CLEMSON – Over the past few years Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney has been the focal point of more than his share of criticism.

Some have called Swinney stubborn, saying that he refused to adapt. Some have suggested the game has passed him by. Some have even questioned whether or not Swinney had that same drive to win that led to so much success, which includes seven trips to the College Football Playoff and two national titles.

No matter how it’s termed, suggesting that Swinney doesn’t have the same will to win is absurd. Make no mistake, there’s no denying that Clemson took a step back after all of those playoff appearances. It just wasn’t due to Swinney losing his passion for winning.

After having so much stability on his coaching staff throughout that playoff run, Swinney started losing some key members, including Brent Venables, Tony Elliott and Jeff Scott. Replacing those kind of coaches after that run of success was always going to be challenging.

Sometimes coaching hires work out, sometimes they don’t, and that is something Swinney readily admits.

“I do what I always do, I do what is best for Clemson,” Swinney said. “I have made a lot of decisions since 16 years ago when I got this job. Hopefully, I have made a lot of good ones but sometimes you don’t make the right decision. We all learn from those things.”

One thing Swinney has proven, and that is he’s willing to make a move when the situation calls for it. Look no further than the additions of Garrett Riley, Matt Luke and Chris Rumph to the staff in the last two years. Home run hires.

Parting ways with coaches like Brandon Streeter, Thomas Austin and Lemanski Hall were no doubt excruciating decisions. It meant someone had to be let go. But Swinney made them.

Now he’s made another one with the addition of Tom Allen as the Tigers’ new defensive coordinator. After the struggles Clemson experienced on the defensive side of the ball in 2024, it was a move that had to be made. And once again, Swinney seems to have knocked it out of the park with the hiring of Allen.

“It’s about doing what I think is best,” Swinney said. “Ultimately, I have to make decisions and I’ve had to make thousands of decisions. I’m far from perfect. I am a long way from that. But when I don’t make the right decision, I try to grow from it, learn from it, and correct it.”

Swinney has also been ridiculed for his transfer portal strategy. Throughout the 2024 season, ESPN routinely pointed out that Clemson was the only non-service academy to not take a transfer at the FBS level. Each game there was a graphic that reminded everyone who was tuning in. It was almost to the point where it felt like he was being mocked.

Since the season ended, Swinney has signed three transfers, with each expected to make immediate impacts. It’s just one more sign that Swinney hasn’t lost his will to win and that the game definitely hasn’t passed him by. In fact, Swinney is still as competitive as the next guy. The argument can be made that nobody wants to win more than he does.

When it comes right down to it, Swinney is doing exactly what he’s always said he’d do. Doing what he believes is best for Clemson. He’s just doing on his terms. And when it comes to all of those detractors, Swinney just might end up having the last laugh.

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