Note: The following appears in the Miami gameday football program.
“No matter what happens to you, good or bad, you can learn and grow from it.”
That quote from James Skalski perfectly embodies his winning attitude, which has molded the graduate into one of the ACC’s top linebackers and the undisputed leader of the Clemson defense.
Skalski has dealt with his fair share of adversity during the course of his Tiger career, both on and off the football field, but he has never allowed it to hold him back. Instead, he has grown stronger from the character-building moments and used them as opportunities to better himself.
In 2016, Skalski, then a first-year freshman, lost his father, John, and received the heartbreaking news of his passing while sitting in Head Coach Dabo Swinney’s office. John played at Oklahoma and went on to coach youth football, passing his love and passion for the sport down to his son.
The devastating loss was gut-wrenching and difficult for Skalski to move on from, but the playing career he has put together since is proof of his ability to compartmentalize and overcome the obstacles he encounters in life and in football.
“Going through adverse situations in my personal life and on the field has made me stronger. That’s a testament to Coach Swinney and the rest of the coaches for how they teach and inspire.”
Skalski has consistently bounced back from each and every setback throughout his tenure as a Tiger, whether it be a preseason injury in 2018 that limited him to four games and resulted in a redshirt, or an unfortunate targeting ejection from last season’s national championship game.
A passionate player who wears his emotions on his sleeves and “walks the walk” while also “talking the talk,” Skalski has always harnessed the power of adversity to better himself, and he would not change a single aspect of his Tiger career up to this point.
“My Clemson career has been everything I dreamed it would be and more. Everything about it has been amazing, and it’s helped me grow, year after year.”
It comes as no surprise that Skalski shares a close bond with Associate Head Coach Brent Venables, who serves as Clemson’s defensive coordinator and linebackers coach. Much like Venables, Skalski is excitable and intense, and the animated Tigers are commonly captured on broadcasts experiencing a wide range of emotions on the sideline.
Venables recruited Skalski when he was a star athlete at Northgate High School near his hometown of Sharpsburg, Ga. Skalski credits the man he typically refers to as “Coach V” with magnifying his intensity and work ethic through his contagious energy and impeccable drive and determination.
As for Swinney, Skalski considers him the most inspirational person he has ever known and believes the culture he has instilled within the program to be as good as it gets.
“I love the Clemson family, the culture we have, the locker room … I can’t get enough of it,” said Skalski. “Being with everyone is one of the reasons I came back, and I also came back to try to reach the top of the mountain again.”