Clemson Is USC East With Its Entertaining Head Coach
From his “Dabo dance” in the locker room to hosting Santa Claus on his roof, Swinney is the new version of Pete Carroll and that is to say the coolest college football coach in America.
Like Carroll, Swinney is free-wheeling fun. His players love it, the media loves it and the team is playing like Carroll’s USC squads, which is to say loose yet also confident.
This approach works on the field and in recruiting, too, as Swinney has assembled a lineup full of talent in Clemson. It doesn’t match what Carroll had at USC – those were some of the most talented teams in the history of the game – but there’s a reason the Tigers are 12-0 and in the College Football Playoff.
Swinney also has another trait in common with Carroll: He’s extremely competitive. He may hide this under his smile and friendly demeanor but inside burns a fire to compete and to be the best.
He has also set Clemson up to sustain excellence for a long time.
Swinney has also done something that Carroll did not have to battle, and that is overcoming the a term that defined the program’s renowned ability to crack under pressure. It became known as “Clemsoning.”
But Swinney attacked that head on, even in interviews with big dog ESPN. Now the media does not dare say that word even on the air, let alone in his presence.
So while being fun,Swinney can also be firm.
Just like Pete Carroll.
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