Swinney pegged as ACC’s best at developing these positions for NFL
By: Staff Report June 23, 2023

FOX Sports is releasing a series regarding how college football coaches have done in terms of developing players for the NFL.

In the wake of this year’s draft, FOX Sports compiled recruiting data over the span of decades and “looked into just how productive (or not) each active Power 5 coach was at both recruiting and developing players — and at what positions — when it came to the ultimate eye in the sky of the NFL.”

As for how ACC coaches stack up as far as producing NFL talent on the offensive side of the ball over the years, FOX Sports tabbed Clemson’s Dabo Swinney as the best at developing a couple of offensive positions, including quarterbacks.

“Clemson’s Dabo Swinney, for example, has had a respectable three QBs drafted across his 15 seasons with the Tigers,” Fox Sports’ Bryan Fischer wrote. “That’s included a No. 1 overall selection in Trevor Lawrence and a fellow first-rounder in Deshaun Watson — both former five-stars who more than lived up to their prep billing. … Sixth-rounder Tajh Boyd, a former four-star who played a few years too early to really blossom in a modern NFL offense, also holds a host of school and conference records and was among the first to put Swinney’s Clemson on a path to national prominence.”

Swinney is also pegged as the best among ACC coaches at developing wide receivers for the league.

“Four of the six wideouts who were ranked five-stars under Swinney wound up drafted, and one of those, Justyn Ross, had a medical concern that was a contributing factor to that,” Fischer wrote. “On the other end of the spectrum, there are success stories like Jacoby Ford going from unranked to a near top-100 pick and ex-walk-on Hunter Renfrow becoming a fifth-round steal for the Las Vegas Raiders.

“In between, a slew of four-stars at Clemson also found plenty of success and heard their name called during the draft.”

On the defensive side of the ball, Swinney is listed as the best ACC coach at developing both defensive ends and defensive tackles.

“One of the biggest reasons why Clemson has been able to ascend into being one of the nation’s elite programs under Dabo Swinney has been the strength of its defensive line, and the numbers bear that out when looking at the impressive list of names that have moved to the next level,” Fischer wrote.

“Of the 11 defensive ends under Swinney to be drafted, a remarkable seven of them wound up being top-100 picks, with four of them going in the first round. The median selection of the group is in the range of 41st overall — or towards the middle of the second round — despite a plethora of guys taken at the position over the course of 15 years.”

Added Fischer of the Tigers churning out NFL defensive tackles during Swinney’s tenure:

“The Tigers have had nine DTs taken during the past decade and a half and more than half have gone on to be top-100 selections.

“There’s also a lot more nurturing of talent on the interior line compared to defensive ends under Swinney, with a fairly similar overall number but a lower average star ranking for those drafted. There are plenty of guys like ex-three-star Darell Scott (Swinney’s first draft pick as head coach) going in the fourth round, or megastar Grady Jarrett beginning his college career with the same three-star evaluation. Of course, the last three defensive tackles taken from Clemson have also all been first-rounders who were prep five-stars originally, so it works both ways.”

We are excited to announce our second annual Dear Old Clemson event for the freshmen football class.  Come out on July 22 at 10 AM at the indoor football facility for a meet and greet autograph session with the scholarship freshmen from the 2023 class.  Clemson coordinators Garrett Riley and Wes Goodwin will be attendance and speak at the event.

Get your tickets today at Dear Old Clemson.