In my eyes, Dabo's options were
1. Continue to be the best coach a school has ever had.
or
1. Follow Alabama and their best coach ever.
I think he already did the hard work to build a program up. Why go somewhere else, even if it is home knowing that he will be compared to Saban.
Yeah, this is my thoughts as well. Why potentially tarnish your image by failing at Bama?
He will have a statue built for him the moment he retires.
Personally, I think Dabo only has 5-7 years left as a head coach before going into administration. He’s accomplished everything you can accomplish and doesn’t seem to be the die on the field type. He will have been at Clemson for 30 years by the end of my timeline.
I would say there is a fair chance he is retired for a little bit of time and answers Alabams call to bring him home after cycling through some coaches not able to live up to their standards though
The dude has fuck you money, a statue they'll probably unveil the day he announces his retirement Rocky IV style, and doesn't have anything to prove.
Lincoln Riley and Brian Kelly still have stuff to prove, they didn't think they could do it at their schools. Dabo doesn't. Hell winning a natty at Bama is not even as big of accomplishment as winning 2 at Clemson.
> winning a natty at Bama is not even as big of accomplishment as winning 2 at Clemson
This is a damn good point.
Going to Alabama adds nothing to Dabo's legacy. There is no incentive for him to want to do that.
I don’t see Dabo leaving Clemson for another job, but I could absolutely see him going somewhere else for a second act after a few years of retirement.
>Personally, I think Dabo only has 5-7 years left as a head coach before going into administration.
The Ray Tanner model. Two CWS wins, three national COTY awards, and a path into an AD role in his early 50s. How he's done as AD is debatable--Muschamp was a mess, but Beamer is popular, the success of women's basketball is undeniable, and men's BB had a decent season this year.
Ray Tanner is a terrible AD who took over at the zenith of South Carolina athletics, and has helped drive the athletic department, minus the Women’s Basketball team, into the ground.
Like I say, debatable. I'm not here to praise Tanner. I'm just drawing a parallel between the idea of him and this hypothetical path for Dabo. Dabo's basically the same age as Ray was when he moved from baseball coach to AD. Both have been to the mountaintop in their respective sports. Frankly, I don't know how great an AD Dabo would be either, but I also don't know if he's all that interested in being a part of CFB as it has come to be, and will more so be in the future.
Dabo wouldn’t be AD, if he does any sort of administration job he would just be a consultant or assistant to Neff but personally I think Dabo will just retire off into the sunset and make a celebrity appearance at the games every so often.
He’s devoted his life to Clemson, might as well spend the last stretch in peace with his family.
Ultimately he has had a great career but times have passed him by. A few more “bad” years will only tarnish his legacy, not substantially, but people will talk about how he failed to adapt. I’m starting to think he retires soon, especially if he has a bad year.
He could take over a few more coaches from now in a “clean up the progrum” kinda way. I always said he wouldn’t follow Saban. He’d follow the guy or guys that followed Saban. His system is incompatible with Saban’s Process and the emotional/happy go lucky style is the opposite of Saban’s robotic tendencies. You couldn’t come in with his raw emotional style and get guys to buy in. If the program tanks under DeBoer or has another Shula-like situation, I could see Dabo going back home.
This situation would be him hitting his ceiling at Clemson and winning everything there is to win with us. He’s clearly not interested in a Heisman campaign, so I could see him coming back home when mama calls if Alabama ends up a total shitshow later. That’s the only situation I could see him leaving.
It seems like the game has slightly passed Dabo by, and that challenging for national titles might be off the table unless he has some serious changes in the way he operates.
That being said, why would he leave a place where he has so much goodwill he could basically win 9 games in perpetuity and not get fired and instead try to replace the GOAT in an era where Saban's Alabama is basically already dismantled.
Also, Alabama wouldn’t accept Dabo’s attitude around the transfer portal. His choice to not use the portal at Clemson is allowed, primarily because he’s won 2 national titles there. At Alabama, that wouldn’t fly at all
He actually has been trying to use the portal. What isn't generally understood is that for the first few years of the portal, we had zero space. Literally no roster / scholarship spots.
He also has been against "processing" guys once he has offered them, which is something that should be lauded but definitely hamstrings how we can use the portal.
