Dabo Swinney Has Clemson Going in Right Direction

2009 Season Shaping Up Well for Tigers

From the very first game of the 2008 football season, the Clemson football team seemed to be in an irreversible funk. 

The silver-lining to the embarrassing loss to Alabama was a quick recovery with three wins for the Tigers. 

This "good feeling" was soon deflated with back-to-back losses to Maryland and Wake Forest. 

With these losses, plus the previous nine seasons bereft of any kind of title, head coach Tommy Bowden resigned and passed the reigns to then-wide receivers coach Dabo Swinney. 

Swinney's first game as interim head coach against Georgia Tech had many hoping for a win, but understanding that it could be too much to ask for. 

With a few too many turnovers, Clemson dropped that game. However, the Tigers had a couple of weeks to find their niche with Swinney and get it in their heads that they would—not just could—turn their season around. 

And turn it around they did. 

Following that devastating loss to the Yellow Jackets, Clemson took control of its season and won 4 out of its last 5. 

This feat allowed Swinney to remove the "interim" tag from his title and earn his first head coaching position. 

Many people have been comparing Swinney's rise to power to that of Danny Ford many years ago. 

For instance, both Swinney and Ford were born and raised in the state of Alabama.  Both played for the Crimson Tide.  Both coaches accepted their jobs mid-season, with no experience as coordinators, and both of their respective first games as head coaches would be in the Gator Bowl.  

The one distinguishing difference between Swinney and Ford is that Ford won the 1981 National Championship over Nebraska. 

Paul Strelow, a writer for The State newspaper in Columbia, SC, writes, "Whether Swinney can match that accomplishment in his first four seasons is debatable. Even Ford says he doesn’t know if the Tigers will come close again because of the changed college football landscape." 

But Clemson fans aren't looking for a national title.  Not yet anyway. 

First thing's first: beat Nebraska in the Gator Bowl. Continue on the right path that has been laid by Swinney so far in getting the Tigers moving back toward the top of the ACC. 

Many people have been skeptical as to whether Clemson can rake in a top recruiting class with everything that has developed this year. 

The early-season downfall of the Tigers certainly saw a decline in the number of recruits on the table.  The dismissal of Tommy Bowden further decreased that number. 

However, the mid-season turn-around and strong finish has peaked the interest of many of the nation's recruits. 

A Gator Bowl victory over the strong Cornhuskers on New Year's Day would certainly keep the Tiger recruiting channels wide open and help give this team a huge boost going into the 2009 season. 

Although there are 36 seniors graduating—most of them from the defense that was Clemson's saving grace this season—hopes are high that a good recruiting class will help this squad continue on the right track. 

Many Clemson faithful are also hoping that the turmoil which erupted during the season helped to bring this Tiger squad together and taught them how to play through tough times. 

There is no doubt that this is a very skilled and talented football team.  Hopefully the lessons learned this season will transcend far beyond the Gator Bowl in a couple of weeks and march right on into the 2009 season.