Clemson's Dabo Swinney Channels 'Ted Lasso' to Build 'The Dabo Way'

Clemson Tigers football head coach Dabo Swinney has been triumphant in his time with the Tigers, to such an extent that the Pro Football Focus (PFF) ranked the Top 10 Head Coaches in College Football, and Swinney sits at No. 3. 

Whether it’s being one of the few active coaches in college football to have a National Championship, leading a team that holds the most ACC Championships, or his player relationships, Swinney’s made an impact in Clemson, S.C.– and he’s not done.

Often criticized for his reluctance to the changing times of college football and the transfer portal, Swinney has shown the nation how one can stick to their values. One of the main things Swinney has for his players who want to come play for him: loyalty. 

ESPN Analyst Paul Finebaum, known to be critical of Swinney, recently praised him for being able to stay the course through it all. 

“I think it was amazing," Finebaum bluntly stated. "I don't think I need to remind you how many times I've been here saying 'Dabo's Dynasty is done.' But what Dabo Swinney has done is he has transformed with where we are in college football.”

It’s clear that Swinney has his traditional coaching values. But his loyalty continues to lie in how he’s been able to build and maintain strong relationships with his players, and that can be shown through how his players speak about him. 

Because at the end of the day, what any player wants is someone who believes in them. 

Quarterback Cade Klubnik spoke on Swinney at ACC Media Days and showed appreciation, along with saying how much faith Swinney had in him even in the darkest of times. 

“To have somebody that believes in me, you know after my sophomore year when everybody kind of told me I sucked and wasn’t very good..a lot of people wanted me out of Clemson. And Coach Swinney pulled me into his office and told me, ‘Cade I believe in you and let’s go to work,’” Klubnik said.

Star wide receiver Antonio Williams added on when asked one of the reasons he returned to Clemson instead of heading to the NFL.

“Coach Swinney has built trust in all of us, like we trust him that he’s not going to try to get another player out of the portal to come to take our spot,” Williams said on the ACC Huddle recently. “He always believes in the guys that he recruited, that came here and stuck with him. When you have a coach like that, that really believes in you and makes you want to play hard for him and stay.”

Now, Klubnik is a top contender for the Heisman trophy this season, and Williams and Clemson are in the conversation for a National Championship. 

Being in these types of conversations isn’t just a testament to how hard Klubnik and the Clemson Tigers have worked to get to that point, but also to how Swinney has been the type of coach to uplift and guide his team to greatness. 

Klubnik’s remarks on Swinney at ACC Media Days caught the attention of ESPN Analyst Mike Greenberg, along with Finebaum. 

"In a world of college football now, where there is almost no allegiance, it's not rewarded in any way from coaches towards players or players toward coaches," said Greenberg on ESPN. "And look, Dabo Swinney and I have not always seen eye to eye on a lot of things, and there's been reason for criticism of him in the past, I believe, but this really jumped off the page at me. I thought this was a really important statement that his quarterback made."

Because of the unwavering faith in his team, Swinney’s been compared before to a well-known fictional character: coach Ted Lasso. 

Known for never listening to the noise or doubting his players when adversity hits, to facing criticism from his coaching style and positive attitude, one thing was for certain: Lasso truly connected with all his players.

Fans who have seen the ‘Ted Lasso’ series also agreed that both Swinney and Lasso are vastly similar. Taking to social media, one fan wrote, “Love the show and thought the same thing…He knows how to inspire winners,” posted on Tigernet.com