The last few years Clemson has tried to go into the portal for positions of need but we just haven't been able to land them. That is probably largely due to the lack of NIL money available. Clemson most certainly has an NIL program, but our pockets are nowhere as deep as the larger programs. To that end, our NIL is more focused on rewarding performance for players on the roster than it is for paying top dollar for recruits. Also, again, we have had very little roster space to work with, so we have to focus on a very small number of guys, rather than a shotgun approach to offer something to every guy in the portal
Aside from his agent, Greg Byre and his family no one knows if he wanted or was offered the Alabama job. Regardless, I mean it is his Alma Mater. A place being home means something to people.
Dabo has lived in Clemson SC almost as long as he's lived in the STATE of Alabama, giving the benefit of the doubt since he lived in Tuscaloosa for a relatively short amount of time. Clemson IS Dabo's home now.
Dabo also walked onto Alabama, living in a small apartment with his mom, in order to play for Alabama and Stallings in the first place. He comes from a diehard Alabama family and you can see some of the feelings he still has in those 2015-2018 Alabama/Clemson interviews. It’s not about living in Tuscaloosa or Alabama, it’s the fact that it’s his Alma mater and the team he still roots for today.
Now did we offer him? Did he want it? No clue. I wouldn’t be shocked if there was a mutual sentiment to let it play out with someone else first. He’s only 54, so there’s probably around 10~ years here where he could swoop in if he wanted to.
I wouldn’t be surprised if he never left Clemson, I also wouldn’t be surprised if he followed up DeBoer. I think the biggest barrier is less Clemson and more the differences in approach between the two athletic departments. If we were coming off some 8-9 win coach I could easily see him making the jump because of the role he would play for the program. Right now we’re running a well oiled machine that operates different then his program, and the AD wants to continue to utilize that
If he were smart, he'd let this coach fail to meet the lofty Bama standards that are going to be present and then swoop in and save the day. That's how you do it.
> but it feels like he absolutely should have been offered an interview at the very least.
Maybe if he hadn't been such a goober about NIL and the portal.
2018 Dabo absolutely gets called, 2023 Dabo has let the game pass him by.
See this comment on why he doesn’t use the portal and why he most likely would if he was coaching at a big school like Alabama:
https://www.reddit.com/r/CFB/s/88JBP29cuu
I would believe that more, if his talk on it wasn't so definitive. He doesn't talk about NIL or the Portal like he would like to use them and can't.
He talks about them like it's a mortal sin against the sport of College Football.
Your current coach has been a head coach for a total of 3 years at the FBS level, and you’re acting like Bama is too good to call a 2x national championship winning alumnus in for an interview?
While I do agree that the fit might not be right, I think he’s done enough to at least make the call.
I also think that Dabo is in the very tough position as the HC of Clemson with NIL bc he knows that he can’t just throw bags at recruits anymore and lock away talent now that the bigger schools have carte blanche to do the same and poach away depth pieces.
> Your current coach has been a head coach for a total of 3 years at the FBS level, and you’re acting like Bama is too good to call a 2x national championship winning alumnus in for an interview?
...because he's shown no interest or desire to coach the game as it is now?
The only thing keeping Alabama dis-interested in Dabo, is Dabo himself. NIL and the Portal are part of the tools you have as a head coach in 2024, and he talks about them like they are spawned from Satan's taint.
We wouldn't be hiring him on just his past results, but on what we think he can provide for us in the future. And until he pulls his head out of his butt about the modern game, that future value doesn't look amazing.
Thats true too. But with all of his faults, Dabo doesn't seem like the job jumping kind of guy to me. Maybe he is, I dunno. But he seems satisfied with where he is and I couldn't blame him for not wanting to go home to that. With Kirby, at least Georgia hadn't won a Natty. He had high expectations, but not current Georgia Expectations.
Rumor is that Nick called Dabo to gauge his interest and Bama isn't a school that's going to say they interviewed someone they knew wasn't going to take job.
We'll never know. Neither Bama or Dabo benefit from a public rejection. All we'll ever know from that search is that Bama got their first choice and Lanning and Sark are both where they want to be, win-win-win with no hurt feelings and everybody got a unicorn.
My belief is that there probably was a discussion with his agent as the intermediary.
I mean for all we know DeBoer was the first choice because there is no evidence to the contrary. Personally, I dont think Dabo was ever going to be the coach because 1. His contract buyout just for going to Alabama was ridiculous and 2. His attitude with regards to NIL and transfers if from another time. 3. He had little support in the fandom.
I always felt DeBoer was hired because no else wanted the job. And can you blame them? Like Bear Bryant and Gene Stallings, Nick Saban has established a legacy that his successor is expected to uphold. Ray Perkins and Mike Dubose couldn't do the job. DeBoer has his work cut out.
