When he met with his returning players late last week, Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney had just one message for them. He told them to stay hungry.

“He told us now that it has happened, let’s go get another one,” wide receiver Deon Cain said. “Once you get it once, you are capable of doing it again. We know the work we have to put in to be a national champion so we are going to start that process again in the next few weeks.”

That process will begin with mat drills, which is where the heart and the character of a team are first conceived. Swinney tells his players all the time that champions are not made when everyone is watching, but instead when no one is watching. It’s about getting up at 5:30 a.m. to work out. It’s about going to class. It’s about working on their craft, watching film and doing all they can do to get better.

“The grind is about to get ready to start so it should be fun,” Cain said.

The grind has already begun for Cain. He said it started the moment they got back from Tampa, Florida after winning Clemson’s first national championship in 35 years.

“Once the national championship game ended, my clock already started,” he said. “I just want to get better for the 2017 season. I am just going back to work with my teammates and we are just going to get it done.”

With Mike Williams now off to the NFL after having a spectacular season, Cain steps to the forefront as Williams’ possible replacement as the Tigers’ big-play threat. Cain showed countless times this season how explosive he can be, including his five-catch 94-yard performance against Alabama in the national championship game.

It was Cain, while Williams was banged up on the sideline, that got the Clemson offense going when he took a screen pass from quarterback Deshaun Watson and turned it into a 43-yard catch-and-run, setting up Watson’s eight-yard touchdown run a few plays later. The Tigers had just 72 total yards and five first downs prior to his catch. From that point on, they rolled up 439 yards, 26 first downs and 35 points against the nation’s top-ranked defense.

“It was just a little something to let you guys know what you are going to see me more of next year,” Cain said. “It lets me know that I am a dominant player and I can do anything to help my offense, and at the end of the day I just want to keep contributing.”

Cain finished the year with 38 catches for 724 yards and nine touchdowns. His 19.1 yards per catch average was tops on the team, while his yardage was third and his touchdowns ranked second.

Winning the national championship has slowly started to hit Cain. He said getting to hold the trophy on Saturday and seeing all the fans line the streets of Clemson and then pack into Death Valley with 70,000 strong let him know all the hard work does pay off in the end.

“It lets you feel good as player and tells you that you have some real diehard fans out there that really support and care for you,” he said. “It is a great time for Clemson. I know the fans are excited. We are excited and we just want to bring home another one.”

–Photo Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

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