Like him or loathe him, Dabo Swinney doesn't mind speaking his mind, and doesn't spend a lot of time trying to be someone he isn't.
Entering his 14th season as the head coach and 20th season overall, Swinney has steered the Tigers to the top of the college football world, and he has done it his way.
For the first time in six years, the College Football Playoff didn't include Clemson last year. He joked that he was on the hot seat. The annual spring game is on Saturday, and the coach of the team sat down with the sports network this week to talk about everything from lofty expectations to nasty letters he received when he got the job.
Steve Spurrier joked recently that you won 10 games last year and it was a bad year, so the program has moved into rare air.
When I got the job, we hadn't won 10 games in 20 years, and if we have another one, they might fire me. It is all good. We didn't have any business winning 10 games last year with what that team had to deal with, and I'm glad we have a passionate fan base and high expectations. The team was amazing. It will be one of my favorite teams. We have the longest winning streak in the country, because we were sitting at 4-3 and finishing 10-3). It is hard to win. We are one of three schools in the history of football that have had 11 straight 10-plus win seasons. I think the consistency of our place, on and off the field, makes us unique and makes us special. I will take a down year if it was last year.
You are going into your 20th and 14th seasons as a head coach. Is that hard to believe?
A lot of people can not believe it. It seems like yesterday that I got here. It doesn't feel like work when you love what you do.
When you were promoted to full-time head coach at Clemson in 2009, it created quite a stir. Did anyone approach you personally and question the hire?
I had a lot of people who hid behind the computer screens and wrote to me.
Did you keep those letters?
I keep all the bad ones. They are in a file.
Are you still reading them?
Never. I put them in a file after reading them. They might be in a book one day. There are a lot of them. I understand. I am thankful that I was D-plus hired by ESPN. I still have that graphic. I think I am the only coach that was hired that year. I was least likely to succeed, but we have done it our way to prove that we can win by doing it right and not compromising. We beat our own drum.
After the loss to Alabama in the national title game, you were confident that the program was built to last. Looking back, why did that happen?
We knew what we had built, and then you go to six playoffs in a row, and everyone is mad we didn't go to seven in a row. They are hard to get to. We hadn't won a championship in 20 years before we started. We are not going to win it every year. We won't get to the playoffs every year. We will have special years if we can be a consistent program. I think that was the teens. We transformed the school, and now we are in the roaring 20s. It is fixin to be a ball. Our best is still in front of us.
What about this team gives you the most hope that the Tigers will make the playoffs?
We are going to be better if we are just healthier. That is the top thing. Even with all those injuries, we are a pick-six away from a 3-3 game against Georgia heading into overtime, a double-overtime loss on the road to NC State, who made a couple of unbelievable plays, and then had a couple of opportunities at Pitt to take. Those teams are good. The league was won by Pitt. The national championship was won by Georgia. NC State had a great year. We are not entitled to win. We have to get healthy. 30 scholarship players were out of the bowl game. I have never been a part of that. We played a few games with no scholarship players. Most people don't have many scholarship receivers. You are starting a bunch of young people. Those are not excuses. You have to give credit to the other teams.
How much better will D.J. Uiagalelei be at quarterback next season?
We have to be better around D.J. because he makes mistakes. We have to be better around him. He has to be better. He has lost weight and focused on getting better every day. One of the best things for him and the team is the addition of a freshman quarterback. This spring, we have real competition, and nothing makes you better than that.
What have you seen from a defensive line that should be as strong as any in college football?
This group has a chance to be special. We have seven guys that can be drafted next year, good kids and leaders, very committed and good depth. It will start for us next season.
When you were promoted from within, did you think twice?
That is what it is all about. loyalty is a two-way street and is a relationship business. If it wasn't for Gene Stallings hiring me and promoting me from within at Alabama, I wouldn't be sitting there. I have always believed that part of my job is to develop the staff. To me it is evaluating and hiring the right people. The people around me are just as good as me. I can not do everything. Promoting from within is not always feasible. It is just not. When I hired Chad Morris, I didn't have anyone that was feasible to promote at the time. Tony was ready when Chad left. Brandon Streeter was ready when Tony left. He has been unbelievably patient. Kyle Richardson was ready to assume his role as the tight ends coach. Wes is past ready. When you have someone who is prepared, deserves it and has earned it, and you pass them by, that is a breakdown in your culture.
Is your stance on using the transfer portal still the same?
My transfer portal is located in the locker room, because if I am constantly going out and adding guys from the transfer portal, I will tell those guys that I don't believe in them. If we bring in a bunch of transfers, we are not doing our job as coaches and recruiters. We won't build our roster on transfers.
What would you use the transfer portal for?
If we are having to use it to help build our roster, that means we have missed out on some of the best players out there. I don't think that will happen. We will have to use it to fill the gap. Nobody on the planet will not have to use it. We need to find an offensive lineman between now and May to get him in for summer school because we are down one in the line. We will not just take a guy to take a guy because we think he is a good player.
How much has NIL changed college football, and did you ever think it would be used as a recruiting tool, especially now that high school players are reportedly signing contracts with collectives that could potentially pay them as much as $8 million?
