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Clemson has won two national championships and eight ACC championships under coach Dabo Swinney and had won double-digit games 12 straight years coming into this season.
Now Kentucky gets a chance to take on the Tigers in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl Dec. 29th in Jacksonville and sophomore cornerback Maxwell Hairston, a Michigan native, cannot wait for the opportunity.
“Clemson is a school I bet every kid grew up watching and it has been a dream of mine to play those schools I used to watch growing up, so I am excited for this matchup,” Hairston said. “We are turned up, ready to play and have some fun together.”
Kentucky quarterback Devin Leary has already faced Clemson three times when he was at North Carolina State before transferring to UK this year.
“It’s kind of ironic to see them again,” Leary said Friday. “They’re a great team. We know it’s going to be a good challenge. It’s up to us to prepare during this time and make sure that we’re ready to take them on.”
In 2019, Leary went 14-for-29 for 166 yards in a 55-10 loss. However, Leary led NC State to an upset win over No. 9 Clemson in 2021 when he threw for 238 yards and four scores in a 27-21 double overtime game. In 2022 NC State lost 30-20 but Leary threw for 245 yards and a score.
“It’s going to be a challenge, like it always is,” Leary said. “They’re a well-coached team. They have a bunch of athletes on all three phases of the ball. We know they’re going to bring it. We’ve got to bring our ‘A’ game as well.”
Hairston, an all-SEC selection, is confident the Cats are ready to bring their “A” game.
“During the season it feels long and there are a lot of practices. Then you get a week off to do finals and I kind of miss it,” Hairston said Friday after practice. “I was excited to get back out there and get better with my teammates.”
He’s not ready about some players opting out of the bowl game for various reasons.
“We got younger guys, older guys ready to step in,” Hairston said. “The freshmen all have good attitudes and want to get better. They listen to us as well as the coaches. They are going to be great down the line. We are going to play a lot of younger guys in this bowl game and I am excited for them to see what they can offer.”