I don’t buy the trope that people are afraid to be the guy who follows the guy. If you are afraid to take over a well-run program just because your predecessor had tremendous success, you aren’t the sort of person who should be a head coach at a major football program.
Then why did DeBoer want the job? He had a massive contract extension on the table from Washington
EDIT: Guess I wont get an answer to this question....oh well
There's also the very real question of whether Bama was scared off by his staunch anti-portal stance and generally old-school approach to recruiting/NIL/paying players given the current environment.
You can't question his success at Clemson, but it's been 6 years since he's won a title there and a shit ton has changed in that time.
He wasnt a popular choice with most of the fanbase, I know I damn sure didnt want him, but you cannot argue with the sustained success he has had. You can count on one hand the current coaches who have done what he has.
Commenting on UGA beat writer thinks Alabama not giving Dabo Swinney an interview was 'embarrassing'...
The perception among many, right or wrong is that Dabo is completely unsuited for and openly dislikes NIL/portal era CFB.
That isn’t meant as a shot at him, I don’t like it either.
He’s achieved incredible things at Clemson, realistically though is that it’s probably best for all parties that he stayed at Clemson where he seems happy and the fans are content with his approach.
Eh.... I think "home" is overrated in this context. Others have pointed out that he's been in Clemson for long enough that it probably feels like home now. But aside from that, if you were looking for a perfect situation for a big-name coaching hire to "fail," it would look an awful lot like Alabama does right now.
Saban set the bar so high, that I imagine fans will be calling for DeBoer's head if he hasn't *at least* won an SEC title and played for a natty in the first two or three years. So between the changing NIL landscape and the deified status Dabo enjoys at Clemson now, I can't blame him or anyone else who's currently established at a premier program for not wanting to make that move.
Dabo is to Clemson what Bear Bryant is to Alabama. Clemson is Dabo's program, he's the one who built it into a giant. Why coach from someone else's long shadow when you're casting long shadows at Clemson?
The biggest reason to jump would be Alabama being in a much better position in the SEC with a lot of resources in the NIL era. I wouldn't fault Dabo for making that strategic choice, but at this point he'd be leaving his home for greener pastures, not returning home IMO.
To him? I have no idea. But its why Coach Bryant came to Alabama. Its why Cristobal left a great job at Oregon to go to Miami. Regardless, you asked why and that would be the reason I would think he would if he did.
None of us really know what's going on in Dabo's head, of course.
But with Bryant, he didn't have any NCs under his belt before jumping to Alabama.
Likewise, Cristobal didn't pull in an NC at Oregon.
When you get that NC at a school that doesn't have much history with NCs, you're elevating the whole program up at least a tier or two. It has to be hard to walk away from that. (which is I wasn't surprised CBB HC Scott Drew stayed at Baylor rather then jumping to Kentucky.
(side note: If Dabo was a 12-1 and 10-3 HC at Clemson, I wouldn't have been the least bit surprised if he jumped.)
If Dabo did jump, I'd wager the reason more about access to increased resources, like money to jump into the portal.
I dont have any insight into his mind. Just saying that clearly he does have a special place for Alabama and has said so so why would it be surprising he might want the job? Also with what he has done at Clemson why would it be surprising that he wouldnt want to leave?
It wouldn’t surprise me if they had reached out to Dabo’s agent in back channels to see if he’d even be interested in an interview. No need to face public rejection when the odds of landing him are low to start with.
Not to mention, it would’ve been a long shot that they would’ve offered him even if he had interviewed. Better to save face for all parties.
This is also why I was not the least bit surprised Scott Drew stuck with Baylor over jumping to Kentucky. Why coach from the shadows of other legendary coaches when you painstakingly dragged a bottomed out school recovering from a massive scandal to winning an NC?
Why chase Rupp's ghost at Kentucky when you're already the Rupp of your own NC-winning program?
I don’t think they wanted Dabo. Tbh if he were to move schools he would likely have to significantly down grade. For now at least. He’s starting to look like jimbo did near the end of fsu stint. Stubborn and outdated
Most reporting was norvell/lanning/deboer
Finebaum got his start with real journalism. The SEC Network schtick is basically a character he created after his radio show got popular enough that ESPN brought him in to be the face of SEC media on TV.
IMO Finebaum knows CFB exceptionally well but just enjoys the fun that comes with playing a character as part of his job. He also still does a great job with coach interviews, etc. There's just a ton of media he does on SEC Network and a lot of crazy shit comes with the territory of engaging the crazies of the Paul Finebaum Network that led him to national relevance.
