Dabo Swinney still has a clear visual in his head of the photo he received in a text message from Christian Wilkins, with the former Clemson three-time All-American defensive lineman pictured next to Marcus Tate, one of the players the Tigers signed in December during the early signing period.
Tate, a mammoth offensive lineman from Sunrise, Fla., was working out in the Sunshine State at the same place as Wilkins, who now plays in the NFL for the Miami Dolphins. And Swinney vividly remembers seeing how Tate dwarfed Wilkins in their photo together.
“I guess this would have been back, I don’t know when it was, last year or something,” Clemson’s head coach said during the program’s National Signing Day Show on Dec.