CLEMSON — Earlier this week, Dabo Swinney made it official, announcing that Dennis Love will take over as the head of strength and conditioning, replacing the long-tenured Joey Batson, who will be retiring in January.

Love is now in his second stint at Clemson, returning in 2022, after spending close to a decade gaining valuable experience at other institutions, including spending two years with the Denver Broncos, helping the franchise to victory in Super Bowl 50. During his time in Denver, he oversaw the Broncos’ quarterback annual performance training, working with Peyton Manning in his final season, and he helped guide Super Bowl MVP Von Miller and cornerback Chris Harris to first- and second-team All-Pro selections.

Love also spent the 2021 season working as an assistant at Auburn, after serving as the associate director of football strength and conditioning at Purdue from 2017-20

“That was an easy decision,” Swinney said during his weekly press conference on Tuesday.

Love actually turned down an opportunity to head up the strength and conditioning program with the Minnesota Vikings to take over for Batson in January.

“It is really unprecedented,” Swinney added. “There are only 32 of those jobs, and for him to stay here… It is really a dream job for him. Been around multiple places, the NFL, different schools, and he is one of the most respected guys out there. That is why he had the opportunity to go be one of 32 NFL guys.”

Love’s first stint at Clemson ran from 2004-14, including the final four as the director of Olympic sports strength & conditioning. During his time as director, he oversaw the strength and conditioning for 14 Olympic sports while serving as the head strength coach for the baseball, men’s soccer and women’s volleyball teams.

While Love spent a lot of his early career at Clemson working with Batson, Swinney insists the two are not all that alike.

“He is very different,” Swinney said. “He’s been in a bunch of places, and he’s just a different person. Different leadership style, different communication style. He is just different in a lot of areas.”

And Swinney maintains that Love will bring his own style and a fresh perspective to the position.

“He has learned a lot from Joey, who has been amazing for years and years and years, but he will put his own stamp on it,” Swinney said. “Again, he is one of the most respected guys out there. That’s why he’s had the opportunities that he’s had. But this is where he wanted to be. This is what he’s always wanted to do. He’s trained for it forever.

“He’s incredibly detailed, knows the kids, they love him. He has great relationships, and he has great resources all across the country that I think will be a lot of fun to see him implement here.”

Photo by Bart Boatwright