Georgia and Clemson aren’t exactly rivals but that didn’t stop Clemson director of broadcasting and play-by-play voice Don Munson from going on the attack.
Appearing on SiriusXM’s Full Ride with Rick Neuheisel and Chris Childers, Munson added some heat to season opener between the Bulldogs and Tigers, calling out Georgia’s graduation rate while praising Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney.
“There’s life after football. [Dabo Swinney] goes about doing it right,” Munson said. “There are other schools that, you know, haven’t gotten on board with that to be perfectly frank. And one of them, unfortunately, is in Athens. Their graduation rate was at 41% ... 41%! I will keep on saying this. That’s an embarrassment. That’s an embarrassment to the folks in Athens. That’s an embarrassment to the university. That’s an embarrassment to the program. They need to do better than that.”
That 41 percent rate, per the NCAA’s release in December, ranks last among FBS programs. Clemson conversely had a 99 percent graduation rate among football players.
Georgia and Clemson overlap plenty, as the schools are separated by less than 75 miles. The schools have played each other 65 times, with Saturday’s contest being the 66th.
The two squads last met to start the 2021 season, with Georgia winning that game 10-3. The two programs often go head-to-head on the recruiting trail as well.
“They do a tremendous job recruiting our state,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said this week. “We go head to head with them quite a bit. When you look across their roster, there’s a lot of kids that we were really close to. I’m sure it’s the same way with them. It should be an awesome environment.”
Smart expressed admiration this week for how Swinney runs his program, especially when it comes to the transfer portal.
“They know their culture, they know who they are, they know how they play, they know what their standard is, that to me is you can be envious of that,” Smart said. “The fact that they have the guys that have been in their program are in their program.”
Clemson did not bring any players in via the transfer portal this offseason. Georgia brought in nine after 21 scholarship players departed the program.
Saturday’s game is set for a noon kickoff, with ABC broadcasting the game.
About the Author
