Dabo Swinney Reveals What He Stole From Bill Belichick’s Playbook

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Jeremy Lockett | Last updated May 29, 2025 9:00 AM ET

During a special episode of ACC Huddle, hosted by ESPN’s Rece Davis, Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney sat down with legendary NFL coach Bill Belichick—now the head coach of the North Carolina Tar Heels—and explained just how deeply he has studied the Patriots icon’s approach to sustained excellence.

Swinney revealed that Belichick’s philosophy is embedded in his own coaching blueprint.

“I have three pages of Bill Belichick in my program book,” Swinney admitted, referring to a list Belichick once shared about “culture killers.” According to Swinney, those concepts are reviewed annually with his staff and players.

“I love studying people who win again and again. There are a lot of people who win once and disappear. Not Bill. He kept doing it. That fascinates me.”

Belichick emphasized the importance of assembling people with the right mindset to sustain success. “You need people that want to keep achieving that goal,” he said. “It’s like Brady used to say—what’s your favorite Super Bowl? The next one.”

Swinney’s takeaway was clear: culture is built not just with talent but with hunger and the willingness to be pushed. He referenced Belichick’s approach of bringing in veterans who hadn’t won—like Chris Long or Roman Phifer—to inject gratitude and hunger into a locker room.

The two legendary coaches found common ground in their belief that culture beats schemes. Belichick noted that successful teams are full of players who believe in what they’re doing and appreciate the grind. Swinney, whose Clemson program has won multiple ACC titles and national championships, seems to have taken that philosophy to heart.

And if his program book is any indication, Belichick’s fingerprints are subtly etched into Clemson’s DNA.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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