Dabo Swinney Describes Bucs DT DeMonte Capehart
April 25th, 2026
Clemson coach Dabo Swinney.
Well, someone at Clemson knows how the media business works.
It seemed that no sooner did new Bucs defensive tackle DeMonte Capehart got off the phone with Todd Bowles, someone at Clemson’s sports information office emailed the Bucs quotes from Clemson coach Dabo Swinney on Capehart.
That’s how the job is done, boys!
So since Swinney and some unknown Clemson suit in the SID office there went through this trouble on a Saturday afternoon, Joe’s not going to waste a welcomed extra effort.
Based on Swinney’s quote, the Bucs got a big ol’ fun toy to play with.
“DeMonte Capehart is just a freak of a big man,” Swinney said. “He’s got rare ability for a guy his size to be able to manipulate other people against their will.
“I mean he is really gifted, especially when it comes to stopping the run. He’s way more athletic than you think. He’s still a maturing football player; I think his best football is ahead of him.
“[The Bucs] are getting someone who I think is a first-round talent. I’ve had a lot of first-round defensive linemen, and I think he is a first-round talent, even though he didn’t go in the first round.I’m really excited for him. I’m proud of him.
“He’s a very loyal kid. He’s grown and matured. He’s a great teammate and I think he has a chance to play a long time.”
Memo to Ohio State, Georgia, Indiana, Notre Dame, Michigan, USC, Alabama, Penn State, Texas, Oklahoma and other powerhouse college programs. Have your coaches get quotes about drafted players and email those quotes to the NFL teams that draft your players right after the player is drafted.
Swinney has his football office organized, man. Good, smart marketing.
Joe knows this about Capehart: good luck moving him far off the line at 313+ pounds.
April 25th, 2026 at 4:03 pm
Sounds like a solid 5 th round pick
April 25th, 2026 at 4:05 pm
Im a Gamecock but Ive always loved Swinney and the way he works. He knew I was a gamecock from my shirt and we still had a good interaction with each other years ago…all respect for him. And yeah, thats a great idea Joe. Their season isnt done even though theyre off your team.
April 25th, 2026 at 4:08 pm
If even half true this is incredible news
April 25th, 2026 at 4:16 pm
Our new NT to help out Big V when he’s resting. Great pick!
April 25th, 2026 at 4:19 pm
Loving the draft so far.
Our D line is going to look very different this year. Lots of competition!
Good work Jason and Todd ??
April 25th, 2026 at 4:19 pm
We didn’t get McDonald like I’d hoped, but Capehart could very well surprise a lot of folks. Everyone years ago raved about how quick & fast (5.10 sec in the 40) Vita Vea was for a player his size (6’4″ & 347 lbs).
Well, DeMonte Capehart (6’5″ & 313 lbs) isn’t THAT heavy, but he was faster at his Combine (4.85 secs in the 40). Not known for his pass rushing, but by all accounts excellent against the run. MAYBE with Vea & Capehart & Robinson in there, Bucs will do considerably better stopping 3rd down conversions & minimizing TDs in the Red Zone.
April 25th, 2026 at 4:19 pm
“…manipulate other people against their will.” Now that’s what I like to hear about a DT for the Bucs! I hope that he also brings a nasty attitude to the defensive line.
April 25th, 2026 at 4:20 pm
If this is true, then why wasn’t he ever a full time starter? Also, why with a 9.96 RAS score and having great speed for the position is he primarily just a 2-down run stuffer? I’m not dissing the pick at all, I like the pick, but for people that watched him in college, why wasn’t he used more? Legit question – not a comment.
April 25th, 2026 at 4:22 pm
Echo Defense Rules sentiment. Solid pick.
April 25th, 2026 at 4:22 pm
Maybe Vita and Capeheart can create enough of a shadow so that Kancey can sneek through.