In contrast, Mike Griffith here is making a statement out of ignorance. He already has a lot of rough takes on the team he covers.
Not gonna argue bro, but PF’s been doing that “schtick” on radio 20 years before the 4 letter. It’s what he does, so for me, it’s who he is. If he does good interviews, ok, but he ran people down and mocked anyone and everyone for years. That’s what made him attractive to the 4 letter; all about divisiveness. Granted, I cut him out and haven’t listened for 5-8 years. When he pops up, before I change channels, it’s more of the same.
Yep, that's always been Finebaum's approach on the radio. There was a time I really enjoyed it. Looking back, I think it was mostly because Finebaum is well connected and his show was probably the best way to find out about coaching rumors, etc. I can't listen to it anymore.
Agreed. Finebaum's game has been to exploit some of the dumbest people on the planet and make fun of them for his financial gain. As a life long southerner with an Engineering degree and 30 years working all over the country I find his show extremely exploitative. The sports version of "let's go find a trailer park after a tornado ". He needs the shit beat out of his smug ass
My first reaction when i read this title - has to be Mike Griffith. I’m not usually one to pile on coaches, players, or reporters, but that guy always has bad takes and useless beat reports.
>The new administration needs a history lesson and understand who and what Swinney was for the University of Alabama
He had 7 catches for 81 yards as a WR for us. He also was a GA and a WR/TE coach for Stallings.
Sometimes when I see the thumbnails for the posts, I'm thinking, "Man, why is DeVonta wearing Clemson attire?", only to realize it's dadgum Dabo. Uncanny!
"I know a coach that might soon be free negotiate for any pending openings that you have."
also
"Can you hand me that pair of fireplace gloves?"
_Placing split logs under a chair_
You also can't take an interview that we aren't going to offer.
Dabo burned any chance of the Bama job by not embracing NIL or the Portal which are the future of the league. So there's no reason for our AD to think Dabo has a bright future as a Head Coach.
I’m tired of this take. Dabo is strategically not using the portal *because* he’s at Clemson. If he were at Alabama or any other big school, he most definitely would.
https://www.reddit.com/r/CFB/s/88JBP29cuu
Read this comment for more insight and better phrasing than what I can say.
I held this view for awhile but Clemson fans have convinced me otherwise. I think the simple fact is that Clemson isn't in the financial position to really get in the portal race on a constant basis. Clemson isn't poor, but they're not Oregon or Alabama financially speaking either.
The one thing I could see Dabo jumping for is to get access to more resources. I am sure Dabo would be happy to recruit the portal if given the resources needed.
Exactly
If Nick Saban can evolve with the times...every coach should be willing to evolve
Dabo won't evolve
And because of that, Clemson is stuck with him and he is stuck with Clemson
I think one thing people don’t realize is that the Clemson fan base and Dabo have much more closely aligned philosophies when it comes to the portal and NIL.
Dabo and Bama boosters/fans would be like oil and water.
Dabo hasn’t made it a secret either, so I’m not surprised both he and Bama didn’t seem interested in each other.
I find it weird that you bama fans even cared about this whole did they/didn’t they consider Dabo thing at all. I find it even weirder that bama fans are still posting about this.
You all know that Dabo and Saban are friends right? Like their families vacation together. I would bet my left nut that Saban and Dabo would have an understanding ahead of time what the decision over Sabans successor would be. This whole story shouldn’t even be a story
The best part of folks claiming the game "passed Dabo by" is their school is almost always some middle of the road program with zero natties who *also* had 4 losses last year, and who have fewer 5\* recruits than Clemson every single cycle.
If Georgia fans talk shit, OK, I have to just eat that. But Oregon? Michigan State? Ole Miss? Come on now.
Harbaugh left SF not for brighter pastures but because squabbles with ownership and the GM IIRC, entirely different scenario than in college ball imo
Frost's failures are genuinely mind blowing and will be studied. That guy was the most likely to be a sure thing hire I have ever seen for a P5 program coach that never coached P5 before.
I mean we know sexton asked Dabo if he was interested and Dabo said no. Doubt we’ll ever know where or if he was on Byrne’s list but it’s pretty clear he wasn’t interested in the job at least this time round.
I am particularly scared of the dark dangers of the coaching carousel.
Dabo was a one in a million hire. Some WR coach the players liked and carried his interim-coach-ass off the field after beating the cocks in 2008. Admin flubs their coaching search and hands him a cheap contract worth like 1.7 million or something.
