Dabo Swinney has led Clemson to back-to-back National Championship Games already, but he can become a legend in the 2018 College Football Playoff.
Even the college football layman has likely heard of Clemson Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney. Between his sound-bites, fiery demeanor and general personality, the head man for the defending National Champions is pretty hard to miss. And after going to back-to-back College Football Playoffs and title games, there’s no doubt he’s considered one of the best coaches in the sport today.
Whether it’s on the field in a singular game or in terms of long-term recruiting, Swinney has proven that he’s more than worth his salt. His adjustments in big games have been palpably felt and have led the program to immense amount of success. And if you need to know about his recruiting prowess, just watch any NFL Draft and see how many players from Clemson are heading to the next level.
However great Swinney is considered right now, though, there’s still a next tier that he can reach. And with the Tigers playing in the 2018 College Football Playoff, starting with the third CFP installment of Alabama-Clemson in the Sugar Bowl, Swinney has the chance to reach that next tier and become a modern coaching legend.
Admittedly, calling someone a coaching legend is a vague term that is open to plenty of interpretation. His opponent on the opposite sideline on New Year’s Day, Nick Saban, undoubtedly fits into that category. So too do guys like Bill Snyder and plenty more.
When you think about the coaches that fit this billing, though, it’s about more than just sustained success. Yes, that’s obviously part of it. But the bigger aspect of a coaching legend is being able to sustain success and win at the highest level despite drastic changes in the personnel. Essentially, a legendary coach is defined by his ability to win and have his team competing at the highest level in different ways.
Looking back to the past two trips to the College Football Playoff National Championship game for Dabo Swinney and Clemson, they were teams that played a high level of defense, but were carried by an elite quarterback and offense.
Last season, Deshaun Watson led an offense that ranked 12th in the country in terms of yards per game — posting 501 per contest — and 14th in scoring offense, averaging 39.2 points per game. Meanwhile, their defense in 2016-17 was also near the top of the country (ninth) in allowing just 314 yards per game while ranking 12th in scoring defense by allowing just 18.4 per contest.
Fast-forward to this season, though, and it’s been a turnaround for how Clemson has been able to find their success. Losing Watson and guys like Mike Williams has caused the offense to take a step back from where it was just a year ago. They’re no slouches by any means, but they’ve dropped to 20th in points per game (35.4) and 30th in yards per game (448). Going from Watson to Kelly Bryant, a capable but much lesser player, will have that affect.
However, Swinney has realized this and has coached his team to thrive on elite defensive play all season. As good as they were on that side of the ball a year ago, they’ve been even better this season. The Tigers boast the second-best scoring defense in the country, allowing a meager 12.8 points per game (it’s worth noting that the only team better than them is their Sugar Bowl opponent, Alabama, at 11.5 points per contest). In the same vein, the Clemson defense has only allowed 278 yards per game, good enough for sixth in the country.
While this obviously continues to speak to the head coach’s ability to recruit at an elite level as it pertains to defensive talent, it also speaks to his prowess in terms of being on the sidelines. No coaching job is easy when it comes to competing at a National Championship level. However, it speaks volumes about a coach’s ability when he’s able to get his team to play at that level in drastically different manners over just a one-year span.
What’s more, it became clear over the season that Swinney and his team became even more potent with this style of play as the season went on. Their two victories to close the season in a rivalry game against South Carolina and in the ACC Championship against Miami were snapshots of this team’s best chance at success. They allowed just 13 points combined over those two games. And while they put up an average of 36 points per game in the two victories, it was the defense that led the way.
Now entering the College Football Playoff, Clemson will again lean on their defense if they’re to get to the title game for the third consecutive year. Swinney’s team has arguably the worst offense of the four teams in the running, even if it’s still quite good. But they aren’t going to win in a shootout with Alabama, Georgia or Oklahoma. They simply don’t have the firepower or talent that they did a year ago when they could win in such a manner.
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Instead, Swinney will be put to the ultimate test as he puts a style of play that is a stark change from what we’ve seen in recent years from his teams on display in the biggest games of the college season. And if he’s able to thrive and succeed in this manner, there will be no denying that we’re watching a legend in a bright orange windbreaker.