CHRONICLE SPORTS CORRESPONDENT

Clemson just finished their bye week, but so has next opponent Florida State.

This is where the similarities between the two programs stop.

Seminoles head coach Willie Taggart stopped by the Clemson campus 2 years ago hoping to poach a few ideas from head coach Dabo Swinney.

When asked if he would have paid more attention had he known a year later he would be at Florida State, Taggart instead sang the praises of Swimney’s program.

“I wouldn’t say I would have paid a lot more attention,” Taggart said. “I paid a lot of attention while I was there,” Taggart said. “Coach (Dabo) Swinney has done a great job at Clemson. I loved how he ran his program. I had a chance to meet with his offensive coordinator the year before and was really impressed with him. And I think after meeting Coach (Brad) Scott, I was like, I want to meet Coach Swinney and see how all this thing originated.

“But they’ve done a great job over the years, and once you go there and you get around the program and you see the environment, you see the culture, you can understand why they’re having a lot of success at Clemson.”

Swinney believes that Taggart is a perfect fit for the Seminoles.

“I knew who he was but had never been around him and met him,” Swinney said. “He had a great reputation at Western Kentucky. If you look at what he did where he’s been, he built them and got them going.

He didn’t have great starts at either place but he built them. I’ve seen him a few more times through ACC meetings. He will do a great job and is a good fit. A good man.”

Back then, there was no way to know that less than 2 years later, the Tigers would be facing a Taggart-led Seminole team. But that meeting does not worry Swinney.

“They are committed to who they are. His visit here was for more program-type stuff,” Swinney said. “Schematically they’re convicted in what they do and they’re very different in what they do. A few things similar.”

Saturday’s game will start at 3:30 pm and air on ABC (Channel 25).

The game can also be heard on WCOS (1400 AM) on the radio and through the Tunein Radio App.