Clemson to play Georgia in Chick-fil-A Kickoff game

Tony Crumpton by Assoc. Editor -

Two powerhouse rivals will meet once again.

Clemson will face Georgia at the Chick-fil-A Kickoff game to kick off the 2024 season on Aug 31 at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

"We love both of those programs and we'll take them anytime we can get them in our Chick-fil-A Kickoff game," Chief executive Gary Stokan told TigerNet. "I'd play them every year if I could get it. Dan (Radakovich) and Greg (McGarity) are quality people and we love to work with them. Then when you talk about Dabo Swinney and Kirby Smart, both are good personal friends of mine and just wonderful people."

Stokan really thinks highly of Clemson and Georgia as football programs.

"The schools are very important to us," he said. "They've both been good to us from our Kickoff game to our bowl game to our challenge golf tournament. All three of those events, they've helped us make those successful. Any time we can partner with Georgia and Clemson, we want to do so."

He said that the contracts for the matchup were signed on Thursday afternoon.

This will be Clemson's third appearance in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff with previous games against Alabama (2008) and Auburn (2012).

“I’ve said many times that I think the Clemson-Georgia rivalry is one of the best rivalries in college football,” Dabo Swinney said in a school release. “It’s one I watched way before I even came to Clemson. I think it’s great for both fan bases. It will be one of those games that everybody will enjoy. Obviously it’s a tough opener for both teams, but it’s fun to be a part of games like that.”

“To play a great opponent like the University of Georgia in a first-class venue like Mercedes-Benz Stadium will be an outstanding experience for our football team and fans,” Director of Athletics Dan Radakovich said. “The resumption of our storied rivalry with Georgia has been a high priority for us and will continue to be a high priority moving forward.”