Swinney's proven recently he is a-changin' with the times

Dabo Swinney and the Tigers have had a good offseason so far after another ACC title win.

David Hood - Senior Writer - Wednesday, January 15 2025

The times they are a-changin' and Dabo Swinney is a-changin’ with ‘em.

Respect to the great Bob Dylan for letting me borrow the title to one of his songs (and a few lyrics) in taking a look at what is happening around Clemson.

In the not-too-distant past, some Clemson fans, writers, pundits, and analysts had left the Clemson program for dead, and Swinney along with it. ESPN loved to air its graphic of Swinney, with sunglasses and a stern look, blocking the entrance to the Clemson locker room as other schools in the ACC allowed a parade of talent to enter the conference.

We’ve heard it all over the past few seasons – Swinney won’t use the portal; Swinney refuses to hire from outside the program; Swinney and Clemson won’t pay players; Swinney simply won’t adapt.

And Clemson hasn’t been bad. Not by a long shot. Heck, Clemson’s “decline” would be among the best seasons ever for the program down the road. The Tigers posted 10 wins in 2021 and 11 wins in 2022, dipped to nine wins last season, and bounced back to 10 wins this season. There are two ACC Championships and a berth in the College Football Playoff in that span as well.

It was never bad; it was never as good as it had been. When you have a coach making in the double-digits in the millions per year, more is expected. And people pointed out, with gusto, that Clemson wasn’t playing the same game as everybody else.

However, Swinney maintained that he would use the portal as needed and would hire the right people and even admitted earlier this year that paying players is simply a part of doing business in the current market. Slowly, the wheels of change have been turning.

Dylan’s lyrics are apropos here:

Come writers and critics

Who prophesize with your pen

And keep your eyes wide

The chance won't come again

And don't speak too soon

For the wheel's still in spin

And there's no tellin' who

That it's namin'

For the loser now

Will be later to win

For the times they are a-changin'

Swinney has gone outside of the program to bring in Nick Eason (even though he is a former Clemson player, just no previous ties to Swinney), brought Chris Rumph back into the fold, hired Garrett Riley, brought Matt Luke on board, and now has added defensive coordinator Tom Allen into the mix.

There are two former head coaches in that group, one with extensive experience in the SEC (Luke) and one with extensive experience in the Big Ten (Allen). New ideas. New ways of doing things. New voices.

Swinney has also dipped his toe firmly in the portal, adding a linebacker, a defensive end, and a wide receiver, all three who should be major contributors next season. Following the playoff loss to Texas, Swinney spent much of the next 10 days on roster retention – we all know what that means – before adding Allen to the staff.

The times they are a-changin’ and Swinney is a-changin’ with ‘em.

The line it is drawn

The curse it is cast

The slow one now

Will later be fast

As the present now

Will later be past

The order is rapidly fadin'

And the first one now

Will later be last

For the times they are a-changin'