What Bill Belichick said about Clemson vs UNC, Dabo Swinney and Tait Reynolds
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It's round two for Dabo Swinney vs Bill Belichick.
Last season went in favor of Clemson's coach over North Carolina's coach in a 38-10 win for the Tigers in Chapel Hill. Swinney seeks to go 2-0 against Belichick in Clemson's ACC opener against the Tar Heels on Sept. 19 (noon, ESPN) at home.
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Clemson is 1-1 after beating Georgia Southern and losing to LSU. UNC is off to a 2-0 start after defeating TCU and East Tennessee State.
Despite freshman Tait Reynolds being named Clemson's starting quarterback vs UNC, Belichick said he's preparing for both Reynolds and Christopher Vizzina, who started the first two games. However, he says UNC's preparation won't change too much between the two quarterbacks because "they can both run."
Swinney said Vizzina should be available after getting injured against Georgia Southern, but that he'll be the backup quarterback and that the decision to start Reynolds is performance-based.
"I think in a way, they're both similar," Belichick said Sept. 14. "I don't think the offense is going to change too dramatically with either player."
Belichick praised Reynolds' abilities, saying that he spent time recruiting Reynolds as a high school player.
"He's very athletic, hard guy to tackle, has a really good arm and can make all the throws," Belichick said.
Belichick also praised Swinney for his accomplishments at Clemson and for producing many NFL players. He said Swinney does a good job of building relationships with players and that he gained an appreciation for Clemson while coaching the New England Patriots.
"My perspective on Clemson has come from the NFL. I spent many spring days at Clemson looking at their great players," Belichick said. "I think Dabo does a great job of building a program (and) caring for his players. … They have a great tradition, going back to Frank Howard. I've coached a lot of players from Clemson."
What else Bill Belichick said about Clemson
Belichick is preparing for a "hostile environment" at Clemson's Memorial Stadium. He says the Tar Heels will practice silent counts and do extra preparation work to account for the crowd noise.
"We'll have to bring our own energy," Belichick said.
Belichick also believes Clemson wide receivers Bryant Wesco Jr. and T.J. Moore are the two standouts among the Tigers' pass catchers.
"Wesco and Moore are as good as anyone we will see all year," Belichick said. "They are hard to handle."
Nick Coppola covers Clemson athletics for The Greenville News and the USA Today Network. Email him at [email protected], follow him on X @Nick_Coppola__ and like his Facebook page at Nick Coppola, Clemson Sports.
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: What Bill Belichick said about Clemson vs UNC, Dabo Swinney and Tait Reynolds