Dabo Swinney may be the most American football coach.
Confused? Let us explain.
In the same way that Mitt Romney got a run at the US presidency because he looked like a TV show version of a US president, Swinney is the perfect recreation of the stereotypical college football coach.
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He is from Birmingham, Alabama, in the heart of the American south and the city that loves college football more than any other (it’s always at the top of the TV ratings – something like 80 per cent of all screens there were watching the 2021 Alabama vs Auburn classic).
He was a walk-on at the University of Alabama, meaning he wasn’t awarded a scholarship, but earned one and played in the school’s 1992 national championship team. He then moved quickly into assistant coaching, and after a brief stint as a real estate developer, took a job at Clemson – a famously cursed school a couple of states over, in South Carolina – before working his way into the top job.
Swinney then masterminded, with the help of some tremendous assistants, the rise of college football’s newest power as the Tigers went from perennial also-rans to perennial title contenders, winning two and losing two.
But it’s not just that background that makes Swinney something of a caricature. It’s his faith; Swinney has turned Clemson, theoretically a public university required to separate church and state, effectively into a Christian school.
Religion is a centrepiece of the football team, so much so that the non-profit Freedom From Religious Foundation once complained to the school about Swinney’s behaviour – after he had invited a local Baptist preacher to baptise future NFL receivers Deandre Hopkins and Sammy Watkins at practices in 2012.
Swinney’s Clemson Tigers, seen here after winning last year’s ACC Championship, have been extremely successful – but signs of decline in recent years are clear. (Photo by Eakin Howard/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
While many schools have heavily featured Christianity in their football programs, Swinney has done it bigger and better – and, for a decade, it became a unique selling point which clearly worked for recruits.
“When you recruit in the (American) south, a coach can use Christianity as a weapon,” CBS Sports Network college football recruiting analyst Tom Lemming told The Guardian in 2018.
“They proclaim a lot of faith to kids and parents and it’s the parents who fall in line.”
There was an old-fashioned element to all of this. Clemson would make a stronger commitment to recruits – if you stick with us, we’ll stick with you, because we’re all believers together – than other schools, who often used transfer players to bolster their rosters.
This has always been a minor factor in college football roster-building, but Clemson could afford to ignore it because they were still getting the top talents, especially kids from the south – like future No.1 pick and current Jacksonville Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence.
The use of transfers has skyrocketed in recent years though, with the introduction of name, image and likeness (NIL) rights – effectively a legal way to pay players, after decades of under-the-table deals – and relaxation of transfer rules, allowing players to more easily move schools without having to sit on the sidelines.
The University of Colorado, led by Deion Sanders, is the prime example (sorry) of this. He forced out most of the existing players under roster rules which allow new coaches to make major changes, and brought top prospects including his son and quarterback Shedeur, plus two-way superstar Travis Hunter, across with him from his old school Jackson State.
While the Buffaloes have fallen off since their fast start to this season, showing building the entire team out of transfers won’t work, others like reigning Heisman winner Caleb Williams – who transferred from Oklahoma to USC with his coach – show how targeted moves are simply necessary if you want to compete in the modern landscape.
Which brings us back to Swinney, the sport’s most renowned transfer-hater.
Head coach Dabo Swinney of Clemson Tigers takes the field during pregame against Charleston Southern Buccaneers at Memorial Stadium on September 9, 2023 in Clemson, South Carolina. (Photo by Isaiah Vazquez/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
Since 2021, when transfer rules were relaxed, Clemson hasn’t come close to the national championship picture. While a tremendous defence helped them win their conference last season, their offence wasn’t good enough to each the next level, and the whole team has taken a step back in 2023.
An early-season upset loss to Duke, perennial ACC football strugglers who have strict academic standards yet still brought in a number of top transfer targets, proved something was wrong and it has only gotten worse.
Clemson is now an unthinkable 4-4 – they haven’t lost more games than that since 2010 – and just 2-4 in their conference. They have become irrelevant in the broader story of the season and there’s even a chance they won’t qualify for a bowl game – a post-season prize requiring teams to win at least six games for qualification.
But why are we bringing this up now? Well, because it’s clear the pressure of a school that now expects greatness is getting to him.
