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Rex Brown

Clemson quarterbacks Kyle Parker, foreground, and Willy Korn sign autographs during Fan Appreciation Day on Sunday at Memorial Stadium in Clemson.

CLEMSON — While the crowd of 15,000 Clemson fans that showed up at Memorial Stadium for Fan Appreciation Day on Sunday will pale in comparison to the number that will fill the stadium less than two weeks from now for the season opener, it meant just as much to Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney.

“There’s a lot of schools out there, I promise you, for fan day they’re not showing up at noon when it starts at 3,” Swinney said. “There’s a lot of passionate people that love Clemson athletics and love Clemson football. And for people to show up and to come and meet these guys and just kind of touch them and talk to them and get to know them a little bit more and make it a little bit more personal, what a great opportunity for our players.”

For Swinney, who has made connecting the team with its community and fan base a top priority since he became interim head coach on Oct. 13, 2008, and only further emphasized it since having the interim tag removed, it was just another chance to preach his ‘All In’ message.

“This is a day that comes once a year, where you really have the opportunity to take advantage of the time to say thank you. … It’s a great opportunity for them to present themselves in the right way,” he said. “And that’s one of the things we talked about yesterday as a team is, ‘Listen, you embrace these fans, you look them in the eye and you thank them and you say hello and you sign these autographs and you be gracious with your time.’”

But while the fact that Tiger fans love their teams certainly wasn’t breaking news, the team also released its post-camp depth chart, which contained at least a couple of significant developments, on Sunday.

Likely the most noticeable difference between the current version and the one released following spring practice is one most fans are already aware of — that redshirt freshman Kyle Parker is the starting quarterback and Willy Korn is the No. 2.

Parker said Sunday that he was already settling into the role.

“I think the guys are expecting me to make plays and manage the offense,” he said. “I can tell they're already looking at me to do that.”

Another notable change is at right tackle, where redshirt senior Cory Lambert is now listed as the starter over incumbent Landon Walker. The two had been listed as co-starters entering the fall, along with true freshman J.K. Jay, who had back surgery recently and will redshirt.

“The biggest concern (on the offensive line) has been right tackle — getting those guys to play like we want them to play, and like they’re capable of playing, everyday,” Swinney said.

On defense, Kevin Alexander has moved from a co-starter at bandit end after the spring to a co-starter at SAM linebacker with Scotty Cooper. Alexander’s move is both evidence of Ricky Sapp’s recovery from surgery to repair a torn ACL, and as Swinney said, the desire to get the team’s best defenders on the field.

“Kevin’s one of our best 11, and I think you’ll see him play both,” Swinney said. “He’s going to play in some of our regular packages at SAM, but you’ll see him line up at the end as well, or the bandit, depending on the package we have in the game. He’s a guy that’s going to move around a little bit more than some of the others.”

And while Cooper may not be listed as the sole first-stringer at SAM any longer, Swinney said he still expects plenty from him.

“He’s a little bit of a tweener. Is he a safety or is he a linebacker? He’s settled in pretty good at linebacker … and we’re expecting him to have a very good year,” said the Tiger head coach.

Another obvious departure from the post-spring depth chart is the move of junior Marcus Gilchrist from second-string cornerback to starting free safety, where he displaced senior Sadat Chambers.

“(Gilchrist) is just a football player,” Swinney said. “He could go start at corner. He could start at nickel. He could start at dime. He could start at free, or he could start at strong. He really could play all those positions. He’s a smart kid that’s got great instincts, will hit you. He’s been very, very consistent in camp, and we just feel that he’s one of our best guys.”

One position where there is still no resolution is at place-kicker, where Swinney said the job is still very much up for grabs between Spencer Benton and Richard Jackson.

“Our kicking situation is far from settled,” Swinney said. “I mean, I don’t know. We’ve got good kickers. … It’s just been inconsistent in practice, and that’s obviously a concern.”

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Likely to redshirt. Swinney said Sunday that he hoped to redshirt true freshman linebacker Quandon Christian and running back Rod McDowell.

“Quandon’s probably a year away from where we really want him to be physically, but he’s north of 200-pound kid,” Swinney said. “But the thing we’ve been most pleased about with Quandon is he’s got great instincts. … (We) could get him ready if we need to, but right now we’re going to try and hold him.”

Only two of the Tigers’ true freshmen appeared on the post-camp two-deep depth chart, Malliciah Goodman is listed as Da’Quan Bowers backup at defensive end and Jonathan Meeks will back up DeAndre McDaniel at strong safety.

A Halloween theme. The Tigers are set to meet in-state foe Coastal Carolina on Oct. 31, and now, the teams will be dressed for the occasion.

Coastal Carolina head coach David Bennett e-mailed Swinney last week with the idea that the Chanticleers wear their all-black uniforms for the date.

Swinney obliged and said the Tigers now plan to wear all-orange uniforms to give it a true orange-and-black Halloween feel.

“So, it’ll be a Halloween trick-or-treat,” Swinney said. “I said, ‘Just make sure you leave the tricks at home, and that it’s a nice treat for Clemson when you come.’ He didn’t like that too much … but it should be a fun day for our state.”