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Questions continue to surround Clemson after last season, but Dabo Swinney’s accomplishments still carry plenty of weight with national analysts.
During a recent On3 podcast, Andy Staples and Ari Wasserman held a fantasy-style draft of the coaches they’d choose to build a program around entering the 2026 season. When Wasserman was on the clock with the 14th overall selection, he decided Swinney’s résumé was simply too difficult to pass up.
The choice wasn’t without hesitation, as Wasserman acknowledged Clemson is coming off a disappointing year and admitted the program faces legitimate questions moving forward. Even so, he said Swinney has already proven he can recruit elite talent, develop NFL players and win at the highest level, making him one of the best values left on the board.
“Now I’m gonna move on, and I’m going to do something that I’m unsure of…I’m gonna go ahead and take the coach that has won two national titles. I’m going to take Dabo Swinney,” Wasserman said. “And I understand the risks involved in this, I understand that things seem to be coming to a head in Clemson. Last year was an absolute nightmare for him and his program and their fans, but I have not given up because they had a team in this era that produced eight draft picks. So he’s already proven to me that he can at least assemble a roster with good players.”
Wasserman went on to explain that while he has questioned Clemson’s roster-building in recent years, he doesn’t believe Swinney suddenly lost the ability to coach football. That’s why he felt comfortable selecting the two-time national championship-winning coach later than many expected.
“Do you think Dabo Swinney just forgot how to coach? Do we think he forgot how to coach games? I thought he forgot how to build a roster, but I think this is kind of a value play. And this might look bad in a few years, I don’t know where things are headed, but give me a person that I have the utmost respect for. A person that (has done what) very few coaches on this list have done anywhere, and I will just do my best if this doesn’t age poorly. But I think from a value standpoint, taking him this late, I’ll take him and put him on my list.”
Staples didn’t disagree with the selection. While Clemson failed to meet expectations a year ago, he pointed out the Tigers still have one of the more talented rosters in the country.
“That’s the thing, he still has a good roster…The roster looks like a Playoff roster still,” Staples said.
Swinney was the second ACC coach taken in the exercise. Miami’s Mario Cristobal came off the board much earlier at No. 6 overall after leading the Hurricanes to a national championship, while the opening five selections featured Curt Cignetti, Kirby Smart, Ryan Day, Marcus Freeman and Steve Sarkisian.
Even after a difficult season in Clemson, Swinney’s standing among national college football voices remains strong. A top-15 selection in a draft filled with the sport’s biggest names shows many still believe he has the experience and track record to get the Tigers back into championship contention.
For more, check us out on X (Formerly known as Twitter) @Clemson_Wire, as well as on Facebook!
This article originally appeared on Clemson Wire: Where Clemson’s Dabo Swinney lands in a college football head coach draft
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During a recent On3 podcast, Andy Staples and Ari Wasserman held a fantasy-style draft of the coaches they’d choose to build a program around entering the 2026 season. When Wasserman was on the clock with the 14th overall selection, he decided Swinney’s résumé was simply too difficult to pass up.
The choice wasn’t without hesitation, as Wasserman acknowledged Clemson is coming off a disappointing year and admitted the program faces legitimate questions moving forward. Even so, he said Swinney has already proven he can recruit elite talent, develop NFL players and win at the highest level, making him one of the best values left on the board.
“Now I’m gonna move on, and I’m going to do something that I’m unsure of…I’m gonna go ahead and take the coach that has won two national titles. I’m going to take Dabo Swinney,” Wasserman said. “And I understand the risks involved in this, I understand that things seem to be coming to a head in Clemson. Last year was an absolute nightmare for him and his program and their fans, but I have not given up because they had a team in this era that produced eight draft picks. So he’s already proven to me that he can at least assemble a roster with good players.”
Wasserman went on to explain that while he has questioned Clemson’s roster-building in recent years, he doesn’t believe Swinney suddenly lost the ability to coach football. That’s why he felt comfortable selecting the two-time national championship-winning coach later than many expected.
“Do you think Dabo Swinney just forgot how to coach? Do we think he forgot how to coach games? I thought he forgot how to build a roster, but I think this is kind of a value play. And this might look bad in a few years, I don’t know where things are headed, but give me a person that I have the utmost respect for. A person that (has done what) very few coaches on this list have done anywhere, and I will just do my best if this doesn’t age poorly. But I think from a value standpoint, taking him this late, I’ll take him and put him on my list.”
Staples didn’t disagree with the selection. While Clemson failed to meet expectations a year ago, he pointed out the Tigers still have one of the more talented rosters in the country.
“That’s the thing, he still has a good roster…The roster looks like a Playoff roster still,” Staples said.
Swinney was the second ACC coach taken in the exercise. Miami’s Mario Cristobal came off the board much earlier at No. 6 overall after leading the Hurricanes to a national championship, while the opening five selections featured Curt Cignetti, Kirby Smart, Ryan Day, Marcus Freeman and Steve Sarkisian.
Even after a difficult season in Clemson, Swinney’s standing among national college football voices remains strong. A top-15 selection in a draft filled with the sport’s biggest names shows many still believe he has the experience and track record to get the Tigers back into championship contention.
For more, check us out on X (Formerly known as Twitter) @Clemson_Wire, as well as on Facebook!
This article originally appeared on Clemson Wire: Where Clemson’s Dabo Swinney lands in a college football head coach draft
Continue reading...
