In college football's chaos, it's OK to be different, to be uniquely Clemson

Clemson will always be different, and that's a good thing.

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Mon Jan 22 07:00:05 GMT-05:00 2024

The current college football landscape is one of chaos, one of me-first athletes and coaches, and an ever-growing demand for money to feed the machine. In times like these, it’s not only OK to be different; it’s needed more than ever by the young people and communities we are supposed to serve.

Welcome to Clemson.

When the idea for this column began to rumble around in my head, I knew that I wanted it to be impactful and convey the right message. A conversation with a friend who is a part of another college football program only heightened that feeling.

We are in a current climate of players jumping from school to school – sometimes leaving one school and committing to another school and then, before classes even begin, jumping to yet another school. The quest for playing time and more money are two driving factors, and it’s all enabled by adults who push young people into what can be bad decisions because they also want a piece of the money pie.

I like the idea of student-athletes making money, and I like the idea of students being able to choose a school that fits what they need. But somewhere along the way, those good ideas were twisted into the mess we currently encounter. We knew it was going to happen. Everyone knew it was going to happen. And the NCAA sat idly by and let it happen.

During a conversation with someone at this other program this week, I was told of a coach who was excited about next season. His team ended the season with a tough loss, but he felt like he had the type of team returning that could make some noise. As the rest of the bowl season and the playoffs progressed, this coach was asked by some of his better players for a meeting. He hoped they would tell him they were all returning to make a run next season. Instead, he was told they all needed more money. More NIL funds. Either more money or they walk.

That story reminded me of Clemson. After the Tigers lost to Alabama in the 2015 season's National Championship Game, there was a feeling around the program of unfinished business. We met with head coach Dabo Swinney in July that next year, and he said the failure of not winning the championship was fueling the 2016 team.

“I don't have to say anything. I think the failure from that game is all the motivation they need. It's part of the journey. Pain is a good thing,” Swinney said. “If we won every game all of the time, you'd never appreciate it. We won as many as Alabama did last year -- we just lost the wrong one. We won more games than anybody in the history of college football, so I think that's a great experience for our team to draw upon, but I don't really have to say anything. I think their experience has brought the sense of urgency that we needed. From day one, the chemistry of this team has been unique. It's been special. I think that experience of the grind of last year has prepared them well for their opportunity this year. All it is is opportunity and potential. We've got to go pay the price. We've got to climb back up the mountain with a great humble and hungry attitude.”

Six months later, Swinney and those players stood in the confetti and hoisted the championship trophy.

The next year, we saw an angry Alabama team beat Clemson in the Sugar Bowl, the Tide intent on reclaiming the title. That sent a message to players like Christian Wilkins, Dexter Lawrence, Clelin Ferrell, and others that they wanted the title back in Clemson. And following a 44-16 beatdown of the Tide, that’s what happened.

We saw that with Michigan this season. The Wolverines were a team that knew it had unfinished business, and they stayed together to win a championship for their coach, their school, each other, and the fans.

Elsewhere, it seems players don’t care about that. It’s more money, or we walk.

Except in Clemson, where Swinney continues to do things his way. He has a core group of talent returning this season, and the program didn’t take a blow from the portal the way other schools have taken blows.

Because of that, the Tigers sit at a comfortable 85 (or 86) scholarships and no room on the roster for transfers. I wrote and told our message board earlier this week that, yes, I would love to see Swinney use the portal. But not 20 players. Not 15 or even 10. This program doesn’t need that. I feel that one or two or three impactful transfers could make a difference.

At last count, South Carolina lost 23 players to the portal and replaced those numbers with 19. Florida State did the same thing last season, and when the going got tough, the Seminoles saw multiple opt-outs, and what followed was a 63-3 embarrassment on national television. There are pluses and minuses with the portal, and another downside is the fact that so many players don’t find homes.

Swinney’s model is different than pretty much every other coach out there. Swinney and staff are recruiting players who want to be at Clemson, who want to win championships, and who want to be developed into better players and men. They tell the parents that their young men will be given every tool to accomplish just that (which reminds me of the old saying, “Give a man a fish, and he will be hungry again tomorrow; teach him to catch a fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.”)

The Tigers will continue to recruit that way and will undoubtedly scour the portal for help if Swinney feels like help is warranted. You can agree with his methods, or you won’t. He will still do it his way. And somewhere along the way, we will notice that Clemson will probably continue to win games and develop young people, and hopefully contend for a championship the old-fashioned way.

I was reading about Clemson Elevate this week – the strategic plan developed to take the university to the next level – and there are three levels to that plan: 1. Deliver the No. 1 student experience in the nation; 2. Double research expenditures by 2035, position for AAU membership; and 3. Transform lives statewide and beyond through educational, economic, agricultural, and health outreach.

Those are all forward-looking ideas, but the backbone of the strategic plan is what stood out to me – building upon the foundation of the school as a higher seminary of learning while continuing to accentuate the things that make Clemson, Clemson. To embody the unique experience that is Clemson. To understand and cherish the history and traditions of the school and embrace that past while also embracing the future.

Transfer portal and NIL mania abound, and college football is a mess. And some fans want to enter the fray and forget about those core tenets and win-at-all-costs. But as we were reminded last week when Alabama head coach Nick Saban walked away, the costs are sometimes high.

Swinney’s plan is different, and if it works, other schools might notice that it might be the best way to achieve consistent, long-term success. It’s worked for him so far. And it’s a plan that, as the rest of college football continues to implode and drive fans away, embodies that which so many Clemson fans hold so dear.

It’s for the little girl in her cheerleading outfit, Tiger Paw painted on her face, watching the real cheerleaders on the sidelines. It’s for the kids who seek out the players at the Paw after every game. It’s running down the Hill, it’s Judge Keller’s, and it’s for anyone who remembers the halcyon days of Johnstone, listening to music on a warm spring day. It’s the little things, the unique things, that are the basis of the Clemson experience. Like it or not, Swinney and his administration are trying to hold firm to those ideals.

It's OK to be different.