The Clemson Dubcast

The Tron Foster story

Tron Foster, 23, had been suffering from cancer for many years and wasn't doing well in recent weeks.

He wanted to do something he'd never done before: Attend a Clemson-South Carolina game and watch his beloved Tigers play.

Russ Lloyd, an ardent Gamecock fan, heard about Tron's story and hosted Tron and his family at his tailgate in Columbia before the game.

Tron also got to visit with Dabo Swinney two hours before the game when Swinney walked off the team bus.

Swinney gave him a hug, told him he loved him and handed him a cross.

Lloyd arranged for Tron to have sideline passes to the game, but Tron was having trouble breathing so his family had to take him back to the Upstate before the game began.

After the game Swinney talked about Tron in his press conference.

Back home, Tron watched a replay of Swinney's words and smiled wide.

"Now I'm famous," he said.

Tron passed away later that evening. 

In this podcast we speak with Lloyd, and the Kyle family (Kristina, Wayne and son Caleb) to learn more about Tron's story.

Tron was like a sixth son to Kristina and Wayne, and like a brother to Caleb.

Tron was an avid, gifted fisherman who was beloved by everyone he met.

The final day of his life was one of the best days of his life.

 

William Qualkinbush

Being a host for Clemson's flagship radio station is fine and dandy when the Tigers are winning championships.

But what about when they're cratering to 1-3 and 3-5 records in a season that was supposed to usher them back to the rare air of the elite?

That's a much tougher and more awkward line to navigate, as William Qualkinbush shares in a conversation with The Dubcast.

Qualkinbush and other hosts at WCCP-FM haven't held back in criticizing the Tigers or head coach Dabo Swinney this season, and he says the station has gotten no blowback from the school, athletics department or football office.

Qualkinbush hosts a weekday show from noon to 3 on WCCP, in addition to various play-by-play duties for Clemson Athletics.

 

 

Mark Packer

Clemson graduate Mark Packer returned to his alma mater last week to speak to the Fort Hill Clemson Club and to dot the "i" on the field before the Tigers' victory over Florida State.

Packer has been enjoying retirement since stepping away from the ACC Network this past summer.

He said working for ESPN the previous three years was highly frustrating in part because he didn't have total control over his show, and he'd get pushback whenever he stuck up for the ACC.

He has plans to write a book about his professional life, and he'll include his experiences with ESPN.

Packer also looks back on the iconic "Primetime with the Packman" radio show that was popular for more than a decade in North Carolina and South Carolina.

He tells the remarkable story of how the 'QCB' became a fixture on the show.

He also reminisces about James Brown and his entourage showing up unannounced at the Charlotte-based studios and spending a rollicking hour on the air with Packer and Co.

Packer also recalls the wee hours of the Northern California night in January of 2019 when he interviewed Dabo Swinney on the field at Levi's Stadium when no one else was around.

Packer thinks Swinney has to do some significant adapting to move past this disastrous season and put Clemson back on footing with the best in college football.

Tim Bourret

Tim Bourret is a Clemson icon and will be inducted into the school's athletics Hall of Fame on Friday night.

Bourret also was a member of Dabo Swinney's inner circle when Swinney was ascending from interim coach to permanent coach to Hall of Fame coach.

Swinney said Bourret has always provided him valuable counsel.

"He tells the truth to me. He's tough and firm when he needs to be."

Bourret joins The Dubcast not just to reminisce about all the behind-the-scenes history with Swinney, but also to give his take on the current state of the football program with the Tigers at 3-5 entering Saturday night's game against Florida State.

 

Brett McMurphy

Brett McMurphy spent many years in the newspaper business, and before the Internet took hold his deadlines were once a day.

Now there's a deadline every minute when your job is breaking news in the ultra-competitive world of national college football media.

One summer a few years ago, there was supposedly nothing going on and McMurphy thought he scheduled a good time to play golf at the iconic Pebble Beach.

Turned out not so much.

The bombshell of USC and UCLA joining the Big Ten came out of nowhere, and McMurphy found himself playing the Pebble Beach Par 3 course with a phone glued to one ear.

