Clemson coach Dabo Swinney served up a full-throated defense of his team, his program and himself on Tuesday, at times bordering on protective of what he’s built over nearly two decades with the Tigers and sometimes veering into the paranoid that people want him gone.
“I thrive in the battle,” Swinney said. “I have my whole life. Perspective is important. If they want me gone, they can send me on my way. If they’re tired of winning, they can send me on my way. I won’t stop. I’m 55. I’ll go somewhere else and win.
“I ain’t going to the beach. We’ve won this league eight of the last 10 years. Is that good? I’ve got a long memory in case y’all don’t know. This is a program that’s built to last. If you don’t believe in us after we lost just two games, you weren’t all-in anyway. Hate to disappoint all the haters out there, but I have a long way to go, boys.”
Tyler from Spartanburg who rustled Swinney’s feathers by questioning him last year and potentially others are on watch.
Commits and top prospects who are considering Clemson made one thing clear after Swinney’s blistering comments: They want him there or many of them would not even consider the Tigers in their recruitment.
“I wouldn’t have committed without Dabo there,” said four-star Clemson OL pledge Carter Scruggs from Leesburg (Va.) Loudoun County. “He means a lot because of how he leads the program and his culture that he created there.”
Three-star tight end commit Tayveon Wilson from Huntington (W. Va.) Huntington Prep said: “The program and culture that coach Swinney has already established at Clemson is like no other and it will probably be one that lasts even when he is gone.
“With that being said, if Swinney and the culture he created within the program were gone, I don’t think myself or many other recruits would be attracted to Clemson. The culture within the program and the program itself are unmatched, so him and the way he ran the program meant a lot to me.”
There’s no indication Swinney is going anywhere. If anything, he’s doubling down on the way he runs Clemson, which is one of only three programs along with Alabama and Georgia to win multiple national championships over the last decade.
Since 2008, Swinney has had one losing season in 2010, has won double-digit games 13 of the last 14 seasons and has a 78.6 winning percentage.
On Tuesday, though, Swinney was talking like he was on the hot seat after losing nail-biters to LSU and Georgia Tech and looking average against Troy for long stretches before pulling away.
He said “there’s a lot of disappointment in where we are,” and their “backs are against a wall,” and “we’re not entitled to win,” and, “This isn’t middle school football. There’s accountability for everybody. Everybody has to be better.”
“Coach Swinney has been at Clemson so long that the program feels like an extension of him, built on his vision and belief system,” said three-star QB commit Brock Bradley from Birmingham (Ala.) Spain Park. “I loved the campus, location and academics but a big reason I committed was because of coach and the culture he’s created. It may not be for everyone, but I believe in Clemson and in coach Swinney, and I’m all-in and excited to get on campus with the guys.”
The opening few weeks of the season have not gone the way Clemson envisioned. But recruits want Swinney not only to stay but to not change.
It’s that Clemson Way that has drawn them to consider the Tigers heavily in their recruitment.
“Dabo has played a major role in my commitment,” said 2027 four-star quarterback commit Kharim Hughley from Gainesville, Ga. “The culture and standard he’s set at Clemson played a major role in the whole reason I’ve committed.”