The Clemson Dubcast

In March, Clemson assistant coach Nick Eason shared his life story in full for the first time when he sat down with Tigerillustrated.com for three-plus hours.

The six-part series was published in April and featured an almost breathtaking series of life struggles Eason has fought and overcome -- from overt racism as a high-schooler in his hometown of Lyons, Ga., to watching teammate and friend Brandon Rouse die of a heart attack at Clemson, to almost losing his own life when as a Pittsburgh Steeler he was hospitalized for weeks with complications from a ruptured appendix.

Last week we presented Part 1 from the uncut audio of that conversation.

Today is Part 2, and the third and final part will be published Thursday.

In March, Clemson assistant coach Nick Eason shared his life story in full for the first time when he sat down with Tigerillustrated.com for three-plus hours.

The six-part series was published in April and featured an almost breathtaking series of life struggles Eason has fought and overcome -- from overt racism as a high-schooler in his hometown of Lyons, Ga., to watching teammate and friend Brandon Rouse die of a heart attack at Clemson, to almost losing his own life when as a Pittsburgh Steeler he was hospitalized for weeks with complications from a ruptured appendix.

Today we present the uncut audio of the first hour of that conversation.

Parts 2 and 3 will be released next week.

The full, uncut audio from recent press-conference interviews with first-year offensive coordinator Garrett Riley, second-year defensive coordinator Wes Goodwin, and second-year offensive line coach Thomas Austin.

One of Grace Raynor's first experiences covering Clemson was for a football game some folks might remember -- in Tampa, featuring the Tigers and Crimson Tide playing for the national championship.

Raynor still shudders at her harrowing experience writing on a tight deadline late that night for The Post and Courier newspaper. It was such a traumatic experience that she called her mother the next morning and told her she didn't think she was cut out for this sportswriting thing.

As it turned out, Raynor was more than cut out for it. She established herself as an excellent storyteller over the years, including when she moved to The Athletic in 2019.

Over the last year Raynor has moved away from covering Clemson and carved a new and exciting world for herself: Unearthing interesting stories from the always-interesting world of recruiting.

Raynor, who will soon move from the Upstate to Virginia, visited with The Dubcast as she was preparing for that move -- plus an upcoming vacation to Italy.

She reflects on her years covering Dabo Swinney and the Tigers, and she gives her take on how the football program is positioned in a new era of the transfer portal, NIL, and a conference that appears in serious danger.

Grayson Mann is a rising senior at Clemson and an aspiring sports journalist.

In addition to working for Tigerillustrated.com as an intern, Mann has his own podcast on which he's interviewed various Clemson football and basketball players.

On this episode, Clemson Dubcast host Larry Williams drops by Mann's podcast and we talk what it's like for a middle-aged man to cover one thing year after year after year while remaining motivated and curious.

How should the expectations for Clemson football be defined as the Tigers try to get back into the playoff picture?

With Florida State ascending and South Carolina on the rebound -- not to mention the team in Athens having become dynastic the past two years -- is it fair to say it's a disappointment if this program doesn't return to the top?

Has the addition of Garrett Riley given this program the jolt of energy and motivation it needed after six losses over the past two seasons?

After DJ Uiagalelei fell far short of the 5-star expectations, is Cade Klubnik ready to give Clemson its next transcendent presence at quarterback?

No ironclad answers to those questions, but a lot of good conversation.

The full audio of recent press conferences featuring Clemson defensive tackles coach Nick Eason, running backs coach C.J. Spiller and receivers coach Tyler Grisham.

Eason discusses the motivations behind his substantial weight loss since last September, plus the sensation created by freshman tackle Peter Woods.

Spiller and Grisham discuss the adjustment to Garrett Riley, who became Clemson's third offensive coordinator in as many years when Dabo Swinney made the decision to fire Brandon Streeter.

Eason is entering his second season as a Clemson assistant. Spiller is preparing for Year 3 as running backs coach, and Grisham Year 4 as the receivers coach.

Roy Philpott has been an ESPN play-by-play announcer for a decade, and occasionally his job will bring him back to the place he went to school and worked.

He was back at his alma mater for the recent Clemson spring game, standing on the field and following a mic'd-up Dabo Swinney.

Philpott was a publisher at Scout.com and covered Clemson on a daily basis back when Swinney arrived as Tommy Bowden's newest hire in 2003. He has vivid memories of the day in October of 2008 when Swinney was elevated to interim head coach, and then the day in December when Swinney got the job for good.

Swinney's press conference that day inspired Philpott to pursue his broadcasting dream. And several years later, Swinney helped Philpott land a job at ESPN. He's been there ever since, calling college football, basketball, baseball and softball.

Also in the podcast, we talk memorable run-ins with Vic Koenning and Brad Scott -- and the day in 2003 when Philpott's site caused a firestorm by speculating that Bowden would be fired, leading to a question by another media member that almost caused Bowden to break down crying.

Former Clemson football player Richard Yeargin has found his calling after years of soul-searching and trying to reconcile life without football.

Yeargin was involved in a horrible car accident in Greenville in 2017, just a few months after he and the Tigers were atop the mountain in Tampa celebrating Clemson's first national title since 1981.

He played for Boston College in 2019 and was planning for the NFL in March of 2020 when the pandemic hit.

He now lives in the Clemson area with his wife and two children. Last summer he began as a lecturer at the university, and he recently authored a book about his life entitled: The Man is Greater than the Brand: Shedding Past Brokenness to Live as Kings and Queens.

He said Dabo Swinney connected him with famous author Jon Gordon for advice on the book, and he said Gordon coined the title for the book.

Kyle Richardson is a "pig in mud" as he transitions to the offense of Garrett Riley, as both have roots in the Air Raid offensive system.

Richardson acknowledges that the 2022 season, his first as an on-the-field coach at Clemson, was difficult because it was his first time coaching tight ends.

Richardson believes his top player, Jake Briningstool, is "a totally different player" and headed for big things.

Lemanski Hall, who has coached defensive ends at Clemson for five seasons, assesses the depth on the edge with Justin Mascoll and Xavier Thomas on the shelf for most of spring practice.

Hall says freshman defensive tackle Peter Woods can play any and all positions on the defensive front.

Hall also reflects on the message Dabo Swinney has sent to his assistants this offseason: Be better, or you'll be held accountable.

Patrick Sapp joins the podcast to talk a multitude of topics including the mental health of athletes and how it's much different nowadays than when he played at Clemson in the 1990s.

Sapp shares that he almost joined Dabo Swinney's staff when Swinney took over as head coach in 2008. At the time, Swinney wanted Sapp to be an offensive analyst and Levon Kirkland an analyst on the defensive side, but the higher-ups at the school didn't allow it to happen.

Sapp, whose son Josh is a tight end at Clemson, has learned a lot about Garrett Riley over the past three months. He says it's almost the exact same offense run by Greenville High School, where the Josh played and where Patrick still serves as a coach.

Sapp says he was not surprised by Swinney's decision to fire Brandon Streeter. 

"I knew when he fired Billy Napier in 2010 that Dabo was going to be a great coach," he said. "I love Brandon Streeter to death, but it was the right move."

Sapp also gives his take on why offensive lineman Blake Franks, who grew up a Clemson fan and plays at Greenville High, ended up committing to rival South Carolina.