RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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See the full story · 1 sourcesIt’s impossible to forget how good Dabo Swinney was in his prime.
It’s impossible to forget, because Dabo won’t let us forget.
Swinney used ACC media days as an opportunity to remind everyone of how good he used to be.
“We’ve won 11 (conference and national) championships in the last 15 years,” Swinney told The Athletic earlier this month, amid some serious navel-gazing. “I think the next-closest coach has six.”
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Who’s counting, right? Well, Dabo is.
"We've had 15 winning seasons," Swinney said, as he recited his resume, "Thirteen 10-plus win seasons, 14 nine-plus win seasons... and then you have a season like last year, and that's kind of what everybody wants to focus on, and I get that."
Swinney’s giving off some serious Hugh Freeze at Auburn vibes.
That’s, um, not a compliment.
While failing miserably throughout three seasons at Auburn, Freeze spared no chance to remind us he used to be a good coach.
“Honestly, Nick (Saban) is incredible, but I should have four wins against him,” Freeze said, one year into an Auburn tenure that included losses to New Mexico State and Kentucky.
It’s true, a decade or so ago, Swinney and Freeze gave Saban fits.
Ah, memories.
How’s that working out for Freeze nowadays? Well, he’s got a buyout check and a tee time.
Is Dabo Swinney willing to evolve at Clemson ?
Swinney can keep his golf bag in the garage for now, but the current state of his Clemson program is closer to 2020-25 Auburn than it is to 2015-19 Clemson.
After Freeze beat Saban in back-to-back years with an innovative up-tempo system built on run-pass option plays, Saban hired Lane Kiffin to help Alabama evolve its offense.
When Clemson’s success threatened to snuff out Alabama’s superiority, Saban rallied by bringing in his best run of quarterbacks.
That’s how Saban became the GOAT. He kept evolving. He wasn’t content to say, “Well, I used to be a great coach. Let me recite my resume.” If Alabama ever wasn’t the standard, it ate him up.
Finally, when the sport went the direction of pay-to-play and transfer free agency, Saban decided he didn’t want to participate. So, he hung up his whistle rather than linger on the sidelines, let his record slump, and prattle on about his past accomplishments.
Maybe, Swinney should take a hint. He’s not naturally built for this era. He’s also not evolving to meet the moment.
Swinney will be 'raked over the coals' if QB pick doesn't work
What about the idea of a transfer quarterback at Clemson?
The past two national champions — heck, the past two national runners-up — started transfer quarterbacks.
Swinney wants nothing to do with that.
"We weren't going to go get a shiny object at quarterback," Swinney said.
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Oof, that sounds a lot like what Freeze said before the 2024 season. Freeze didn’t think a transfer quarterback was worth a million-dollar investment in NIL bucks.
If you’re wondering how that worked out, didn’t I mention Freeze now has extra time for lining up par putts? That’s how it worked out.
Swinney’s general disinterest in transfers might be defensible if he were hauling in blue-chip recruiting classes. He’s not.
Clemson entered a recruiting freefall after the NIL genie got out of the bottle.
Nobody can say Tyler from Spartanburg didn’t warn us that Swinney’s career is on the downslope.
Swinney’s one of the greatest player development coaches of his generation. Even after Clemson flopped to a 7-6 record last season, nine Tigers were selected in the NFL Draft.
That tells you two things: Clemson should’ve won more than seven games, but also, Swinney didn’t swallow a bunch of stupid pills. He used to be a great coach — just ask him — and he’s still sending guys to the pros. But, he’s swimming upstream by signing three- and four-star recruits and trying to compete against proven portal talent like Miami’s freshly purchased quarterback Darian Mensah .
“I don’t know how to be anything other than me,” Swinney said.
True. Swinney is who he is, and that’s sort of become part of the problem. What worked in 2016 or 2018 doesn’t work the same way in 2026, especially when you aren’t signing quarterbacks like Trevor Lawrence.
Swinney admitted if his decision to roll with in-house veteran quarterback Christopher Vizzina doesn’t pan out, he’ll get “raked over the coals.”
If he catches any heat, Swinney will default to the Hugh playbook.
He’ll remind us how good he used to be.
Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network's senior national college football columnist. Email him at [email protected] and follow him on X @btoppmeyer .
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Dabo Swinney sounds like Hugh Freeze. That's not a compliment | Opinion
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