If he's being asked, the narratives he's heard all winter are to use the most colorful language he's capable of providing.
After nearly a decade of stability on his coaching staff, it was time to part ways with four assistants. There was a time when he was praised as a coach who knew how to surround himself with the best people, but he was replaced by two internal candidates.
There's a lot of bull shit.
When he suggested that college football should switch to a professional model, maybe he would quit and go to the NFL. That comment has become shorthand for every out-of-touch coach unwilling to let players profit off their ability, despite Swinney's insistence that he didn't want the college game to lose sight of its educational mission.
The narrative is bullshit.
The transfer portal is hated by the coach.
The opposing players get paid.
By adapting to the modern conveniences of the game, Swinney would rather lose than win.
Swinney is a hypocrite.
He says it's all bullshit, without context and intent. The coach who, just a few years ago, was a fan favorite, the goofy, fun-loving, BYOG-ing alternative to Nick Saban's joyless process, is more likely to be cast as the villain.
The people have their stories written. People hear what they want to hear and they can't wait to hear something big. 13 years ago nobody cared what I said, but now I think there is an opportunity to get some kind of drama. I haven't changed.
Maybe that's the issue. The system that allowed a poor kid from Alabama to earn a scholarship with the Tide, to coach for Gene Stallings, to become a head coach without serving as a coordinators, to thumb his nose at every pundit who promised Swinney, remains a core part of the coach's philosophy
People love a good story, and that's why Swinney wants to play the part. He is no longer an underestimation. He is at the top of the mountain. He was.
It was the first time in six years that the College Football Playoff didn't exist last year. After a decade with Venables, the greatest asset is in a new place. While Swinney insists he can win with his own guys, he has supplemented his roster with some of the best talent through the transfer portal.
There are more than just critics for the first time in a long time. There are people who aren't sure. It's like gasoline on a fire for him. After all these years, there's still one thing that remains true about Swinney, and that's that he loves doing things his way.
He was the closest thing big-time college football had to an average joe. He would dress up as Santa and invite people to visit his house at Christmas. He hosted the team's beat reporters to dinner at his house before the fall camp started so they could shoot hoops. The whole town was invited to the pizza party thrown by the coach.
A lot of people found his approach less quaint than they thought.
There was a question about Colin Kaepernick's decision to kneel during the anthem. "I don't think it's a good idea to be a distraction to your team," said the coach.
He thinks a lot of the things in this world are good. This world is collapsing? Some people need to go somewhere else.
In the wake of the murder of George Floyd by a police officer, Swinney made a harsh statement. He was involved in a lot of controversy by that time.
His response to the COVID-19 shut downs in April 2020 seemed tone deaf. He criticized Florida State for canceling a game because of a player who tested positive for the virus, saying it was just an excuse.
While protestors took to the streets in May 2020 under the slogan of "Black Lives Matter," Swinney showed up in a photo on a fan'sInstagram feed wearing a t-shirt that said "Football Matters." He was lambasted for insensitivity. The shirt was thrown on before he went to the pool and he thought it was a free one. The shirt represented an important ethos, that football can save lives, can raise kids out of poverty, as it had done for him, and deliver a better future through competition and education. It was seen as the ultimate example of white privilege to have positive vibes.
He acknowledged support for "Black Lives Matter" but said the criticism was an attack on his character. He thought the social justice patches on the uniforms were not appropriate.
"I don't think I would've said that if I'd heard that from him," said Woody McCorvey. I've tried to educate him, but he hasn't lived like me and other black kids on this football team.
While away from the cameras, he has not shied away from the realities of racism. Each year, he invites the team's seniors to his home for dinner, and in 2020 it becomes a sort of group therapy session. The players who'd been through the worst of America, who raged against a system that wouldn't give them the same opportunities as Swinney had, were the ones he listened to.
"It was the most powerful moment I've had in my life," said a former running back who helped organize social justice protests.
There was a rally on the campus organized by Rencher and several teammates. It was an event. Rencher said that even if Swinney didn't have the right words, he wouldn't let his players walk alone.
Rencher said that they were all aware of the backlash he received. Sometimes it backfired because of some words he said that were not appropriate at the time. His heart has always been full. I will vouch for his character and who he is as a person. I would play for him more than once because of who he is.
When ELLIOTT and Venables left their jobs at the end of the 2020 season, Swinney knew who he wanted to take their place. He made two calls, one to his quarterback coach Brandon Streeter and the other to a defensive analyst.
We've been rolling ever since he called me and said this was what we were doing.
Interviews weren't done. There were no calls to outsiders. The guy had his men.
Only two of the 10 assistant coaches have ever worked in an on-field capacity at a college or pro football team. It's a close circle, and after a 10-3 season that stirred worry among fans for the first time in a long time, there was a genuine concern that a few new voices were needed.
K.J. Henry said that "best is the standard, 'All in', it's those things we hear so many times." They could be in one ear and out the other.
A new message wasn't something that Swinney wanted to hear. He was looking for people who had a new energy.
There was a time when Swinney was fired at Alabama. He didn't have a paycheck or a mortgage. He was in need of a job.
Rich Wingo had something for everyone.
Wingo played for Alabama in the 1970s under Bear Bryant and also served as a strength coach for Bill Curry when he was the Tide's head coach. He was sharing a room with his mother. They were able to afford it. Back then, Wingo didn't know all that. He saw a young man who wanted to prove himself.
Wingo said he loved his work ethic and how he competed.
Wingo started a career in commercial real estate sales after retiring from football. The two kept in touch even after he left the church. Wingo thought he would be a perfect salesman when he found himself without a job.
"I told him, 'Rich, I don't know anything about commercial real estate,'" he said.
Wingo looked happy. He did not hire Swinney for his experience.
