It’s time to add a new team to the list of those worth talking about. The Clemson Tigers have a resume that stacks up against just about any of those teams. The Tigers are off to a 6-0 start with victories over Auburn, Florida State and Virginia Tech already on their resume. If they can beat teams like South Carolina, Georgia Tech and North Carolina the rest of the way, we will have no choice but to talk about them as a title contender.

Clemson coach Dabo Swinney joined KJR in Seattle with Mitch Levy to discuss whether he envisioned this kind of start to Clemson’s 2011 season, the health of quarterback Tajh Boyd, the season his signal-caller is having, the national perception of Clemson and the ACC, and his excitement a few weeks ago after beating Auburn.

Did you envision this kind of a start to the Clemson season?:

“I felt like we had a chance to be a very competitive team. 6-0? You’ve got to catch some breaks along the way. You’ve got to stay healthy. … That’s been a real key for us because we’re a very, very young team. We have 42 true freshmen and redshirt freshmen on this roster. When we got into camp and I got a chance to see some of these young guys, I knew they were going to help us, and change us, pretty quickly. It’d just be a matter of if we could put it all together in a short amount of time.”

What can you tell us about the health of your quarterback Tajh Boyd, who injured his hip?:

“It’s kind of a miracle in itself and a real blessing. You see a guy get carted off you figure he’s out for a couple weeks at least. He’s actually doing really well and should be fine for this weekend. I think it might have scared him more than anything. … He just had a hard time putting pressure on it there for a while. … Just a real blessing.”

How special of a season is he putting together?:

“He’s been a developing guy. He played his whole senior year with a torn ACL and took them to the state championship. Then he went to the U.S. Army game with a torn ACL and got the MVP of that game. He went ahead and had the surgery and it kind of set him back. He spent his first year red-shirting and getting healthy. Last year he was just kind of grooming and played in about seven games. But we really felt like he had a chance to be a very good player, and that’s one of the main reasons that I wanted to make a change offensively because I really wanted to feature this guy.”

Do you think the national perception of the ACC will hold teams like Clemson and Georgia Tech back as the BCS rankings play out?:

“I think there’s only one team in America that’s beaten more ranked opponents than us. We’ve beaten three and LSU’s beaten four, so I don’t think that’s the case. And if you look at our schedule moving forward, North Carolina’s probably going to be ranked when we play them, Georgia Tech is ranked, South Carolina is ranked. We’ve already tied the school record for wins versus ranked opponents. … We’ve got a schedule of champions and if we take care of business, when it’s all said and done, it’ll all work out the way it’s supposed to.”

Talk about the eruption you had on the field in the postgame interview after beating Auburn:

“I was just so full of Clemson I didn’t know what to do. It’s the world we live in now. They video everything. All your moments of exuberance are caught on tape. That was a big win. That was the biggest win we’ve had at Clemson since the daggum national championship, probably. It was a huge win for our program. … I grew up rooting against Auburn and played in a bunch of those games … and it was just a little more special to have an opportunity to be a part of the team that ended that fabulous streak that they had going.”

Listen to Dabo Swinney on KJR in Seattle here

Bowers joined WDAE in Tampa Bay to talk about his sky-high excitement levels to get his rookie season preparation work going in earnest with his coaches and teammates, how tough an adjustment he thinks it will be for himself, Adrian Clayborn and the rest of the Bucs rookies that have yet to spend any time working with the Bucs coaching staff, how he was never concerned that a deal wouldn’t get reached in time to save the 2011 season but how he’s glad that a new CBA was reached in time to allow him to get into camp and have a full preseason schedule under his belt, and what the sack dance he’s been working on looks like.

On his excitement level as he gets ready to finally get his rookie season underway this week:

“Oh man, we’re just so excited, myself and the rest of my new teammates. We’re just ready to get in and go to work.”

On how tough an adjustment it’s going to be for himself and fellow rookie Adrian Clayborn this year considering how little time they’ve had to work with their teammates and coaches staff in a formal setting throughout the lockout:

“Yeah, being with the certain situation that we’ve been through this year, it’s going to be a very tough spot for us this year. But all of us — myself, Adrian, Allen Bradford, Mason [Foster] — we’re all just ready to get into camp and get into the swing of things..”

If he was ever concerned and not confident that a deal would get done in time for their to be a full preseason schedule:

“I was very confident that we were going to have football.  I wasn’t exactly sure when it would get settled, but I’m glad they were able to get in settled ahead of time so we were able to get to camp and get the preseason games underway.”

On how his sack dance goes that he’d been working on prior to the interview:

“I’m going to have a very creative sack dance by the time I get to Tampa tomorrow.”

