Not all that long ago, the Clemson Tigers were on top of the college football world under head coach Dabo Swinney, making the College Football Playoff six years in a row between 2015 and 2020, winning a pair of national titles during that span. But after the Tigers have now missed the playoff in back-to-back years, it’s fair to wonder if the program is slipping – but Swinney certainly doesn’t think so.
When asked about the recent struggles – at least relative to the team’s previous success – Dabo Swinney had quite a shocking response, suggesting that Clemson has “never been better” than it is right now.
“People, they need stories and it’s a story if Clemson went to six playoffs in a row and then didn’t make it. What’s wrong with them?” Swinney said in an interview with ESPN. “There’s nothing wrong with Clemson. There’s nothing wrong with our program. In fact, I would argue, honestly, our program has never been better.”
Swinney was asked to elaborate on why exactly he feels that way.
“Our people, the kids on this roster, the talent, our coaches, our support staff, our administration, our infrastructure, our connectivity,” Swinney said. “I’m better now than I’ve ever been as a head coach. It’s not even close, where I am now to where I was in ’13, when we won our first BCS game. Never been better.”
They’re pretty bold comments, and the college football world had plenty to say about it on Twitter.
It's not 2019 anymore. https://t.co/jZ8WHdrxo6
— Mr. Burns (@DJLagway_) March 28, 2023
He’s right.
The 𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐭 is yet to come… 🐅🐾🏆🏆🏆 https://t.co/eZTHB8Uy3s pic.twitter.com/lhqZ0XcmKl
— Clemson Bias (@clemson_bias) March 28, 2023
Foreshadowing
— Jack Straw from Wichita (@masterkiefffff) March 28, 2023
— . (@TweetThatDabo) March 28, 2023
Good read… https://t.co/labUXjcypQ
— Tony Jones (@wajones99) March 28, 2023
Swinney’s words may be true, but that infrastructure hasn’t actually led to the type of success the team has become accustomed to over the years.
[ESPN]