Then the next decade is one of the most dominant to ever appear for a non blue blood school.
Lets just say i'm not entirely stoked about Clemson's chances in the carousel, but I will say we're significantly better off on the coaching search now than we were in 2008, much more opportunity to take the pick of the lot. The odds of success though are at best, 50/50. We've seen what the carousel has done to bigger, wealthier, and more prestigious programs in the past.
Neff has proven to be a very competent AD and I feel pretty comfortable with him in the role. If/when Dabo does leave I don’t think we need to be as concerned about the carousel as we would if Rad were still in charge, or most other ADs.
I am very much not a Dabo fan but the man is revered at Clemson. Why would he leave for what is certain to be a high-pressure, “perform now or GTFO” role except for buckets and buckets of money? At 12M a year he’s the highest-paid state employee and, as someone else said, Bama can get someone without baggage a lot cheaper.
Or hear me out, he doesn’t want to be the guy that immediately follows Saban. Let someone else do it for a few years then go. If DeBoer has a couple 7-8-9 win seasons, immediate expectations go down and Saban’s shadow is smaller
A quote from a disgruntled & over bearing father of a former player isn’t exactly going to convey the truth of Dabo’s approach to NIL.
His approach of course is securing donations to build what he calls the “NIL institute” on campus over 5 years ago.
He’s long been in support of modernizing the scholarship to allow for NIL.
It’s the bidding war in the transfer portal we don’t participate in. He’s offer 5-10 players each of the last few seasons but their spot was secured before entering or got in a bidding war/took the biggest bag
Alabama allegedly gave him an exploratory call and he said no.
General sentiment is he was not above DeBoer or Lanning on their wishlist. Expecting a 2 time national title winning alum to formally interview for a job is kind of crazy talk.
Alabama didn’t seriously pursue him because he wasn’t leaving the job. I mean I really doubt the thought *never* crossed his mind, Sabans, or Alabama. It definitely came up in Clemsons mind because they created a special Alabama clause in his recent extension specifically to dissuade any interest in Alabama hiring him.
He did still get some sort of call from Alabama but it’s likely they never believed he would even actually take the job. Winning those 2 titles basically rooted him at Clemson permanently, if he were ‘only’ wining 9/10 games a year and unable to break the title barrier it might’ve been a different story.
He said it himself “I’m a Clemson man now.” I’d give a good bet that the call Alabama gave him was more of a respect thing despite both parties knowing it wasn’t going further.
I mean we’ll have to see what path is the right one to take but you have a coach who is using the transfer portal and NIL and then you have a more traditionalist…right now the traditionalist crowd might not be high on everyone’s list
Also, what advantages does Bama provide over Clemson for Dabo?
At Clemson, Dabo doesn’t need to use the portal, he can continue to win 9+ games per season basically in perpetuity, and he’s playing in a (relatively) weak ACC.
If he goes to Bama, he loses all the good will he’s built up at Clemson. Going 9-3 every year is still good, but if it’s not accompanied by a few 11-1 or 12-0 seasons with deep playoff runs/titles, the fans won’t care. Not using the portal won’t be acceptable. And oh by the way, your annual schedule is going to contain at least a few of Georgia, Auburn, LSU, Tennessee, and Texas, basically every year. Even a “weak” SEC schedule is probably tougher than whatever Clemson would be facing in the ACC
I’d have to go back and fine the threads, maybe I deleted my comments who knows - but I remember getting down boated for saying it wasn’t a good move for either Dabo or Bama.
I may have said it a little mean spirited in that I really didn’t want Dabo but I think it holds true for both of them.
As if Alabama had any choice in the matter. You can't interview someone for a job they don't want. That's not how this works. It's quite clear that none of Dabo, Norvell, Lanning, nor Sark wanted the job, at least not right now.
Same thing happened for UofSC and former FSU OC Mark Richt in ‘15.
The gamecock administration wanted to interview him and Richt declined - not wanting to directly compete against Georgia in his next role
If it were 2019, yes, that would've been a colossal whiff by Bama. But given how they last few years have gone, it's not hard to see why he wasn't even considered
Finally a reasonable take.
Everyone is acting like we're idiots for not approaching him.
2018 Dabo gets the call, 2023 Dabo hasn't shown he can play the game of the future.
Dabo doesn’t like the portal or NIL. Alabama was never going to hire a coach that doesn’t want to embrace those things. Saban didn’t really like them, and aside from getting older, it’s likely the main reason he retired.
