Nick Saban took the college sports world by storm last month when he announced his retirement as head coach at Alabama — just nine days after leading the Crimson Tide to another appearance in the College Football Playoff.
The immediate question that followed the initial shock of Saban’s retirement centered on who would replace the decorated coach, viewed by many as the greatest of all-time.
Enter Dabo Swinney. A native Alabamian and former Crimson Tide walk-on receiver in the early 90s, Swinney’s name had been linked to his alma mater for years whenever talk turned to Saban’s eventual successor.
Swinney was the only coach to beat Saban twice in the College Football Playoff, winning both the 2016 and 2018 national championship games over Alabama.
So to say that Swinney was one of the top names to be considered for the Alabama opening would probably be an understatement, even if such talk was and is denied in some online circles and sports talk radio. Thankfully for the purple-and-orange clad faithful, Clemson didn’t have to worry long about Swinney’s future.
Alabama hired Washington’s Kalen DeBoer, who had just led his Huskies team to the national championship game against Michigan that same week. Swinney proclaimed afterwards, “I was always an Alabama boy, but now I am a Clemson man.”
Clemson athletic director Graham Neff opened up to The State earlier this week on Swinney’s decision to stay put instead of heading to Tuscaloosa.
“It was just a great testament to Clemson,” Neff told The State. “It’s something that Dabo and I talked a lot about while that (Alabama) transition was happening. He has a long memory in a good way. He’s going on his 16th year (as coach) and 20 years at Clemson. That support that Clemson has shown to him and Clemson football over these two decades… that adds up and that matters.”
Swinney took over as interim head coach in 2008 when Tommy Bowden left just six games into a disappointing 3-3 start to the season. The Tigers had been ranked No. 9 in the preseason poll that year and were considered favorites to win the ACC.
Swinney had the interim tag removed after leading Clemson to a 4-2 finish that year and a berth in the Gator Bowl. He eventually built the Tigers into a national power. Clemson made six consecutive trips to the College Football Playoff under Swinney from 2015-2020, winning two titles and playing for two more.