Why Dabo Swinney kept son Clay's trick play a secret from his wife before Clemson-FSU game
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CLEMSON — Before Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney exited his midweek press conference on Nov. 11, his son, Tigers holder Clay Swinney, entered the room and reminded him that he is the only Swinney to not score a point in college.
“I got tackled at the 1-yard line one time,” said Dabo Swinney, who played at Alabama. “Still frustrated about that one.”
Clay Swinney became the third Swinney to score points after rushing for a 2-point conversion on a trick play against Florida State on Nov. 8.
Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik rushed for a 4-yard touchdown on the game’s opening possession. The Tigers were awarded two points after Clay Swinney narrowly broke the plane of the end zone on the conversion.
When asked if he scored, Clay Swinney said, “I think so. It’s in the history books. That’s all that matters.”
Clay Swinney recalled his dad coming into a special teams meeting leading up to the FSU game and saying, “Boys, we got ’em.”
Dabo Swinney found a flaw in Florida State’s point-after-attempt, where the Seminoles lined up “soft” on the right, and told them that they were going for two when Clemson scored the game’s first touchdown.
“They were in the right look and was able to run it. It was awesome,” Clay Swinney said.
Dabo Swinney said his wife, Kathleen, was mad that he didn’t tell her about the play beforehand, saying it was on a “need-to-know basis.” Clay Swinney said he kept it from his mom, too.
“She came up to me on the field after the game, and she was like, ‘Why did nobody tell me?’ and I was like, ‘Hey, it’s top secret,'” Clay Swinney said. “I just never really thought about telling her cause I figured my dad would have.”
His score was Clemson’s first two-point conversion since the Gator Bowl vs. Kentucky in 2023.
He joined his brothers, Drew and Will Swinney, who all scored as holders at Clemson. The last placekick held by a non-Swinney was Seth Ryan on the final extra point of Clemson’s national championship victory against Alabama in the 2016 season.
Drew Swinney scored a two-point conversion at holder in the 2022 ACC Championship Game, and Will scored his first career touchdown on an 8-yard pass in 2018 and scored his first career rushing touchdown on a 6-yard fake field goal in 2021.
Clay Swinney was asked if there is a sibling rivalry with his brothers regarding their career college points, but he downplayed the competition.
“No, not really. We’re all very competitive, but I think we also realize everyone’s career is so different and I’m proud of them for the careers they’ve had and they’re proud of me for what I’ve been able to accomplish,” he said. “Every now and then some bickering will come up. Just some friendly bickering.”
Derrian Carter covers Clemson athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email him at dcarter@gannett.com and follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DerrianCarter00
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Dabo Swinney explains not alerting wife about son’s trick play vs FSU
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