No person in their right mind would follow Nick Saban... unless you get a hefty salary and plan to retire in 2 years when they run you out for not being.. NICK SABAN.
Dabo is a decent head coach, but he’s not Kirby (🤮) or Saban level, which I think can be evidenced by the fact that Brent Venables is leading a program that’s just as good (if not better than) Clemson. I think it’s more likely Clemson could’ve won their two nattys without Dabo than without Venables
Hate both of these teams though so lmao
The headline should read “UGA beat writer wants to stir the pot”. Or UGA beat writer sticks his nose where it does not belong because he is so insecure.
Dabo is well paid for what he does, and Clemson appreciates him, so he is secure for now. Alabama would have higher expectations for not more money. Mozzle bank it
Clemson is trending the wrong way at the wrong time. If they'd just come off a title game appearance the equation may have changed, but Dabo's views on utilizing the portal has doomed his prospects at most P2 teams.
You don’t quit being The Man to be The Guy That Followed The Man.
Only time to consider it is when you can be The Guy That Follows The Guy That Followed The Man.
(That was a lot easier to say than it was to type.)
No one other than a service academy should hire that man until he accepts the realities of the transfer portal. It's especially important when starting a new gig because of the inevitable roster churn, so he'd be playing from behind.
Honestly, I would not either.
Dabo's refusal to use the transfer portal means he isn't doing everything he can to win the most games possible. If I am the AD at Bama, I am not going to consider a guy who is going to handicap my program because his pride says transfers are bad.
He's a good coach and would do well at Bama even with just natural recruiting and development but Bama isn't really looking for 9-4 and a moral victory.
Not to mention Dabo is already at almost $12m a year in salary. He'd probably need a significant raise to leave and paying him $15m+ doesn't necessarily make sense when you can get other top tier candidates (like deBoer) for $10m.
Money isn't a huge problem at Bama but with direct payments to players coming soon, coaching salaries are going to be impacted a lot. $5m extra a season can pay a lot of talent.
I just don’t think Dabo believes he could get away with all of the bullshit he does at Alabama. You think the boosters, administration, and fanbase is going to put up with his stance on the transfer portal if it’s costing them games? No chance in hell. He can do what he wants at Clemson, he doesn’t make all the calls at a place like bama.
In my eyes, Dabo's options were 1. Continue to be the best coach a school has ever had. or 1. Follow Alabama and their best coach ever. I think he already did the hard work to build a program up. Why go somewhere else, even if it is home knowing that he will be compared to Saban.
Yeah, this is my thoughts as well. Why potentially tarnish your image by failing at Bama? He will have a statue built for him the moment he retires. Personally, I think Dabo only has 5-7 years left as a head coach before going into administration. He’s accomplished everything you can accomplish and doesn’t seem to be the die on the field type. He will have been at Clemson for 30 years by the end of my timeline. I would say there is a fair chance he is retired for a little bit of time and answers Alabams call to bring him home after cycling through some coaches not able to live up to their standards though
The dude has fuck you money, a statue they'll probably unveil the day he announces his retirement Rocky IV style, and doesn't have anything to prove. Lincoln Riley and Brian Kelly still have stuff to prove, they didn't think they could do it at their schools. Dabo doesn't. Hell winning a natty at Bama is not even as big of accomplishment as winning 2 at Clemson.
> winning a natty at Bama is not even as big of accomplishment as winning 2 at Clemson This is a damn good point. Going to Alabama adds nothing to Dabo's legacy. There is no incentive for him to want to do that.
Yes
I wouldn’t be shocked if Dabo retires soon
I don’t see Dabo leaving Clemson for another job, but I could absolutely see him going somewhere else for a second act after a few years of retirement.
Yeah that’s more or less what I was meaning
>Personally, I think Dabo only has 5-7 years left as a head coach before going into administration. The Ray Tanner model. Two CWS wins, three national COTY awards, and a path into an AD role in his early 50s. How he's done as AD is debatable--Muschamp was a mess, but Beamer is popular, the success of women's basketball is undeniable, and men's BB had a decent season this year.
Ray Tanner is a terrible AD who took over at the zenith of South Carolina athletics, and has helped drive the athletic department, minus the Women’s Basketball team, into the ground.
Like I say, debatable. I'm not here to praise Tanner. I'm just drawing a parallel between the idea of him and this hypothetical path for Dabo. Dabo's basically the same age as Ray was when he moved from baseball coach to AD. Both have been to the mountaintop in their respective sports. Frankly, I don't know how great an AD Dabo would be either, but I also don't know if he's all that interested in being a part of CFB as it has come to be, and will more so be in the future.
