Clemson HC Dabo Swinney has a tremendous chance to remind everyone exactly who he is

I cannot think of four college head coaches who are better than Dabo Swinney, much less six...
Dabo Swinney, Clemson Tigers
Dabo Swinney, Clemson Tigers / Tim Warner/GettyImages
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"Don't you know who I think I was?" He may be a man, but he is not exactly 40. While I do not know if he can bowl like Pete Weber, it is about time we finally put some respect back on Dabo Swinney's name again. In the wake of Nick Saban retiring, Jim Harbaugh going to the NFL, and countless others fizzling out, Swinney is still one of three active college football head coaches who won a national title.

To date, Swinney has won two (2016, 2018), coached in two more (2015, 2019) and led Clemson to the College Football Playoff three more times (2017, 2020, 2024). Yet for some reason, we think he is off his rocker. He is not that old, even though his old-timey ways at little ole Clemson have not helped his program win No. 3 at any point in the last several seasons. It has hurt his reputation considerably.

According to J.D. PicKell of On3, here are the best head coaches in college football for this season.

  1. Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart
  2. Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day
  3. Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian
  4. Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Kalen DeBoer
  5. Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning
  6. Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman
  7. Clemson Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney
  8. LSU Tigers head coach Brian Kelly
  9. Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin
  10. Tennessee Volunteers head coach Josh Heupel

If you want a better visual representation of that, here is PicKell's top 10 coaches in college football.

One thing stands out above the rest with PicKell's top 10: Dabo Swinney is far too low ranked No. 7!

Dabo Swinney has a great opportunity to make his detractors look stupid

For the most part, PicKell does have the right 10 head coaches. I may have somebody else in there over Josh Heupel at No. 10. I might also consider dropping Brian Kelly outside the top 10, only to see him scream himself Tom Coughlin purple because none of his graduate assistants want to unknowingly valet park cars at a private holiday event they thought they were attending as guests...

However, I just have a very hard time having anyone definitely above Swinney other than Georgia's Kirby Smart and now Ohio State's Ryan Day. Those are the right choices for No. 1 and No. 2. I would argue that Texas' Steve Sarkisian should probably be ranked ahead of Swinney, but that is it. What have Kalen DeBoer, Dan Lanning and Marcus Freeman accomplished that Swinney never has before?

These are all great coaches, but Swinney's resume at the Power Four level at Clemson speaks for itself. He took a borderline blue blood that had pretty much lost its way under Tommy Bowden and transformed the Tigers into something more ferocious than Danny Ford could have ever fathomed. Clemson may be insular, easy to root against, but Swinney must be viewed as an all-time head coach.

As far as if Swinney is going to do anything about it, it starts by repeating as ACC champions next fall. The Tigers have Cade Klubnik back at quarterback, as well as much of his supporting cast. Garrett Riley remains as the offensive coordinator, while Swinney wisely poached Tom Allen away from Penn State to replace Wes Goodwin as his defensive coordinator. Clemson should make the playoff again.

While I do not know if Swinney will ever win another national title at Clemson again, he seems to be lessening his once-reluctant attitude toward the transfer portal. Clemson recruits very well out of high school, but dipping into the portal is an insurance mechanism in case the four or five-star of note is no longer up to snuff. I sense Clemson having a better chance of winning another than before.

In the post-Saban era of college football, there will soon be more than just three active head coaches with a national championship on their resume. I may like Sarkisian's chances of making it four sooner rather than later, but I think there are compelling enough reasons why PicKell highlighted the 10 that he did. Swinney may not be at the peak of his power right now, but I do feel a second wave is coming.

It is a 50-50 proposition if Swinney ever wins another national title at Clemson, but I am siding, yes.