During the college basketball corruption trial occurring this week in New York, Clemson men’s basketball assistant coach Steve Smith was linked to wiretaps from the FBI. Smith, who has been an assistant on Brad Brownell’s staff since 2012, was on video wiretap speaking to Christian Dawkins, a former agent who has previously been found guilty for his role in paying players, and an undercover FBI agent. According to Matt Norlander, Senior Writer from CBS Sports, there was mention of an attempt to pay Zion Williamson’s family in hopes of getting the star to Clemson. Even though this is a federal trial on the corruption of NCAA basketball, Clemson’s football program was also brought up by the Clemson assistant coach. While continuing the conversation about Williamson's recruitment, Smith said, “that’s why football is so successful, is if you do it and use resources at Clemson, like you can really keep everything tight,” Norlander reported Thursday afternoon. Another quote from Smith via the wiretap: “It’s a small college town … you can come to a game one night, after the game you see a dude out there in a nice looking suit, you like, ‘wait a minute now.’” Clemson Athletics released a statement Thursday afternoon regarding what has come from the trial. “We are aware of the developments in federal court today involving one of our men’s basketball assistant coaches,” The university said noted. “We take this matter seriously and will immediately conduct a review.” It is interesting to note that the Clemson Board of Trustees will be meeting on Friday morning to discuss many things, including contractual changes for men’s basketball assistant coaches and football coaches. What timing. Here are tweets from Norlander’s reporting on Thursday afternoon: We will keep you updated on this matter as it continues.<doc-sep>Allen Park — A day after using a sixth-round pick to move up in the third round, the Detroit Lions got a sixth-round pick back early Saturday, trading down six spots in a swap with the Atlanta Falcons. Moving back from pick No. 111 to 117, the Lions selected Clemson defensive end Austin Bryant. A less-heralded member of Clemson's outstanding defensive line, the 6-foot-4, 271-pound Bryant recorded 30.5 tackles for a loss and 17 sacks over the past two seasons, earning third-team All-American honors in 2017 and third-team All-ACC honors last year. Bryant suffered a torn pectoral muscle in the middle of his senior season, but instead of opting for immediate surgery, he played through the pain in pursuit of a national championship. Clemson would go on to defeat Alabama for the title, the school's second in three years. "I thought about (having surgery immediately), but at the end of the day, I knew what I came back to school to do, and that was not only to get my degree, but play and win the national championship, and that’s what I wanted to do," Bryant said. "If I can walk, I was going to be out on that field with my teammates, just because that’s how much I love those guys. "I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I knew that I could’ve went out there and played, and I didn’t do so. I’m very glad I made the decision to play, even though it may have had its consequences. It’s well worth it, and I ended up in the right place." He had surgery after the season, which prevented him from participating in testing at the combine and his pro day. That could have contributed to his slide into the draft's third day. He's anticipating wrapping up his rehab in the next few weeks and being medically cleared for Detroit's offseason program. "It doesn’t really matter when you get drafted or where – it’s all about what you do when you get there," he said. Byrant saw three linemates -- Clelin Ferrell, Christian Wilkins and Dexter Lawrence -- come off the board in the first 17 picks of the draft this year. To move up six spots in the fourth round, the Falcons sent the Lions pick No. 186 in the sixth round. The Lions had given up No. 204 a day earlier, when trading up in the third to take Boston College safety Will Harris. At No. 111, the Falcons took Ohio State cornerback Kendall Sheffield. Meet Austin Bryant Position: DE College: Clemson Round/overall: 4/117 Notable stats: Finished his four-year career with 153 total tackles, 35 tackles for loss, 32 quarterback pressures and 20 sacks in 51 games (29 starts). Analysis: Bryant (6-foot-4, 271 pounds) played on a formidable defensive line that featured Dexter Lawrence, Christian Wilkins and Clelin Ferrell — all first-round selections — so it’s easy to overlook him. But Bryant has length (arms measured at 34 5/8 inches), has played all over the line throughout his time at Clemson and has no shortage of experience rushing the edge, which is a situational role he could help fill for a Lions team that finished tied for 11th in the NFL in sacks (43). Detroit Lions draft picks First round (No. 8 overall): Iowa TE T.J. Hockenson Second round (No. 43): Hawaii LB Jahlani Tavai Third round (No. 81): Boston College S Will Harris Fourth round (No. 117): Clemson DE Austin Bryant Fifth round (No. 146): Penn State CB Amani Oruwariye Sixth round (No. 184): Old Dominion WR Travis Fulgham Sixth round (No. 186): Maryland RB Ty Johnson Seventh round (No. 224): Georgia TE Isaac Nauta Seventh round (No. 229): Arizona DT PJ Johnson<doc-sep>Free Press sports writer Carlos Monarrez grades the Detroit Lions on each selection during the 2019 NFL draft: Pick: Austin Bryant, Clemson defensive lineman, Round 4, 117th overall. Grade: B-minus. Analysis: Bryant’s production has been undeniable in four years as a rotational player at Clemson. He has shown up in big games, too. The Lions get credit for trading down and picking up a sixth-rounder. He reportedly made the selfless decision to delay pectoral surgery to play in the Tigers’ late-season games, which might have hurt his draft stock. He doesn’t expect to miss offseason work, but that remains to be seen. The Lions need help on the defensive line and Bryant doesn’t appear to be an elite addition, but could be a valuable rotational player. Carlos Monarrez's other draft grades: Round 1, T.J. Hockenson, C-minus Round 2, Jahlani Tavai, D-minus Round 3, Will Harris, B Round 5, Amani Oruwariye, B-minus Trending:Lions drafted the guys they coveted. Now they must win with 'em Contact Carlos Monarrez at cmonarrez@freepress.com or follow him on Twitter @cmonarrez. Sign up for our new free Detroit Lions newsletter.<doc-sep>
For the second time this week, college football has been mentioned during a federal trial into the corruption in college basketball. This time, a Clemson assistant basketball coach was heard on an FBI wiretap talking about Clemson football, according to a reporter in the courtroom. Clemson assistant basketball coach Steve Smith was caught on a wiretap discussing the recruitment of Duke’s Zion Williamson and made mention of the Clemson football program. “That’s why football is so successful, is if you do it and use resources at Clemson, like you can really keep everything tight,” he said, per Matt Norlander of CBS Sports. “It’s a small college town,” he said. “You can come to a game one night, after the game, you see a dude out there in a nice-looking suit, you like, ‘wait a minute now.’” Marty Blazer, a cooperating federal witness who already pleaded guilty to wire fraud, testified: “I understood that to mean boosters would give certain things.” Clemson football was also discussed via wiretap by Clemson basketball asst coach Steve Smith like this, in relation to Zion hoops recruitment: "That's why football is so successful, is if you do it and use resources at Clemson, like you can really keep everything tight." — Matt Norlander (@MattNorlander) April 25, 2019 Clemson released a statement on the matter later Thursday. “We are aware of the developments in federal court today involving one of our men’s basketball assistant coaches. We take this matter seriously and will immediately conduct a review,” Clemson Athletics said in a statement, per The State. Clemson asst Steve Smith knew the exact time it took to get from Clemson's arena to Zion's house—1 hour, 4 minutes—and is caught joking, telling a story about how had to pretend to Brad Brownell about not knowing the route/distance the first time they both went to see Zion there. — Matt Norlander (@MattNorlander) April 25, 2019 On Tuesday, Blazer made allegations under oath of paying college football players. The schools he listed included Pittsburgh, Penn State, Michigan, Notre Dame, Northwestern, North Carolina and Alabama. Mark Heim is a sports reporter for The Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Mark_Heim.