In a day of chaos and controversy in the college football world on Sunday, Clemson and Kentucky were selected to play in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl in Jacksonville, Florida, on Dec. 29.
After finishing the season on a four-game win streak, the Tigers (8-4) will meet the Wildcats (7-5) in Everbank Stadium later this month for both teams’ final game of the 2023 season.
For Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney, the Gator Bowl has some historical significance for him and the Tigers’ program.
“My first ever bowl game as a coach was the 1993 Gator Bowl as a graduate assistant at Alabama and my first ever bowl game as a head coach was the Gator Bowl with Clemson at the end of the 2008 season, so this selection feels very full circle,” Swinney said in a press release. “This is a great bowl with a great history and rich tradition in an area I’m super familiar with. It’s an area I’ve recruited, and I’ve got a lot of love for Duval County, especially with the Jags having three of our guys there.”
As Swinney alluded to, Clemson last played in the Gator Bowl to conclude the 2008-2009 season when the Tigers ultimately fell to Nebraska 26-21.
Kickoff for this year’s Gator Bowl is set for noon on Dec. 29.
