Former Clemson OC: 'Ton of similarities' between Saban and Swinney |
| - Saturday, April 11, 2020, 2:13 PM |
247Sports has been holding 'Social Distance' interviews with college football subjects and one of the latest included former Clemson offensive coordinator and
current Louisiana head coach Billy Napier.
Napier was a tight ends coach and then promoted to offensive coordinator for the Tigers when Dabo Swinney took over midway through the 2008 season. Napier's run in Clemson ended after a disappointing 6-7 campaign in 2010 and he went on to spend some time on Alabama coach Nick Saban's staff. 247's Barton Simmons asked Napier to compare how Saban and Swinney conduct business -- and he says their elite programs aren't going anywhere anytime soon. “I think there’s tons of similarities in terms of how they operate,” Napier told 247Sports. “You’ve seen Dabo evolve over time as he’s built that Clemson football. It’s truly an organization, much like the Alabama program. It’s great infrastructure. I think both coaches are exceptional people. They’re very intelligent. They’ve got great character. They have conviction about what they think their team should be. They’re consistent. They’re fair. I think the expectations are clearly defined. “Over time, they’re a little bit different in how they go about it, but those key elements is what has allowed them to sustain. They certainly both have recruited at a very high level. Once the player arrives, they’ve got a very detailed plan for that player each individual year of their career. All the things you would need to have success, I think they have that.”
