This past Saturday in Charlotte was a different experience for Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney.

Swinney was back at the ACC Championship Game, just not on the sideline as a coach this time around.

Instead of coaching in the ACC title game — like he has done 10 times as Clemson’s head man, winning it nine times – Swinney was serving as a special guest analyst on the ACC Network for its coverage of the 2025 ACC Championship between Duke and Virginia.

“I enjoyed it. It was fun,” Swinney said Tuesday morning during the Pinstripe Bowl press conference ahead of the bowl game pitting Swinney’s Tigers and Penn State on Dec. 27 at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx (noon, ABC).

During Swinney’s time on ACCN’s ACC Huddle show, he was live from Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte alongside host Taylor Tannebaum and analyst Eddie Royal, as well as former Clemson/All-ACC offensive lineman and current analyst Eric Mac Lain, who played for Swinney from 2011-15 when the Tigers captured two conference championships and made a national championship appearance.

Not only was Swinney acting as an analyst on the network, but he was also at the title game supporting his former assistant and long-time friend, Tony Elliott. Of course, Elliott is now the head coach at Virginia and led the Cavaliers to only the second 10-win season in program history and their second-ever ACC Championship Game.

Elliott was Clemson’s co-offensive coordinator during Clemson’s six consecutive playoff runs from 2015-20 that resulted in two national championships. He also played for Swinney at Clemson in 2003 when Swinney was Tommy Bowden’s wide receivers coach.

“Got a chance to see Tony, and obviously [I] know a lot of the people with the network, and coached Eric,” Swinney said.

“So, it was weird, being there, but not being in the game. That was kind of different. But I enjoyed it.”

Does Swinney envision a TV opportunity for himself down the road after his coaching career comes to an end?

“I have no idea. That’d be for somebody else to determine,” Swinney said, laughing.