‘Dabo is our guy,’ Clemson president declares as Alabama job opens
As rumors swirl about Dabo Swinney’s potential candidacy for the Alabama job, Clemson’s president has a message about the school’s longtime football coach.
“Dabo is our guy,” Jim Clements said Thursday.
Clements, Clemson’s president since 2013 and a prominent supporter of Swinney and the Tigers football team, was at the State House in Columbia on Thursday for a press conference to announce a new agreement with between the University of South Carolina, Clemson and technical colleges about credit transfers of core classes.
He spoke briefly with a reporter from The State about the possibility of Swinney, Clemson’s two-time national championship-winning coach of 15 seasons, replacing the legendary Nick Saban at Alabama after Saban announced his retirement Wednesday.
Here’s that exchange:
Question: Have you spoken to Dabo about the Alabama job?
Clements: “We’’ll save that question for another day.”
Question: “Are you worried he might leave?”
Clements: “Love Dabo Swinney. Dabo has done a great job. Look, Dabo loves Clemson. Clemson loves Dabo. Dabo is our guy. Dabo’s done a great job. He’s a phenomenal leader, built an incredible program with great culture, delivered national championships. Dabo is our guy.”
Although Swinney has not been formally connected to the Alabama job, multiple national reporters mentioned his name Wednesday as a top candidate for the gig. Other names that popped up were Oregon coach Dan Lanning (widely viewed as the top candidate), Washington coach Kalen DeBoer, Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin, Texas coach Steve Sarkisian and Florida State coach Mike Norvell.
The State has requested comment from Swinney and Clemson athletic director Graham Neff on Swinney being floated as a potential candidate for Alabama.
Swinney, 54, has long been rumored as a potential replacement for Saban, 72, because of his track record at Clemson as well as his extensive ties to the state as well as the Crimson Tide program.
Swinney grew up in Pelham, Alabama, and was a three-year letterman for the Crimson Tide at wide receiver under coach Gene Stallings from 1990-92. While there, he was part of Alabama’s 1992 national championship team.
He also started his coaching career at Alabama and worked there from 1993-2000 as a grad assistant, tight ends coach and wide receivers coach. Swinney has been at Clemson since 2003 and has been the full-time head coach since 2009 (he was the interim in 2008), winning national championships for the school in 2016 and 2019.
Clemson went 9-4 in 2023, the team’s fewest wins in a season since 2010. The Tigers rebounding from a shocking 4-4 start and finished the year on a five-game winning streak and beat Kentucky in the Gator Bowl. Last season, Swinney also passed Frank Howard as Clemson’s all-time winningest coach.
Swinney is in the second year of a 10-year, $115 million contract signed in fall 2022 and made $10.75 million last year. The deal includes an “Alabama clause” that makes it 1.5 times more expensive for Swinney to leave Clemson for Alabama’s coaching job versus any other school.
In 2024, for example, Swinney and/or his new employer would owe Clemson $7.5 million if it’s Alabama and $5 million if it’s any other college coaching job.
The State’s Joe Bustos contributed reporting.