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Like most college coaches, Swinney takes part in a weekly radio show, answering questions from passionate fans – usually just Dorothy Dixers. But on this week’s Tiger Calls, he didn’t take kindly to a question from caller Tyler from Spartansburg, who asked why the school was spending $US10.8 million a year “to go 4-4”.
In a five-minute rant which just got hotter and hotter, as transcribed by The Athletic, Swinney raged at the fan.
“But let me tell you something, we won 11 games last year and you’re part of the problem, to be honest with you, because that is part of the problem,” Swinney said.
“It’s people like you that all you do is — the appreciation, the expectation is greater than the appreciation. And that’s the problem.”
He declared before his stint in charge, “Clemson ain’t sniffed a national championship for 35 years.”
“We’ve won two in seven years. And there’s only two other teams that can say that: Georgia and Alabama. OK? Is this a bad year? Yeah. And it’s my responsibility. I take 100 percent responsibility for it. But all this bullcrap you’re thinking, all these narratives you read, listen man, you can have your opinion all you want and you can apply for the job and good luck to you, alright?
“But part of the problem is the appreciation — I used to tell people all the time. They’d say, ‘What’s the difference in Clemson?’ Let me tell you. At some places, there’s an expectation, but at Clemson’s there’s an appreciation. But what’s happened at Clemson is we’ve won so much that even when we used to be ‘the fun’s in the winning,’ now even when you win, people like you complain. And criticise the coaches. And question everything. People like you. When I hired Tony Elliott to be the offensive co-ordinator who never called a play in his life, I’m sure you were critical then. And he took us to two national championships. People like you who just love to destroy people with your comments, I’m sure you’ve never made any bad decisions. I’m sure you’ve lived a perfect life. I’m sure you’ve led a bunch of people.
Swinney went off at a radio caller after being questioned for the team’s poor performance this season. (Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
“I started as the lowest paid coach in this freakin’ business. And I’m where I am because I’ve worked my ass off — every single day. And I ain’t gonna let some smart-ass kid get on this phone and create this stuff. So if you’ve got a problem with that, I don’t care. I work for the Board of Trustees, the president and the AD. And if they’re tired of me leading this program, all they’ve got to do is let me know. I’ll go somewhere else — where there is an appreciation. It’s not just winning, it’s how you win.”
“Am I perfect? Nope. I’m far from it. And I am a man of faith, absolutely. I’m 53 years old and there ain’t one thing in my life — I have been a part of failure many times — but there ain’t one thing in my life that I’ve ever failed at, Tyler. Never. Ever. I wanted to get an education, I got two degrees. I wanted to be the first college graduate in my family. I did it. I wanted to play football at Alabama. I earned a scholarship, lettered three years, worked my ass off, won a national championship. I wanted to get into coaching. I worked my way to being a head coach.
“And when I got this job and I’m sure you didn’t want me to get this job and 15 years later I’m still here and I’d say the results are what they are and I stand on them. So you don’t ever have to call back. I wanted to get married. I’ve been married for going on 30 years. I wanted to be a father. I’ve raised three great sons.
“If you don’t like how I run the program, don’t be a fan. I don’t care. But I’m the head coach and I’m gonna do what I believe is right for the long term of this program, what’s best for the players and what I think is best for the moment. If you’ve got a problem with that, that’s fine. But I’m not gonna sit here and let you call. I don’t give a crap how much money I’m making. You ain’t gonna talk to me like I’m 12 years old. You’ve (gotta) be freakin’ kidding me.”
Got all that?
Let’s be clear – Swinney is under no threat of being fired, for now at least. He is the most powerful man not just at Clemson, but in the entire state of South Carolina; that’s what top football coaches mean.
But for years, the assumption has been Swinney would only leave the Tigers for the top job at his old school Alabama, once the legendary Nick Saban retires.
Now it has to be asked; is Swinney actually ready for the requirements of modern college football? Or is he just outdated, and unwilling to change?
As the second highest-paid coach in the sport, at some point, someone has to let him know the status quo can’t work. The problem is, as the big man on campus, who has that power?
2023-10-31 07:38:48
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