Mama may call, but will Dabo Swinney answer?

Clemson coach Dabo Swinney has won two national titles in his time at Clemson.

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Thu Jan 11 13:13:45 GMT-04:00 2024

That thing Clemson fans didn’t want to think about. It happened. What happens next? I don’t know, but these should be some busy days across college football.

College football is now a 24-hour, 365-day news cycle with the transfer portal and NIL, and when you add in the departure of the greatest coach of all time, it ramps up even more. Nick Saban, perhaps the greatest steward of a college football program of all time, announced he was retiring Wednesday afternoon.

Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney grew up an Alabama fan. In the state of Alabama. He went to school and graduated from Alabama. He played for Alabama and won a National Championship. He coached at Alabama. And that’s the one thing that has cast a shadow over Swinney’s success at Clemson -what would happen if Alabama (or 'Mama' as Bear Bryant referred to it back in the day when returning to Alabama) called? Would he listen? Or are his ties too great, too embedded at Clemson? His sons grew up here, and he’s won several ACC Championships and two National Championships with the Tigers, giving the school in the foothills of South Carolina unprecedented recognition and success.

My first thought – and many other media types – was that Oregon head coach Dan Lanning would be an obvious choice. But in this ever-evolving world of college football, Lanning chose to do something Swinney says is key to being happy – bloom where you’re planted. So he told everyone a little bit ago that he’s staying in Eugene.

"Oregon gave me an opportunity that no one else gave me to start there. They saw something in me that not necessarily anybody else saw,” Lanning said in a statement. “Beyond that, there was an opportunity at this place to do some things that I thought -- I had everything in front of me as far as accomplishing the goals I want to accomplish...College football is changing so fast, and Oregon is willing to be on the cutting edge when it comes to that. For me, I don't take that lightly, and I feel like I have unfinished business here. There's a lot I want to accomplish here. Then, maybe more importantly than any of that, my kids, right?

"I have lived in eight different states. I'm tired of moving, right? You've got to change, like, license and all that stuff, all the time. It's not fun and probably even less fun for my wife. So we love Oregon. It's been everything that we wanted. We get to coach great players and be around great people, and it makes a lot of sense for us."

Swinney’s star isn’t quite as bright as it was back in 2017 or even 2019. There are perceptions about his views on the transfer portal and NIL, and many see him as a dinosaur unwilling to change his ways. But I spoke with someone this morning who told me that coaches who do it Swinney’s way – try to recruit the best players and then keep them happy – are going to be the ones who win going forward. Michigan’s Jim Harbaugh did a great job at keeping that team together, and it won a title Monday night.

In that sense – of building a sustainable program not based on one-and-done players – he would be very attractive when you add in his track record and roots in Alabama. But is Alabama attractive to Swinney at this point? You never want to be the guy who replaces the guy, right?

Another person who played at Alabama told me that he thinks the next coach of the Crimson Tide will be three-and-done. Alabama fans will want instant success in the post-Saban era, and with the volatile nature of college football and the ease with which players transfer, which will be a tough task.

I do know this – Swinney went out last night and celebrated his brother’s birthday, and those who know said that Swinney was in a great frame of mind when it comes to Clemson and that he’s still very excited about the future. I was also told that as of this morning, no one from Alabama had asked permission to speak to Swinney.

Another great call was from someone who has bounced around at different schools, and he said, "People at Clemson, many of them, don't realize how special Clemson is. The area. The town. The people. The synergy between the coaches and administrators. That is hard to find anywhere else, including Alabama."

Swinney and his coaches held a staff meeting – it was already on the schedule – and I think things will proceed as normal around here. But someone sent me a meme the other day that said, “Your chances of getting killed by a cow are low, but never zero.”

That’s the way I feel right now on Swinney and Alabama. The chances are low, but never zero.