watson, Travis Blanks and Ben Boulware, who all took a seat at the front to take questions from ESPN’s Todd Blackledge and Holly Rowe. The crowd got lots of laughs when Mac Lain and Boulware discussed the team’s infamous “Beard Gang.” Swinney also mentioned how much joy the season has brought to all Tiger fans.
Gameday Eve
In the afternoon, the Tigers held a brief walkthrough in the team hotel, then they concluded the day with their normal pregame movie night at a local theater.
After the fifth night in south Florida and what will be 26 days since its last contest against North Carolina in the ACC Championship Game, Clemson is ready for kickoff against the Sooners.
Catch all the behind-the-scenes footage, both in-game and postgame, on the WatchESPN app at the following links:
• Main broadcast• In Spanish• Spidercam• Clemson radio call• Trophy ceremony
That wraps up the daily blogs for the Orange Bowl. We’ve had a great time sharing the Clemson Family experience the past five days. We’ll see you at Sun Life Stadium on Thursday at 4 p.m.!
If you missed any of the previous days’ blogs, click HERE to catch up. You can also follow all the behind-the-scenes action of Clemson football on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
VISUAL RECAP
[<a href=”//storify.com/ClemsonTigers/clemson-football-day-5-in-miami” target=”_blank”>View the story “Clemson Football – Day 5 in Miami” on Storify</a>]
April 17, 2024
