Nick Saban's retirement sent shockwaves throughout the college football world on Wednesday, and since the very moment the announcement went public, much of the focus has centered on who will replace the legendary coach.
Obviously, one of the first names to get mentioned, and rightfully so, is Dabo Swinney. Two national titles, six consecutive trips to the College Football Playoff and eight conference championships. On paper, he's got what is arguably the best resume. Kirby Smart might be the only coach whose resume is comparable.
As of late Thursday night, Swinney had become the favorite to land the job, per BetOnline.ag.
Swinney was born and raised in Alabama. He actually played for the Tide. Add in his longtime admiration for the program and it's only logical. It makes perfect sense. The question then becomes, if Alabama actually does come calling, how tempted is Swinney to go home? The man himself, when asked about the possibility back in 2017, wouldn't rule it out.
When it comes to these types of moves, oftentimes it comes down to timing. Is the timing right? Five years ago, answering that question might have been a little easier. The Tigers were fresh off a dismantling of the Crimson Tide in the national championship game, giving Swinney his second title in three years.
While Clemson did make it to the playoff the next two seasons, advancing to the national title game following the 2019 season, the Tigers have now missed making the field in each of the past three seasons. There is no doubt that Clemson has taken a step back from the land of the elites.
While that has absolutely had an impact on how Swinney's program has been viewed from a national perspective, all that really matters is how the Alabama administration sees it. While many point to his portal philosophy at Clemson as another thing that could negatively impact his candidacy, it might also be naive to think he wouldn't possibly consider running the program at Alabama a little differently than he has at Clemson.
Swinney built something unique at Clemson. Speak to any high school prospect that has been recruited by Clemson, and most will tell you the culture that has been cultivated inside the program is a little different.
At Alabama, the culture is already in place. Nothing needs to be rebuilt or revamped. And again, who knows how Swinney would approach the portal with the resources that Alabama provides.
At the end of the day, all that matters is what Swinney believes, and no one can answer that question but the head coach himself. What Clemson has in its football program right now, and all the success the Tigers have experienced, can mostly be credited to the vision Swinney had for the program when he took over. It is his baby, and he has poured his blood, sweat and tears into it. Literally. If he left, he would be taking over something that someone else built. And it's not like he's not had opportunities to return to Alabama.
“Most people don't even know that when coach Saban arrived at Alabama he called and offered me a job, but the timing wasn't right,” Swinney said back in 2020. “If I had been chasing the next job, or more money we would never have gotten where we are today. Just bloom where you are planted.”
As of early Thursday afternoon, Swinney had yet to be contacted. If that call does come and Swinney is presented with the opportunity to go home, it is absolutely something he would have to seriously consider. You never know. It could be another decade before the job even comes open again if he were to pass.
However, that brings us back to the timing aspect. Someting just doesn't feel right about it currently. Maybe I'm way off, but it feels like Swinney still has some unfinished business at Clemson. Like he is still blooming where he has been planted.
Want to join in on the discussion? 100% FREE! Interact with fellow Tiger fans and hear directly from publisher Zach Lentz and recruiting analyst Jason Priester on any subject. Click here to become a member of the ALL CLEMSON message board community today!
Do us a HUGE favor and like, subscribe and follow us on social media:
►LIKE us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/allclemson
►SUBSCRIBE: https://www.youtube.com/c/AllClemson
►FOLLOW All Clemson on Twitter: https://twitter.com/All_Clemson