Dave Clawson Interview

Will be enjoying by the head coach of the Demon deacons Dave Clawson kind enough to spend some time with us here on Wednesday afternoon.

There's a lot for us to get to coach. But before we get to any of the football related stuff. It is a few days past your birthday. I know it's a tradition and practice for you to play talking heads and whatever music you like it practice so what did that rotation of songs look like a few days ago. Well I was on a Sunday so I was unable to play music that day.

I'll make sure I get talking about there some point all marketing without one. So let's get to some of these housekeeping notes.

I understand you had an ACC coaches conference call earlier today and I'm disinterested with everything so inverted this year in terms of how different things are compared. What were used to kind of things are on the agenda when you guys get together amongst each other. Today I was on a subcommittee call. That is, with three there's three coaches.

There's like 45 A.D.'s Michael Strickland from ACC office joins us in just during this time. Every day it seems there's a new issue that we have to deal with trying to plan ahead. Anticipate what issues may be, and it's been really positive.

Just get together and sharing our dealing with different issues on campuses and all trying hard to build play football this year so we all have a common goal and spent a very collaborative effort seats around opted out earlier today, we know how great of a player. He is on the blip the cost motor and even though we got her. I voted for him to be a finalist considering how dominant he was when he was out on the field. This isn't something were used to seeing guys opting out for the start of the season. So how would you characterize those conversations you have with you and say mean we we listen we listen to concerns you know we offer advice, but like we told every player that you need to feel comfortable.

You need to feel for whatever reason that if you're not comfortable playing that you need to make a choice you're comfortable with.

So all we can do during this time period is to support what the players want to do in Sage's been a great player in our program is been great off the field is a super ambassador is an excellent student. He's done everything in our program the right way. He's first class, you certainly get a medicine but we also understand that these are different times and so will miss him, but we support them, he'll always be a demon deacon and will always be here for Jeremiah of the NFL network was with us earlier in the summer and he called Sage a borderline first round pick and he said the same about Budge Basham who is another guy that we expect a tremendous season from for your Demon deacons have you had similar conversations with him is he all in yet.

We met with the players last year and believe that every practice and is practicing great and I think there's two approaches to having bogey is looking this way you know his goal to be one of the top 10 packs and you we think he we hope we can get to that.

For that to happen. He'll probably know how it will probably need to play, and I think has a lot of confidence he can get there.

So everybody's gotta make a decision that they're comfortable with that they feel is best for them, and because one person makes one decision. It doesn't mean that's the best decision for everybody. So again we lessen and we certainly will share information, and then they decide what they feel they should do. You right now. Bogey is is so practicing with us in this consumer expected him apply last week. Todd makes a put out a way to sue mocked Rapp and he has put you going 16th TSH the rack going 24th. If there are two Wake Forest football players in the first round. It will be the first time that's ever happened so you are recruiting quite the amount of talent coming into Winston-Salem. We are being joined by Dave Clawson way for us at football coach. When does your focus shift from conditioning and the what if's surrounding the season preparing for the Clemson Tigers on September 12 will work focus now were getting our team ready to start August 12 are September 12 20 right now the number one team in the country so we know we've always had a routine to our camp in terms of our installation schedule. How we get situational football installed usually about 10 days to 11 days before the game will completely turn our attention to the Clemson and start our our game planning mode and preparing for their offense, defense, special teams right now were still in evaluation mode of trying to figure out who the starters through the backups who are in special teams whose on the bus and in who's the roster that we can count on in the challenge of COBIT is that we haven't had our players here since March, we've only had him here now. A couple weeks and so were still trying to get our players in football shape, you just don't miss five months and then five weeks later you're ready to go so we still got some time. We made a gradual build to make sure that once we get in the game week that are players.

There's condition as they can be and they're ready for the rigors of an ACC football schedule. One thing I really respect about you coach anytime you're talking to us on the radio or in a press conference you're very thoughtful. It's clear you do a lot of reading to pay attention to what's going on in the sport and even outside of it. When I listen to the ACCs top medical advisor Cameron Wolf. I feel a lot better about games being played.

When I read what the MBA funded last week and with the saliva test that we hope the big breakthrough that makes me feel pretty good as well. As the coach of an FBS power five program. What gives you comfort, you're going to be playing 23 days from now. I think that we listen to our medical experts. We listen to our team. Dr. we listen to the ACC people and right now they're telling us that what were doing our players can wear masks and social distance and not break COBIT within our locker room that we can safely play football and I'm a football coach. I'm not doctor. I don't study infectious disease is certainly have read a little bit about the virus, but I'm far from an expert at it.

And just like any medical condition or injury in our football team. II need to defer to the medical experts and right now our medical experts are telling us it's safe to continue and practice and prepare for the season if they ever tell if it's not then it's not. And we won't challenge that her push. So, in situations like this I think is very important that you stay in your lane were preparing our football team under the guidance and advice of our medical personnel here Wake Forest in the ACC and were complying with their recommendations and were instituting all the protocols that they say we should follow. Now were unable to follow him. That's not us again at any point.

They feel they we've tried to do all these things now we've learned something new and now it's not safe to play and will fall line there as well lasting for white head football coach Dave Clawson your own sports of giant given the chance to catch up with you since Steve Forbes was hired.

I know you were somewhat involved in that search, offering feedback whenever it was asked for you have any memories of coach Forbes, dating back to the crossover. You guys spent in Knoxville together. Not at all.

I don't even know if I met her when I was there there there's not a big history coach and I believe got to know each other as well as you can. In a COBIT world that in our offices are kinda blocked off from each other right now and we have such protocols in terms of getting into places but I have talked to him on the phone a number of times a bit on Jim calls with some and certainly excited to get to know him better and he's got great enthusiasm.

A lot of energy and I look forward to watching his team supply. Once again, happy belated birthday Dave Clawson appreciate you spending the time with us in the triad and hope we can catch up sometime soon and be talking about actual football in the field sounds good.

Thanks, Josh