There is no guidance or rules. It is out of control. It is not sustainable. The kids are going to suffer in the end because of the mess and train wreck. A lot of kids end up with no degrees and end up making decisions based on the wrong things. There are going to be a lot of short-term decisions, and they are going to sacrifice the long-term value of education. Eventually, it will settle down. It is not what it was supposed to be. The intention is good. I like the fact that these guys can make money on their name, image and likeness if they want to. The way it is set up right now is not what it was intended to be. The kids will be the ones to pay the price because you have a lot of young people that are having to grow up fast.
How aggressive will the team be?
Our kids are going to have opportunities once they get here because everybody has a good NIL program. We are still going to get the same players even though they are coming out of high school. We are still going to get a few more. We are still going to get those players. We have everything in place to get them.
What is the definition of professionalization of college athletics?
Getting away from scholarships and academics. The majority of the kids are not playing in the league. 98% of them aren't going to make the NFL, so the NIL is good for them because they have a nice platform that they can take advantage of. One of the three football programs has a million followers. They have an opportunity to make some money while they are here. 98% are not playing in the NFL, so we need to get that degree. As adults, we should do everything we can to encourage education and that won't ever change for me because I know that's what makes generational change in young people's lives. There is nothing worse than seeing a band playing for fans who cheer for them but never get a degree, and they are struggling. I don't think what's been created now is healthy for the game, and I've always been about education and the collegiate model.
How many of the players you recruit think they will play in the NFL?
I am glad they do. I don't want them if they don't think they can. I thought I would play in the pros. I was successful because I didn't. I thought I could do it. We try to let them know that they are going to be great in life by letting them play football and teach them how to be men. When they learn that they are going to be great without football, they can just go play.
You are against pay-for-play in college sports. Is that the direction of college sports?
I don't like anything that devalues education. That is what I am against. I'm for anything that encourages education. I have always said that I am against the professionalism of college athletics and people will come after me. Kids don't know what they don't know. If you professionalize college athletics, you can fire kids on the spot, and they have to pay for their tuition, housing, and everything else, which is a slippery slope. Athletic directors would sign up for that. They would save that money.
When critics say you are out of touch, what is your response?
It doesn't matter what I say. I will get criticized. I am way past that. I have been doing this for a long time. The thing that changes the lives of young people is giving them tools for life. It's great if they can make short-term money along the way. There are going to be a lot of bad decisions by young people if that becomes the focus. Car insurance is cheaper for a 25-year-old than it is for an 18-year-old. It is called judgment. I think there is a lot that can be better and eventually it will get there.
Where is it?
I think there is going to be a complete blowup of college athletics, especially football, and there needs to be. There will be a break and another division. It is not feasible to have everybody in one group. Alabama has different problems than Middle Tennessee and we are trying to make them all the same. The rules for having 40 or 50 teams and a commissioner are here. There is no uniformity, so a commissioner would help. It is a mess. You can not get anything done. You can't get anything done in a real-time manner because of the amount of bureaucracy. It is frustrating. The rules are outdated and the communication is not good. There are a lot of positives when it comes to the scholarships. It is not apples to apples that you have all these people voting on things.
Do you understand why the athletes shouldn't be able to profit before they get to school, if the coaches are making $10 million a year?
The man is 70 years old. I am 52 years old. We don't set markets on what we do. We live in a capitalist society. The people who are checking your baggage are as important as the head of Delta. We don't set markets on what we do. We live in a free market. It is just that our jobs are so public. None of us got into coaching to make money, but I don't apologize for being successful.
What amount of money did you make when you started coaching?
When Gene Stallings gave me a chance, I made $38,000. I made $80,000 at Alabama, and I was the coach for eight years. I decided to get into coaching because of my passion. That is a message for everyone. You go to work and love what you do, and everything else takes care of itself.
College football coaches make a lot of money.
I would say that Nick Saban has had a big impact on the University of Alabama, not just the football program. He has had a big impact on Tuscaloosa. To be honest with you, he is probably underpaid. 50 years from now, there will be that conversation. I don't care what you do or how you structure it. That is fair. Everyone can have an opinion. I respect the opinions of people who disagree with me.
What emotions have you experienced while watching the Deshaun Watson situation play out?
I am thankful that he has gotten through the criminal process. He has a chance to get back to work and doing what he loves to do. I love Deshaun and nothing will change that. He has been through a lot and I have tried to be a good mentor to him over the past year. I am excited about his future. He is going to do great.
How much have you talked to him?
We tried to stay in touch when he was trying to decide what he was going to do after finishing the legal work. It is good to see the confidence in him. It is amazing how they were able to get him. I am happy for him. They have a lot of good pieces in place, and he will be a good fit for them and eager to get back to work.
Does feeding the monster become overwhelming when you taste success like that?
I think we have lost one home game. I hope we don't lose a home game. I might have to leave the field quickly. I focus on the right things day by day. I like the expectations. We built a program that people expect to be good. We have had 10 top-15 finishes in a row. We have a good football team coming back and will have one for a long time.
All Rights Reserved © 2024
