Swinney: No Penn State players or recruits on Clemson’s radar

GREENSBORO, N.C. — Penn State football players and recruits are expected to be looking at other colleges following the NCAA sanctions levied upon Penn State on Monday, a punishment that includes a four-year postseason ban and a significant loss of scholarships.

Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said there are no Penn State players or recruits on the Tigers’ radar, but said anything is possible.

Clemson has three available scholarships for 2012.

“I don’t know their roster,” Swinney said. “If you have a good player who calls you, you have to evaluate.”

The sanctions figure to help powerful nearby schools like Ohio State and also some current and future ACC members in Pittsburgh and Maryland.

Swinney noted the sanctions cover four years but he thinks it could impact Penn State for 10 years.

“When you don’t do what is right, there are consequences,” Swinney said.

NO WORD WATKINS
Swinney said he is still a couple of weeks away from deciding how much playing time Sammy Watkins will miss as punishment for his arrest on drug charges this spring. When he does deliver his verdict, Swinney said he will not be concerned with what others think of the punishment. Swinney has said it will include game time.

Bowden back on top
Former Clemson coach Tommy Bowden attended ACC media days and commented on his father, Bobby, becoming the leader in college football victories after the NCAA decided Joe Paterno’s wins from 1998-2011 would be vacated.

“There is no rejoicing in the Bowden household. Nobody would want to have a title given to him this way,” Bowden told ESPN.

BUILDING BORDERS

New North Carolina coach Larry Fedora believes there is enough talent in the state to make the Tar Heels into a power like they were under Mack Brown in the mid 1990s. The key is keeping top players in North Carolina.

“I just ordered a huge fence to put around the state with some barbed wire on top,” Fedora said jokingly Monday.

Johnson wants expanded playoff
Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson is familiar with a playoff in college football, having been the head coach at FCS-level power Georgia Southern.

Johnson favors bringing a FCS-style, 16-team playoff to the FBS level. Johnson would like all 11 conference winners to receive automatic berths, along with five at-larges.

“Give ’em a chance,” Johnson said of the non-power conferences.