With Clemson football no longer a pipe dream, and Dabo Swinney recently demanding Notre Dame to join the ACC permanently, Clemson athletics did come in with some bad news regarding COVID-19 tests. 

After the latest rounds of testings done by Clemson athletics, 24 more positive COVID-19 results popped after more than 1,000 student-athletes — and those adjacent to them — were tested.

According to Clemson officials, the department has completed 3,825 tests since June 1 and returned 102 positive results (84 student-athletes).

With it being Clemson football season (kind of), Dabo Swinney has otherwise been focused on matters he can control, such as the Fighting Irish joining his beloved conference on a permanent basis.

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“I’m happy they’re in the league,” Dabo Swinney said during his recent press conference. “Heck, I wish they were a permanent member in the league, to be honest with you. I think it’d be great. But Notre Dame is obviously one of the best programs in the history of college football. I think it’s, again, it’s a unique year, it’s a unique situation and this year, we have no divisions, 15 teams (in the league).

“Every week, I always keep up with the ACC and what’s going on. Typically I may not be checking in on Notre Dame every week, but this year, certainly be paying closer attention because not do we play them but they are in our league.”

Nevertheless, as Clemson football — and the rest of the sports world for that matter — attempts to get going, positive COVID-19 tests might prove troublesome at some point. For now, however, it appears mostly everyone will continue to push forward.

We wish all of Clemson athletics, Dabo Swinney, and the athletes a safe voyage moving forward. It's strange times out there in the mean streets of planet Earth.