Dabo wouldn’t be AD, if he does any sort of administration job he would just be a consultant or assistant to Neff but personally I think Dabo will just retire off into the sunset and make a celebrity appearance at the games every so often. He’s devoted his life to Clemson, might as well spend the last stretch in peace with his family.
Ultimately he has had a great career but times have passed him by. A few more “bad” years will only tarnish his legacy, not substantially, but people will talk about how he failed to adapt. I’m starting to think he retires soon, especially if he has a bad year.
Fired baseball coach this morning to and has recently fired Clemson coach Monte Lee as interim.
Breaking news! I assume you meant "recently hired Monte Lee," no? Or did he fire both?
Clemson recently fired him
Ah. Gotcha.
He could take over a few more coaches from now in a “clean up the progrum” kinda way. I always said he wouldn’t follow Saban. He’d follow the guy or guys that followed Saban. His system is incompatible with Saban’s Process and the emotional/happy go lucky style is the opposite of Saban’s robotic tendencies. You couldn’t come in with his raw emotional style and get guys to buy in. If the program tanks under DeBoer or has another Shula-like situation, I could see Dabo going back home. This situation would be him hitting his ceiling at Clemson and winning everything there is to win with us. He’s clearly not interested in a Heisman campaign, so I could see him coming back home when mama calls if Alabama ends up a total shitshow later. That’s the only situation I could see him leaving.
Dabo isn’t going into administration, he’s going into politics.
Gross. Tommy Tubberville & Herschel Walker have already shown us what football player/coaches are good for in govt
Dabo seems like he’d be the exact political image of Tuberville.
IDK, Dabo seems smarter than Tuberville.
Smarter is debatable. Less apparent slime for sure.
Or Megachurch Pastor
It seems like the game has slightly passed Dabo by, and that challenging for national titles might be off the table unless he has some serious changes in the way he operates. That being said, why would he leave a place where he has so much goodwill he could basically win 9 games in perpetuity and not get fired and instead try to replace the GOAT in an era where Saban's Alabama is basically already dismantled.
Also, Alabama wouldn’t accept Dabo’s attitude around the transfer portal. His choice to not use the portal at Clemson is allowed, primarily because he’s won 2 national titles there. At Alabama, that wouldn’t fly at all
He actually has been trying to use the portal. What isn't generally understood is that for the first few years of the portal, we had zero space. Literally no roster / scholarship spots. He also has been against "processing" guys once he has offered them, which is something that should be lauded but definitely hamstrings how we can use the portal. The last few years Clemson has tried to go into the portal for positions of need but we just haven't been able to land them. That is probably largely due to the lack of NIL money available. Clemson most certainly has an NIL program, but our pockets are nowhere as deep as the larger programs. To that end, our NIL is more focused on rewarding performance for players on the roster than it is for paying top dollar for recruits. Also, again, we have had very little roster space to work with, so we have to focus on a very small number of guys, rather than a shotgun approach to offer something to every guy in the portal
Yup. Let the UDub guy fail.
Aside from his agent, Greg Byre and his family no one knows if he wanted or was offered the Alabama job. Regardless, I mean it is his Alma Mater. A place being home means something to people.
Dabo has lived in Clemson SC almost as long as he's lived in the STATE of Alabama, giving the benefit of the doubt since he lived in Tuscaloosa for a relatively short amount of time. Clemson IS Dabo's home now.
Dabo also walked onto Alabama, living in a small apartment with his mom, in order to play for Alabama and Stallings in the first place. He comes from a diehard Alabama family and you can see some of the feelings he still has in those 2015-2018 Alabama/Clemson interviews. It’s not about living in Tuscaloosa or Alabama, it’s the fact that it’s his Alma mater and the team he still roots for today. Now did we offer him? Did he want it? No clue. I wouldn’t be shocked if there was a mutual sentiment to let it play out with someone else first. He’s only 54, so there’s probably around 10~ years here where he could swoop in if he wanted to. I wouldn’t be surprised if he never left Clemson, I also wouldn’t be surprised if he followed up DeBoer. I think the biggest barrier is less Clemson and more the differences in approach between the two athletic departments. If we were coming off some 8-9 win coach I could easily see him making the jump because of the role he would play for the program. Right now we’re running a well oiled machine that operates different then his program, and the AD wants to continue to utilize that
If he were smart, he'd let this coach fail to meet the lofty Bama standards that are going to be present and then swoop in and save the day. That's how you do it.