April 25th, 2026 at 4:22 pm
Depth and rotation to keep our older DTs fresh. Love vea but he’s getting a little long in the tooth and we added Robinson but he too is gettin up there. This kid can learn from these studs
April 25th, 2026 at 4:23 pm
Having two big guys needing double blocking in the middle should open up some space for a blitz. Maybe even have an edge or two get at the QB once in a while, let alone the two DT’s themselves. A guy can dream.
April 25th, 2026 at 4:24 pm
He was the backup to the Clemson DT that the Chiefs drafted in the first round.
So he doesn’t have a ton of statistics.
He ran a 4.85: which is insanely fast for his size.
He’s the 6-5. 315 pound DT that I wanted.
He’s an NFL athlete at DT. Great value for a 5th round pick.
Bain can rush from the DT spot on passing downs.
While Capehart is a run stuffer.
Amazing value.
April 25th, 2026 at 4:31 pm
Just have him follow Vita & A’Shawn around all summer. NT/3-Tech/4i, any of the interior techniques
April 25th, 2026 at 4:32 pm
Teacherman – thanks for a bit more detail.
April 25th, 2026 at 4:33 pm
Capeheart was an All-American at IMG Academy
He played in the High School Under Armor Bowl
He has the talent and size to be a good DT
April 25th, 2026 at 4:33 pm
At that size/speed combo, get him a Steak N Shake giftcard and he can put on another 30 lbs by the time camp starts, can probably still be in the Vita 5.1 40 range even with the extra weight. If he’s going to be a run stuffer, lean into it and bulk him up even more.
April 25th, 2026 at 4:49 pm
All looks good except that LB pick. Sure hope the Bucs know more than anyone else. Hopefully they are looking to keep that now Bucs trademark, you know leave the middle of the field wide open for the receivers
April 25th, 2026 at 5:06 pm
Great pick. Greg gaines replacement. Vea, Kancey (sometimes;), Capeheart, Rogers, Robinson, Nacho (maybe). Much better rotation than last year. Hopefully we can stay healthy. For once.
April 25th, 2026 at 5:15 pm
Capehart looks like a good pick in the 5th. Hope he can rotate with Vita.
As far as Dabo talking him up, he has to, said a couple years ago that he’d quit coaching if players got nil deals. He’s still there so maybe the only way to get players there is to talk them up. Clemson kinda fell off the radar when those deals started.?
April 25th, 2026 at 5:26 pm
I’m thinking this guy is going to be a pleasant surprise.
April 25th, 2026 at 5:38 pm
Dabo and Saban both have beachfront homes on Boca Grande where I’m from. Watched his three sons grow up and two of them were extra point placeholders for Clemson. He and his fa.ily are a true class act. Whenever Clemson and Alabama met in a bowl ga.e the loser had to pay for dinner at the Temptation.
Dabo played for Saban. Many speculated he .ight become the crimson tide HC someday
He seems very loyal to Clemson. His lovely wife is involved with many charitable organizations in the area. Can see him staying there a while.
April 25th, 2026 at 5:47 pm
Rod, no food vouchers please. Sapp learned his lesson about being over weight and if this guy plays at that weight with that frame or even loses a few pounds in this heat it will serve him well. Also, how many of these guys aren’t even done growing yet? Will be interesting in a few years as they mature, they’re not there yet.
April 25th, 2026 at 5:54 pm
Vea and I thank you!
April 25th, 2026 at 5:57 pm
Hey, Crosby was a 4th rounder, you never know
April 25th, 2026 at 6:42 pm
bucs fan for life here…almost 50 years…47 i think to be exact…
clemson = a disaster……………always for us….disaster…
just steer away from anything clemson…
clemson draftees never ever work out for us…so this pick has bust written all over it…
but things can change…eventually tides turn…may this young man be all boom and no bust…!
April 25th, 2026 at 6:50 pm
Very classy of Dabo. Likewise, Marcus for propping their boys.
April 25th, 2026 at 7:39 pm
Overall a good draft. Would like to have seen Bucs get another LB.
April 25th, 2026 at 8:25 pm
Very nice pick.
