Clemson head football coach Dabo Swinney paid a visit to the Grand Strand on Tuesday as part of Clemson's Prowl and Growl Tour. Swinney spoke on camera for the first time since the arrest of freshman wide receiver Sammy Watkins, who was charged with simple possession of marijuana. The All-American wideout's arrest made national headlines and has led to speculation if he will be suspended for any games in the 2012 season. Swinney is not ready to make that decision.
"He has responded very well," the Tigers head coach said. "But as far as any other comments, not at this time. I'm still in the process like my statement said, just gathering everything all my thoughts and all the facts and meeting with everybody involved and then making a decision on where we go from there as far as what type of discipline we'll put in place." When asked if there's any kind of timetable on the discipline, Swinney quickly answered, "No. We don't play until September."
Watkins was arrested on May 4th when Clemson police pulled him over after his car scraped a curb. Later that day, Swinney released a statement saying, "I am mad and hurt by the poor decision that Sammy Watkins made. He is a good young man who has been a model student, citizen, player and teammate. This is a reminder that good people make poor decisions. But, there are consequences for your actions...and there will be in this case. I am in the process of gathering the facts and discipline will be determined when I have completed that process."
The 2012 post-spring depth chart at Clemson features seven former WPDE All-Zoners highlighted by five starters:
Starters
WR - Jaron Brown - Cheraw
DE - Malliciah Goodman - West Florence
LB - Quandon Christian - Lake View
LB - Jonathan "Tig" Willard - Loris
P - Spencer Benton - Myrtle Beach
Reserves
LB - Lateek Townsend - Marlboro County
LB - BJ Goodson - Lamar
