National Storyline: Tigers look to prove Swinney's way works

Clemson might not be the media favorite in the ACC for the first time since 2017 and Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney will field some questions on that..

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Mon Jun 26 07:00:17 GMT-04:00 2023

The ACC Football Kickoff is a mere 29 days away, and Clemson’s opener at Duke is 70 days in the future. In other words, it won’t be long now. And while every season is important, this season looks a little different than seasons past.

There are a few different reasons, and I’ll start with the ACC Kickoff. The ACC expanded this year’s event to three days and put it a little later in the month of July than it’s been in the past. The commissioner will speak on day one and will be followed by Miami, Georgia Tech, Louisville, and Syracuse. Remember, the ACC doesn’t have divisions anymore, so former Coastal and Atlantic teams will go on the same day.

But highlighting day two is Florida State, and the Seminoles will share the day with Duke, Pitt, Virginia, and Virginia Tech. The Seminoles will be favored by many to not only challenge Clemson for the league title but will likely be the league favorite.

The last time the Tigers weren’t favored to win the ACC title by the league media? Back in 2017, when Kelly Bryant took over for Deshaun Watson. The Tigers won the league anyway, dismantling Miami 38-3 in Charlotte. Before that? It was 2014 when FSU was once again favored, and Jimbo Fisher’s squad beat Paul Johnson and Georgia Tech 37-35 in the title game.

Clemson and Florida St. is a battle of cultures and roster building – the Seminoles have consistently been toward the back of the back end of the Top 25 in national recruiting over the last several seasons. But had a transfer ranking of No. 2 (according to 247Sports) back in 2021, No. 9 in 2021, and No. 6 in 2023, with 10 players added via the transfer portal. Eight of those ten are 4-stars, and the other two are 3-stars, and all are expected to contribute if not start.

Meanwhile, Dabo Swinney keeps his players, and his roster is built through recruiting and development. A conversation I had with Tennessee defensive coordinator Tim Banks at the Orange Bowl was eye-opening – he said all the coaches he knows would rather not use the transfer portal except to add a piece here and there. Florida St. has seen an exodus of players over the last few seasons, and head coach Mike Norvell has used the portal to his advantage.

The old way versus the new way. Culture and development versus mercenaries and hired guns.

Clemson is on day three of the Kickoff along with Boston College, UNC, NC State, and Wake Forest. And there will be a lot of questions from people who want to know but there may be one overarching theme: is Clemson’s run over?

There is a perception by many across the country that Clemson has slipped from the nation’s elite. Three losses in 2021. One loss through the first 11 games of 2022, then a head-scratching loss to South Carolina in the season finale and that desultory loss to Tennessee in the Orange Bowl.

You know what they’re saying – 'Clemson isn’t printing money to give out to recruits'; 'Clemson doesn’t use the transfer portal'; and 'Swinney is too loyal to his coaches these days, and the coaching has slipped'. So Swinney fired Brandon Streeter and hired Garrett Riley away from TCU. His guys are starting to recruit better (especially Tyler Grisham and CJ Spiller, but the OL needs some recruiting wins and soon), and Riley’s arrival brings a certain swag back to the offense.

After the 2021 season, I had a brief conversation with Swinney in which he mentioned that the climb back up the mountain might be sweeter than the original climb. If the Tigers are indeed going to position themselves among the nation’s elite, this year would be a good start.

Why? Because the nation will be watching what happens in TigerTown.