When Nick Saban suddenly retired, Dabo Swinney’s name was one of the first to come up to replace him down in Tuscaloosa.
It wasn’t too much of a surprise given Swinney’s ties to the school but Alabama ultimately decided to go with Washington’s Kalen DeBoer.
In a recent interview with The State, Clemson athletic director Graham Neff opened up about how he felt when those rumors were swirling:
New: Spoke with Clemson athletic director Graham Neff about last month’s Dabo Swinney-Alabama saga. In his first public comments on the topic, Neff says Swinney staying put is “just a great testament to Clemson” and the mutual commitment at the school https://t.co/UvhwxXws8I
— Chapel Fowler (@chapelfowler) February 2, 2024
It was just a great testament to Clemson. It’s something that Dabo and I talked a lot about while that [Alabama] transition was happening. He has a long memory in a good way. … Couldn’t view a better fit for Clemson football than Dabo Swinney and, quite frankly, couldn’t view a better fit for Dabo Swinney than Clemson University. And so I think that inflection point there really, really proved that.
The Tigers AD added that all of his discussions with Dabo centered around Clemson’s football program and “the expectation, the excitement and the continued support.”
Swinney’s entire head coaching career has been spent in Tiger Country and it sounds like that’s going to continue for the foreseeable future.