Listen here to Bowers on WDAE in Tampa Bay

Big 12

Mack Brown with CJ & Klatt on 102.3 The Ticket in Denver

Bob Stoops with CJ & Klatt on 102.3 The Ticket in Denver

SEC

Dan Mullen with Mayhem in the AM on 790 The Zone in Atlanta

Will Muschamp with Barnhart & Durham on 790 The Zone in Atlanta

Dabo Swinney with Zach & Marc on WFNZ in Charlotte

ACC

Al Golden with Sid Rosenberg on WQAM in Miami

Bowers joined ESPN Radio to talk about how all the speculation about his knee and health is unfounded, what the most interesting aspect of the pre-draft process has been, the story behind his prized possession — ‘Denise’ the Fender Stratocastar guitar that his father played as a touring gospel musician — how he still hopes to be the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s draft, how he and Cam Newton try not to talk too much about where they might end up despite communicating frequently, how Gaines Adams was the player he tried to emulate while growing up, how Julius Peppers is the current player that he believes he can replicate in terms of style of play and productivity, and how he’s enjoyed being able to show a different side to his personality beyond just football through this evaluation process leading up to the draft.

On what he can share about his knee and overall health:

“All the speculations about my knee and the surgery are all wrong. The NFL teams and the doctors know what’s going on, so that’s all that really matters at this point.”

On what the most interesting or revealing aspect of the pre-draft process has been:

“They ask me all about my background and my musical background, and it’s been quite fun too…”

About Denise the guitar?

“About Denise the guitar. It was my father’s guitar; it was the source of income for my family the past 33 years. My father never had a 9-5 job, he was a professional gospel musicians that traveled across the world and played that guitar in a number of states and countries.”

On what he’s hoping will unfold on Draft day:

“I hope I’m picked high, even first. You know, it’s a dream to be the first draft pick of the draft, so I’m just looking forward to it.”

If there’s been any friendly texting back and forth between him and Cam Newton about who might go No. 1 overall or higher than the other in the draft:

“I’ve been with Cam on several of my visits. We’ve all been in the same place, you know, we’ve been together quite a bit. So we haven’t really talked about it. When we’re away from it, we like to stay away from it and talk about other things.”

If there was a player growing up or today that he’s tried to model his game after:

“Definitely. When I was coming out of high school, I wanted to play like Gaines Adams, you know, my mentor and big brother. Him and I have a lot like the same body type, almost identical with the long torso and the short legs. He was a little lighter than I am, but that’s who I wanted to model my game after.”

If there’s a guy in the NFL today that he thinks he can replicate in terms of style of play and productivity:

“Julius Peppers of course. He has the speed, he has the power, he has the skills to do anything and everything that any defensive coordinator would want him to do.”

If it’s hard to feel like he’s losing money before even starting his career with the likely scaling back in rookie wages in the new CBA:

“The way I feel is I can’t miss anything I never had. So…”

On getting to show people throughout the draft process that there’s more to him than just chasing down quarterbacks and running backs on gameday:

“Definitely. That’s a good way to put it — letting people see that I’m more than a defensive end, I’m more than a college football player, period. That I enjoy other things, that I am human, that I like doing the same types of things that they like to do and doing it in a similar situation.”

On what the short term goal is — being the No. 1 overall pick?

“Definitely. I want to go as the No. 1 draft pick. That’s the prized possession being that first name called.”

Listen here to Bowers with Scott Van Pelt and Ryen Rusillo on ESPN Radio (interview begins at 36:30 mark)

C.J. Spiller joined ESPN 850 WKNR in Cleveland with Tony Rizzo to talk about how excited he is to finally find out where he will be playing in the NFL, whether or not he has a specific team that he would like to play for, and what goals he has for himself at the next level.

On how excited he is to find out where he will be playing next season:

“It’s fun, but I’m kinda nervous.  You know next week you’re gonna be working somewhere, you just don’t know where.  To me, I think it’s like recruiting all over except you don’t get to choose where you get to go, you just get picked.  It’s fun and I’m looking forward to it.  I really don’t follow that mock draft or listen to where people say I might go.  Like I tell people, I’m gonna wait like everyone else.  Whenever my name is called, that will be my new home and my new teammates.”

On whether or not it has always been a dream of his to play in the NFL:

“It was always a dream.  To me, every level was a dream.  I always wanted to play high school ball, I always wanted to go to college and play, and then I said the last stop you can do is the NFL.  The NFL was the number three stop for me and now that the opportunity presents itself, it’s kinda like a reality that now you’re about to do the dream that you always wanted to do which is play in the NFL.  I’m very excited about the opportunity.”

On whether or not he has a preference where he goes and what team he would like to play for:

“I’ll go anywhere.  Anywhere is gonna be fine for me.  My main thing is I just want to win Super Bowls.  Go in there, work hard, show my teammates that I’ll work hard and am committed to do whatever it takes to win.  Hopefully pushing them guys and they’re pushing me, we come together as one team, and hopefully bring a Super Bowl to that town and that organization.”