April 25th, 2026 at 9:43 pm
Ballwasher61 Says:
April 25th, 2026 at 5:47 pm
Rod, no food vouchers please. Sapp learned his lesson about being over weight and if this guy plays at that weight with that frame or even loses a few pounds in this heat it will serve him well.
———–
Sapp gained weight before the 2000 season, got up to 330lbs, responded with a 16.5 sack season.
He said he didn’t like playing that heavy, and got back down to 300lbs after that, but his stats are what they are. But then again, Sapp was a 1st ballot HOFer generational player, so he could do whatever he wanted.
For Capehart, I’m half kidding. But if he really is just considered a 2-down run stuffer, and has that sort of speed, then gaining weight I think would be a good thing. Not saying he literally should, I’m talking in jest, I don’t know enough about him yet, but at 318 or whatever, to run a 4.8 is pretty incredible, and if he got up to 350 you figure he’d be more like a 5.0 or so, which is still incredible at that size. Just odd at that size and speed to not be an impact player in the pass game – which is obviously why he as a 5th rounder instead of a 1st rounder.
But I like the pick in any case – with a 5th rounder, you get a 6-year college player that should be more pro-ready than most guys, and probably can contribute this year.
April 25th, 2026 at 9:53 pm
Adam, eat some smoked mullet and then take a chill pill.
Gaines Adam’s has passed on and am sure is in heaven.
Clemson puts out some outstanding players while not adapting to player transfer portals as most other elite programs do to this day.
In my opinion Dabo has a niche to recruit certain players.
He, so far. hasn’t fallen into that trap.
Props to Dabo and Clemson. Any recruit has a loyalty edge that Hopewell transfer to the our Bucs.
April 26th, 2026 at 12:47 am
He had a great 5/7 year run, but the sport has passed Dabo by. Talking up backups drafted in the latter rounds isn’t going to do much for his fading program. Sorry to say.
April 26th, 2026 at 3:01 am
Clemson University is just outside the town of Clemson, S.C. – population less than 20 K, in Pickens County – population less than 150 K, in the foot hills of the Appalachian Mountains.
What corporate sponsors are going to fork out the cash to players to keep program relevant?
A search for Clemson South Carolina corporations brings up KeyMark?, and then ALDI, Publix and Lowe’s – as in local stores, not corporate headquarters. Regional boosters are siphoned off by the Gamecocks down the road at Spartanburg.
A search for Indianapolis, where the NCAA FBS champion University of Indiana has a campus, brings up Eli Lilly and Company, which could probably fund the whole football program out of petty cash, Elevance Health (massive health insurance company), Corteva (agrochemical and biotech), Allison Transmission, Rolls-Royce (aerospace and defense), etc.
With the NCAA’s amateurish rules watered down to about the consistency of a foggy morning, corporate money is likely to be the name of the game for championships. The folks in the foothills had ‘bout as well start pickin’ banjos.
April 26th, 2026 at 3:10 pm
@toopanca, we’re still small here in the upstate of SC, but we’re growing big time, especially the last 5 years. Im about 40 miles from Clemson…live in Greenville. This area is changing so fast, its unreal. I think we hit one of the most moved to destinations from a popular stat from some big name the past 3 years. Many HUGE corporations here….i work for one. The plastic that your boars head and butterball turkeys are placed in…i run the machines that print the pictures and nutritional info consumers see. I love it here, born and raised but man we are about to outgrow our infrastructure….lol. But my real estate keeps going up so im cool with it.
April 26th, 2026 at 3:50 pm
You hope he can make the final roster but most likely is a practice squad guy. Clemson had 4-5 star recruits coming in so he didnt see the field much for a guy that played that many seasons.
April 26th, 2026 at 8:27 pm
Amazingly many pharmaceutical heirs have beachfront homes on Boca Grande too. Families of Pfizer, Eli Lilly, Johnson and Johnson among a few more.
The fact that Dabo got into Boca Grande early was because his wife’s family had some money.
Well before his ex HC from Alabama.
Believing that parents of young recruits will always have certain path towards a class act HC.
Good Luck Clemson.