Clemson football: 5 Tigers we wish would’ve played during the Dabo Swinney era
Five Clemson football players we wish could’ve played during the Dabo Swinney era
Sometimes a player comes around at just the perfect time. Other instances, it seems they just were a product of poor timing and the same can be seen in the Clemson football program.
The Dabo Swinney era for Clemson football has been known as the ‘golden age.’ The Tigers are currently on a streak of six-straight ACC Championships and CFB Playoff appearances with four National Title appearances and two National Championships during that span. And it doesn’t seem to be slowing down any time soon.
Here in the midst of the offseason, though, it gives us a chance to reflect and think about the success that Swinney has been able to accomplish and it got us thinking about players who weren’t a part of this massive success movement who absolutely could’ve been major contributors.
Sometimes timing just doesn’t work out, for whatever reason.
With that in mind, here are five Clemson football players who we wish could’ve played during the Dabo Swinney era.
*For this list, we didn’t mention players who were a part of the 1981 National Championship team, simply because they did win a National Championship.*
Levon Kirkland
Levon Kirkland was one of the most physically-imposing linebackers in Clemson football history, but yet he showed freakish athleticism, as well.
Kirkland- a Clemson Ring of Honor inductee- is one of the greatest to ever come through the program, but he came to Clemson during a time of turmoil and change.
The Tigers had been a dominant power in the 1980s and he showed up in 1988 looking to make an impact. Unfortunately, the effect of the NCAA’s scholarship penalty laid down on the Tigers was beginning to take effect and knocking Clemson out of the national picture.
Clemson still had three successful seasons with Kirkland on the roster, but the Tigers were never able to get over that hump of becoming a national contender. Clemson finished with 10 wins in each of his first two seasons and then finished 9-2-1 with a loss to California in his final game in 1991.
While there’s no doubt Kirkland had a successful career and that he still got to be a part of a team that won a conference championship, can you imagine how much more might have been able to be accomplished for him had he came along during the Dabo Swinney era?