Clemson coach Dabo Swinney met with the media for his weekly press conference to preview the Pittsburgh game and he got asked a question no one would have ever predicted he’d be asked back in the preseason: About speculation that he might leave Clemson for another job.
LSU and Ed Orgeron announced earlier this week that the two parties would be parting ways after this season, just two years removed from him winning a National Championship.
Though Dabo Swinney is already one of the highest-paid coaches in all of College Football, he has been the subject of many rumors as a potential candidate for the open position.
Swinney was asked about those internet rumors on Tuesday and he confirmed what we knew all along that he wasn’t interested.
"“This is the only Death Valley I’m concerned with right here,” Swinney said via ESPN.“I don’t know the situation [with Orgeron at LSU],” Swinney said when asked about the pressure to win immediately and consistently, “but I do know some of the greatest coaches we’ve ever had weren’t good early or maybe the consistency wasn’t there. It’s a tough business.”"
Dabo Swinney will only consider leaving Clemson for one job, and one job only
You’d be surprised how many Clemson football fans we had ask about the proposition that Swinney could legitimately leave Clemson for Baton Rouge.
First of all, you should’ve known there was no truth to these rumors based solely on Swinney’s massive contract buyout. Second, it simply doesn’t make sense for Swinney to leave Clemson– a program and culture that he has built– to go coach in a place that has a toxic culture with a fanbase that wants a coach fired just two years after winning a National Championship.
We remain steadfast in the belief that there is only one job that Swinney would ever consider leaving Clemson for and that’s Alabama.
Once Nick Saban retires– which doesn’t look to be any time soon– there may be a push to get Dabo Swinney and he may not be able to resist the urge to return to his alma mater.
Still, even then, we think he would have a hard time leaving what he’s built at Clemson.