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When Nick Saban suddenly retired from the University of Alabama, Dabo Swinney’s name was one of the first to come up among a long list of prospective candidates.
And although the Tigers coach confirmed he spoke with Saban after his announcement, Swinney says he’s happy right where he is at Clemson.
“I’m happy for Alabama. I love Alabama. That’ll never change. But I love Clemson, too,” Swinney told reporters on Wednesday. “And I’m happy with my job. I’m happy for Coach Saban. Had a great conversation with him. What we talked about will stay between us, but just focused on what I’m doing.”
Swinney, an Alabama native and Crimson Tide alum, took over for Tommy Bowden back in 2008 as an interim head coach and has gone on to lead the Tigers to an 170-43 record with two national titles and eight ACC championships.
Even in a down year like 2023, Clemson still finished 9-4 and won a bowl game and they’ve only failed to win 10 or more games three times in Dabo’s 15 seasons as the full-time head coach.
Who knows what the future ultimately holds for Swinney but right now it looks like he’ll be running down the hill in Death Valley in the immediate.