Clemson football is embarking on a voyage never seen before and one that no Clemson fan ever thought was attainable. Dabo Swinney now has his eyes set at college football history and we should all believe him.
When former Clemson athletic director Terry Don Phillips hired Dabo Swinney to be Clemson’s football coach on a permanent basis, there was a lot of skepticism. This story has been told numerous times by everyone, so there is no point in rehashing it.
However, the one point of emphasis I would like to point out is Coach Swinney at that time told the Clemson faithful that we were embarking on the greatest decade in program history. That was a tough sell amid the 6-6 seasons and failure to win big games. Swinney told the truth and gave us exactly what he promised.
The 2010s were the greatest decade in program history and unlike runs by Southern Cal, Miami, Nebraska, Texas or any other blue blood, this one is just getting started.
Coach Swinney is telling recruits that he is no longer interested in the 2020s being Clemson’s best decade, he wants this to be the greatest decade in college football history and his history tells us to believe him.
Elite-level athletes are flocking to little ole Clemson, South Carolina to be part of something never seen before. They want to be groomed into national champions on the field and elite men off of the field. They are flocking to Clemson because of the holistic approach that Coach Swinney and his staff take to each individual athlete and to be part of something bigger than just winning games.
My first experience with Clemson was in November of 1998 when my dearest friend was just a freshman. He invited me up to the South Carolina game that year and from that point on I was hooked, the 3-8 record under Tommy West didn’t matter; Clemson did because it was something that I had never experienced.
More than 20 years later, this is still happening and it is happening a level no one ever imagined. For most of the 90s and 2000s, we all just wanted to make a bowl game, hell a Top 25 ranking was something to be ecstatic about. Honestly, this wasn’t all that long ago.
From “the run” in 2003, beating Miami in 2004, to losing to Wake Forest, Duke, and Maryland, Clemson has never experienced the consistency of success that they have under Swinney. Recruits, coached and fans know how rare this is and want to be part of it.
To see top players from California, Texas and Florida choosing Clemson over programs they have grown up watching is incredible. Coach Swinney wanted to bring back the “roaring 20s” and if the last four days are any indication, it’s going to be a helluva ride over the next decade with Clemson football.