Wingo said he could teach you everything. I'm hiring you because of your work ethic and integrity. You show up and complete the task.
Tommy Bowden hired Swinney as his receiver's coach. After that, the interim coach was named, and then the full-time coach was named. He won and then he won more and more. He did it a second time.
It doesn't make sense. The success story of Swinney is that he never had the right credentials or experience. How many other people can follow that path if someone just gives them a chance?
Streeter said that hope is a large part of the program. Someone had to believe in the ability of the coach to get where he is. He's done something with this staff because they saw something in him. You will be surprised at what guys can do with the opportunities you give them.
Hunter Renfrow was one of the guys who had no business playing at the school. They were part of the team that found a home in the league. He relied on the same truths that had carried him this far because he didn't listen to anyone outside his program. He said to read your bible. Ecclesiastes says that two can do more than one. It's more important to find the right people than it is to find the right people.
chemistry and culture come back to the group of people working together. It is a very overlooked thing.
One of the construction projects happening around the football building was talked about by Whitney at the conference. He's going to add a few hundred square feet to his office with the job. Big plans are always there.
He said you're probably falling behind if you don't knock down a wall every year.
He's not averse to change. He wouldn't mind managing it his way.
A new media facility at the school allows recruits to enjoy photo shoots and players to work on name, image and likeness projects. Right, NIL. There's a perception that he sours the second money, but that's not true.
C.D. Davies was a CEO at Lending Tree. It's unbelievable that he's over qualified for the job. There are two NIL collectives that align with the values of the program and give back to the community. The P.A.W. Journey program provides life skills and internship opportunities.
The purpose of the program hasn't changed, but we have addressed all these areas.
This may still be a point of contention with the athlete empowerment crowd. At the end of the day, Swinney doesn't like to pay athletes directly for their performance, but he can do what he wants. He sees flaws with NIL here.
NIL, to me, is a part of education. It's increasing the scholarship opportunities and giving them more for real life. The good intentions outweigh the bad ones. It isn't intended to be a recruiting incentive. There's no barrier when it comes to tampering and transfer issues. A lot of people go into the portal with a plan. How did they come up with a plan?
Suddenly, Swinney's ardent support for NIL can be seen more as a tacit acceptance of the inevitable.
The transfer portal is also there. When it comes to bringing in transfers, Swinney is one of the most conservative. Since 2020, he's seen 19 scholarship players leave via the portal, while just one has arrived, senior QB Hunter Johnson, who started his career at Clemson before transferring to Northwestern.
"My transfer portal is right there in that locker room, so if I'm constantly going out and adding guys from the transfer portal, I'm telling all those guys in that locker room that I don't believe in them," said the coach.
The coach said he offered two other players in the portal, but they both left. He decided to play with what he has. These are the guys from the school. Do you want to ride or die?
"We have always been inside-out driven, and nothing has changed," he said. People are still going to criticize me even though I can make a decision. That happens when you win.
Over the past few years, the sport has changed a lot. Whether or not he marches headlong into a new fight is complicated. He said that it's good but it's not all good. "If you gave a guy a candy bar, you went to jail, and yet college football saved me," he said. Today, he is who he is because of it. He's worried that all this change might overwhelm the things that helped him and his family get out of poverty.
He said he was against anything that would devalue education.
The conversation isn't that complicated outside of Clemson. The players should be paid. Don't open and close. Kevin Warren seems to be leaning that way recently. All of the caveats are met with disbelief.
His message was heard inside of the football facility.
K.J. Henry said that he has no issue with taking the heat. He talks about being successful but to be a part of it is something no one else will ever understand.
There was a stage at the Cheez-It Bowl. The offense struggled and the team missed out on the playoffs for the first time in four years. They finished with a six-game winning streak, and that success was attributed to how their quarterback handled an onslaught of criticism.
"This guy has the heart of a champion," he said, sounding as if he was crying. I've been with him in the frying pan all season. He didn't flinch.
That frying pan is what I'm referring to. There is a man living in it. Uiagalelei was fighting for his life.
Uiagalelei said he didn't know how he did it. People are going to come at you all the time.
Someone was going for Uiagalelei as well. Even though a blue-chipper was on campus this spring, Swinney's support for the incumbent remained the same. Uiagalelei was the starting pitcher. There was no discussion.
Uiagalelei is still replaying that speech in his head, nine months later, because it was exactly what he needed to hear.
Uiagalelei said it meant everything. He's been a father figure to me, and for him to say that publicly, it's been amazing.
In moments like the Floyd protests or the COVID-19 shutdowns, it's both endearing for his players and coaches, but also fodder for those who feel he's not in touch with reality. The world is probably incapable of being approached in any other way.
He said that he knows his purpose. If you're a bad person, it's hard to stay in a place. I've been friends with my wife for a long time. I resided in Tuscaloosa for over a decade. I've been at the school for two decades. I'm aware of who I am. I'm purpose driven, so I don't worry about anything else. I have thick skin, and I focus on what I can control.
He likes to have his players find a word that provides a line between the hard times and the end goal. Uiagalelei came up with a new idea. Uiagalelei said that the idea was to take a chance on himself and to bet that it can.
It's a good metaphor for the rest of the season.
There was no transfer. There was no outside hiring. He doesn't need to change himself. It was the same plan that brought him here.
Henry said that they already had everything they needed. He sees it before we can.
The rest of the world is moving at a rapid pace. It wouldn't be fair to say that this particular team's success or failure is more important than the rest of the season, but the image of the coach has always existed. This year, as well, carries with it a larger context, one that will either arm Swinney with all the "I told you so" ammunition he needs to fend off his critics or will stoke the embers of a new chorus of Dabohaters.
He likes his chances and will roll the dice.
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