Alabama Treating Swinney Like a D-Plus Candidate Could be Good for Clemson
By: will-vandervort January 11, 2024

CLEMSON — As you turn on the light switch in Dabo Swinney’s office at the Allen Reeves Football Complex, just above the switch is a framed story from ESPN, which was written after he was hired as Clemson’s head coach in 2009.

It’s not much of a story, it is more of a brief than anything else. In the brief, the ESPN writer says Swinney was a D-plus hire. Ever since, Swinney has used that article for motivation as he guides the Clemson football program.

It worked.

Swinney was definitely not a D-plus hire. He has guided the Clemson Tigers to unparalleled success in his 15 years as head coach. There are 170 wins, 12 bowl victories, eight ACC Championships, six College Football Playoff appearances, four national championship game appearances and two national championships.

With that kind of resume, one might think Dabo Swinney would be an A-plus candidate for any coaching job that comes open. However, that does not seem to be the case in Alabama.

It appears Alabama is treating Dabo Swinney like a D-plus candidate, according to reporters who cover the game. Reporters, such as ESPN’s Chris Low and the Athletics’ Nicole Auerbach, are saying Swinney is not in the mix to replace Nick Saban, who retired on Wednesday.

Their reason?

Auerbach describes Swinney’s lack of using the transfer portal and his nonchalant attitude when it comes to the NIL as reasons why Bama is not interested.

Maybe those are legit reasons. Alabama might be concerned Swinney will refuse to change with the times.

I do not know, but I do know this. If Alabama does go in a different direction and they do not even consider Swinney, as some have suggested, then this might be the fuel Swinney needs to launch the Clemson program back to the top of the college football mountain.

This is not the first time Alabama has shunned a Hall of Fame head coach to run their program. In 1987, the Crimson Tide interviewed Florida State legend Bobby Bowden—who grew up in Alabama and was an Alabama fan—for their coaching vacancy at the time. However, Alabama did not offer him the job and instead hired Georgia Tech’s Bill Curry.

By 1990, Curry was out at Alabama and knowing the mistake it had made, Alabama offered the job to Bowden, who was 60 years old at the time. Bowden, who had already built a powerhouse at FSU, turned Alabama down.

Bama eventually hired Swinney’s former coach, Gene Stallings, and the Crimson Tide won the 1992 National Championship. However, Bowden went on to win two national championships at Florida State and played for it multiple other times on his way to one of the greatest runs in the history of college football.

Now Alabama stands at the same fork in the road it was at 41 years ago when Bear Bryant retired. Do they go with the savvy veteran coach in Swinney, who has already proven himself, or do they go with an up-and-coming guy, who has not proven himself but has potential?

If history has taught us anything then Alabama should at least interview Swinney. If not, watch out college football, Little ole Clemson is coming back with vengeance.

If you thought Dabo Swinney was mad about being called a D-plus hire, I can only imagine how he feels about being shunned by his alma mater, a place he loves more than any other place on the planet.