Swinney Camp Insider: Swinney says it's "back to basics" in Session 3

Upstate product Deuce Caldwell was a standout in the morning practices.

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Thu Jun 03 12:53:07 GMT-04:00 2021

Thursday’s Dabo Swinney high school camp was all about going back to basics.

A few hundred campers gathered early on the practice fields outside the indoor practice facility, and Swinney began the session with a message to the campers and parents – he wanted everyone to have fun but to also get back to basics.

Swinney recounted the difficulty of the past year, mentioning that Tuesday was the first time prospects had been allowed on campus in 14 months and then said that the session was about getting back to the basics for everybody. He said that this wasn’t a combine, and nobody was going to be running 40-yard dashes, and he just wanted them to relax and get better at football. He then mentioned to everybody to clean up their trash, saying, “Nobody cleans up after Clemson. Nobody. Not out here, not in the locker room, not in the theater, not in the hotel.”

*Tight end prospect Oscar Delp was on hand with this mother but didn’t work out. Delp spent time watching the tight ends work out, then left on a golf cart with his mother for what looked like a tour. The West Forsyth 4-star has offers from just about everybody, including Clemson.

Working with the tight ends today is current Clemson player Jake Briningstool. Briningstool looks like he’s added another inch or two to his frame, and he’s filled out considerably. One staffer said, “He is going to be solid this year. Just need to get those guys the ball.”

*One of the more impressive athletes out there was 2024 prospect JoJo Stone out of Loganville (GA) Grayson. Stone is listed as an athlete and plays on both sides of the ball – at cornerback and wide receiver – and his athleticism jumps out at you. I spoke with one of the Grayson coaches who said that they intend to use Stone both ways next fall, but when talking about the next level, he thinks Stone is one of those guys “that needs the ball in his hands.” He has offers from Florida St. and Georgia. Stone was with the receivers in the morning session, and his dad told me he expects Stone to work out with the corners in the afternoon.

Another Grayson defensive back in attendance was 2023 4-star Michael Daugherty. The Grayson coaches said Daugherty has offers from Florida St., Georgia and LSU among others, and was hoping for a Clemson offer after today’s workout. He showed nice hands and great change of direction.

*One player that we detailed this morning that was looking for an offer is Mauldin (SC) 2022 linebacker Deuce Caldwell. Caldwell was easily one of the best in the linebackers group, and at one point high-pointed a ball for a catch that was reminiscent of Justyn Ross. His cousin is Tyquention (TQ) Coleman who also played at Mauldin and later at Arkansas and in the CFL. Coleman said that Caldwell played a lot of AAU basketball and is relatively new to football, and has never been in a nutrition or weight program, but he is a great leader. He also doesn’t attend Mauldin – he attends Legacy Charter and just plays for Mauldin, so he doesn’t get a lot of time with his teammates.

In other words, more of a developmental guy with a TON of upside.

*One of the “fast risers” that is making the camp circuit is Dale Miller, a 2023 corner out of Hoover (AL) who has offers from Southern Cal to Louisville to Arizona St. Miller was impressive while working out in front of corners coach Mike Reed. Miller’s dad told me that the coaches were going to take them on a tour of the facilities once the morning session was complete.

*Four-star defensive end J’Mond Tapp of Donaldsville (LA) Ascension Catholic participated in the morning workout, and Swinney walked over to watch him work with ends coach Lemanski Hall. Tapp was the most impressive of the group, and Swinney smiled after one particularly explosive drill.

*I didn’t spend a ton of time with the quarterbacks, but I did watch Cameron Edge (LSU and Oregon are among his offers) for a few minutes. Another quarterback who jumped was recent Georgia Tech offer Tad Hudson out of the good program up at Hough in North Carolina. More on the QBs later.