On why it was so important to stay in school instead of turning pro last year:

“I thought it was.  My main thing was I had the opportunity to come out last year, but my main thing was I wanted to graduate.  I wanted to be different from guys.  I didn’t want to have to come back and try to earn my degree.  I wanted to get that over with so I can really focus on what I love doing and that’s playing football and not worry about having to go back and try to take class.  The only time I’ll do that is when I start pursuing my Masters (Degree).  That’s a long way from now.  Now I can just really enjoy what I love and that’s playing football.”

On what goals he has set for himself and who he models his game after:

“My main goal is Super Bowl.  That’s the number one goal on the list.  I don’t get caught up in the individual; I just let that stuff happen.  My main goal is to win either AFC or NFC Championships and to win Super Bowls.  That’s it.  Everything else will take care of itself.  Growing up I liked Warrick Dunn.  That’s why I chose to wear number 28.  Not just because of what he’s done on the field, but also what he’s done off the field.  Building homes for single mothers back in his home in Louisiana.  That’s what I do when I choose a guy to look up to.  I look at what a guy does both on the field and off the field and Warrick is one of those guys.  Warrick, Marshall Faulk, Walter Payton, and you go to Jim Brown.  There’s a lot of guys that just do great things both on the field and off and they’re the types of guys that you really want to follow.”

Listen to C.J. Spiller on ESPN 850 WKNR here

CJ Spiller joined 790 The Zone in Atlanta to talk about who he is training with for the draft and where, what the most physically grueling part of his workout is, and where he thinks he might go.

Where is he is training for the draft:

“I am out here in California training with a trainer named Ryan Caprilla, me and four other guys. Me, Jimmy Clausen, Taylor Mays, Everson Griffen, and Arrelious Benn. There is only five of us and we are just out here running and lifting and getting ready for next week.”

What his day is like going through training getting ready for the NFL Combine:

“For instance like today, I am going to eat breakfast at like 7:30 and then at 9:00 I am heading to the football field to go run around and get my forty together and then right after that I go to the weight room and start lifting weights. Then pretty much getting a massage and getting all of those kinks that you got in your body and getting rubbed out and stuff. Then I come back to my room and start watching film and stuff.”

On what he is watching film of:

“Just some plays that I had at Clemson and some things that will help me be able to explain them to the coaches when I go to the Combine and stuff like that.”

What the most physically grueling part of his workout:

“Probably the chain push-ups because it is like the last thing that you really do after bench and all of that stuff. The chains, they put them on your back and then it is all about manning up and how many you can get out.”

The weight of the chain:

“I want to say that the chain is like 90 lbs.”

How many push-ups he can get:

“The most I did so far was 25… After I did everything. It is all about, your body wants to shutdown but it is all about taking your body to another level, if it will go.”

Being .01 off of his forty-time can mean a million dollars plus:

“That is what I have been thinking about. I am out here practicing making sure that I don’t leave anything out there. I want to leave everything that I have and so far my practice runs have been really good so I am just looking forward to it.”

On the other guys that he is training with and whether he has any insight on them:

“These guys are working hard. Taylor Mays is at 230. The way he is running just amazes me and Jimmy unfortunately is not doing anything because of his toe injury. They way he can just throw the ball with us for a little bit. I mean all the guys out here have really impressed me a whole lot because of the size and how they are running and how they carry themselves when they get done and how we just push each other. That has really been the amazing part.”

Where he thinks he might go:

“I haven’t heard anything. The main thing I really worry about is just training. I think all of that stuff once you get to the Combine and after the Combine hopefully start getting a better feel of where I might go but hopefully it is God’s plan. I am going to go wherever he directs my path.”

CJ Spiller on 790 the Zone in Atlanta with Mayhem in the AM

2008 Final ACC Standings (click to enlarge):

INTERVIEWS:

North Carolina head coach Butch Davis (WFNZ)

Wake Forest head coach Jim Grobe (WFNZ)

Florida State head coach Bobby Bowden (WFNZ)

North Carolina State head coach Tom O’Brien (WFNZ)

Clemson head coach Dabo Swinny (WFNZ)

Virginia Tech head coach Frank Beamer (WFNZ)

Georgia Tech head coach Paul Johnson (680 The Fan)

Miami Hurricanes head coach Randy Shannon (WQAM)

***Special thanks to the good guys at The Primetime with Packman Show in Charlotte

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SRI NCAAFB National Signing Day Posts:

Former NFL Coaches Edition

Non-BCS Conference School Coaches

Colorado Buffaloes coach Dan Hawkins + memories of a meltdown