He ended up typing out his story on his phone while sitting on a bench before he played the 18-hole course.

McMurphy, part of the On3 Network, joins the podcast to talk the life of always being plugged in and always trying to find the next scoop.

Pete Nakos

Once upon a time, Pete Nakos wrote about Clemson for On3 when the network first began covering the Tigers.

Nakos has risen to the top tier of breaking-news coverage in college football, using his work ethic and vast array of connections to be on top of just about all the developments during a chaotic time in college athletics.

Nakos lives in the Nashville area and commutes to the On3 offices every day.

He gives his thoughts on the current state of the coaching industry, and a likely unprecedented number of openings during this coaching cycle.

Could there be a vacancy out there that catches the eye of Dabo Swinney? Nakos says don't rule it out.

Chris Low

After 17 years at ESPN, Chris Low made the move to On3 this summer.

Low is known for his relationships with high-profile college football coaches, and he has spent the early stages of his time at On3 traveling for in-depth sit-downs with them as he tries to give readers behind-the-scenes stories and insight they can't get anywhere else.

Last week Low was at Oregon sitting down with Dan Lanning two days before the Ducks' showdown with Indiana.

This week he traveled to Oxford to visit with the inimitable Lane Kiffin.

Low also reflects on Dabo Swinney's attempts to get Clemson back to the top.

Once upon a time, in 2007, Low left a highly successful job at the Nashville Tennesseean newspaper for the Tennessee Rivals site Volquest.

He was only in that position for a small time, though, as ESPN came calling soon thereafter.

Low participated in the podcast while on his way to Athens to cover Saturday's Ole Miss-Georgia game.

Darien Rencher

Darien Rencher's last act as a Clemson football player was being a part of a team that had a dramatic turnaround in 2021 after a 4-3 start.

That team closed by winning six consecutive games, including a 30-0 suffocation of South Carolina and a victory over Brock Purdy's Iowa State team in the Cheez-It Bowl.

At that time, 10-3 felt like a jarring low point.

Four years later the Tigers are 1-3 and Dabo Swinney is desperate for answers as he tries to keep this from turning into a wreck similar to Florida State's 2-10 disaster last year.

Rencher remains close to the program, and he remains a devout Swinney loyalist. He communicated with his former coach this week and Rencher says he still has not just hope but confidence that the team can get it back on track and close with a flourish.

Rencher also goes deep into his latest venture: Traveling for in-depth video interviews with high-profile figures including Fran Brown, Carson Beck, LaNorris Sellers, Gunner Stockton and Ryan Williams.

The goal is getting these figures to open up in ways that they do not during regular press conferences, and Rencher seems to have firmly checked that box thus far.

 

Mickey Plyler

What's wrong with Clemson?

What's wrong with Dabo Swinney?

What's wrong with Cade Klubnik?

What was wrong with the widely popular notion that this team could be the best in the nation?

Why are the Tigers 1-2, and what are the reasons fans can be hopeful of a turnaround?

Longtime radio voice Mickey Plyler joins The Dubcast to explore it all, and much more.

 

Eric Mac Lain and Ellis Johnson

What in the world is going on with Clemson?

Eric Mac Lain and Ellis Johnson have some thoughts.

Mac Lain, who played offensive line for Dabo Swinney, is quite critical of the offensive line play he's seen thus far.

He's also not sure what to make of Cade Klubnik's jittery presence over the first two games.

Johnson, a former assistant at both South Carolina and Clemson, now lives in Clemson so he can be close to his son, a walk-on tight end for the Tigers.

Johnson thinks the issues this team has shown thus far on both sides of the ball can be solved over the course of the season

But he's not sure they can be resolved Saturday against Georgia Tech, a physically and mentally tough group that can make life extremely difficult on some of the inexperience Clemson has in the secondary.

"Georgia Tech has been playing to their level of talent, and Clemson has not," Johnson said. "Hopefully they can get it turned around, but I think it's going to be a tough test for Clemson. I really do.

"If they don't find a running game that they can lean on in critical times of the game, they're going to be in trouble."