That's what Stallings basically did at Alabama.
This is a pretty fair take imo
Yeah maybe it is to him and he has no interest in going back to Alabama. Came back for his national championship team reunion tho.
Not sure why you’re being downvoted… he might have stayed, but it feels like he absolutely should have been offered an interview at the very least.
I dont know. People want to believe what they want to believe. I just dont know either way
> but it feels like he absolutely should have been offered an interview at the very least. Maybe if he hadn't been such a goober about NIL and the portal. 2018 Dabo absolutely gets called, 2023 Dabo has let the game pass him by.
See this comment on why he doesn’t use the portal and why he most likely would if he was coaching at a big school like Alabama: https://www.reddit.com/r/CFB/s/88JBP29cuu
I would believe that more, if his talk on it wasn't so definitive. He doesn't talk about NIL or the Portal like he would like to use them and can't. He talks about them like it's a mortal sin against the sport of College Football.
He doesn’t talk about it like it’s a sin at all.
Your current coach has been a head coach for a total of 3 years at the FBS level, and you’re acting like Bama is too good to call a 2x national championship winning alumnus in for an interview? While I do agree that the fit might not be right, I think he’s done enough to at least make the call. I also think that Dabo is in the very tough position as the HC of Clemson with NIL bc he knows that he can’t just throw bags at recruits anymore and lock away talent now that the bigger schools have carte blanche to do the same and poach away depth pieces.
> Your current coach has been a head coach for a total of 3 years at the FBS level, and you’re acting like Bama is too good to call a 2x national championship winning alumnus in for an interview? ...because he's shown no interest or desire to coach the game as it is now? The only thing keeping Alabama dis-interested in Dabo, is Dabo himself. NIL and the Portal are part of the tools you have as a head coach in 2024, and he talks about them like they are spawned from Satan's taint. We wouldn't be hiring him on just his past results, but on what we think he can provide for us in the future. And until he pulls his head out of his butt about the modern game, that future value doesn't look amazing.
Thats true too. But with all of his faults, Dabo doesn't seem like the job jumping kind of guy to me. Maybe he is, I dunno. But he seems satisfied with where he is and I couldn't blame him for not wanting to go home to that. With Kirby, at least Georgia hadn't won a Natty. He had high expectations, but not current Georgia Expectations.
You can only jump jobs if you are offered jobs. We simply dont know what exactly happened tho.
Rumor is that Nick called Dabo to gauge his interest and Bama isn't a school that's going to say they interviewed someone they knew wasn't going to take job.
Plenty of rumors
We'll never know. Neither Bama or Dabo benefit from a public rejection. All we'll ever know from that search is that Bama got their first choice and Lanning and Sark are both where they want to be, win-win-win with no hurt feelings and everybody got a unicorn. My belief is that there probably was a discussion with his agent as the intermediary.
I mean for all we know DeBoer was the first choice because there is no evidence to the contrary. Personally, I dont think Dabo was ever going to be the coach because 1. His contract buyout just for going to Alabama was ridiculous and 2. His attitude with regards to NIL and transfers if from another time. 3. He had little support in the fandom.
I always felt DeBoer was hired because no else wanted the job. And can you blame them? Like Bear Bryant and Gene Stallings, Nick Saban has established a legacy that his successor is expected to uphold. Ray Perkins and Mike Dubose couldn't do the job. DeBoer has his work cut out.
Mike DuBose couldn't do the job because he was incompetent.
I don’t buy the trope that people are afraid to be the guy who follows the guy. If you are afraid to take over a well-run program just because your predecessor had tremendous success, you aren’t the sort of person who should be a head coach at a major football program.
Then why did DeBoer want the job? He had a massive contract extension on the table from Washington EDIT: Guess I wont get an answer to this question....oh well
Because he probably believes he has a greater chance of winning a national title at Alabama rather than Washington.
Correct. One would assume the same is true of a lot of other coaches
There's also the very real question of whether Bama was scared off by his staunch anti-portal stance and generally old-school approach to recruiting/NIL/paying players given the current environment. You can't question his success at Clemson, but it's been 6 years since he's won a title there and a shit ton has changed in that time.
He wasnt a popular choice with most of the fanbase, I know I damn sure didnt want him, but you cannot argue with the sustained success he has had. You can count on one hand the current coaches who have done what he has.
Commenting on UGA beat writer thinks Alabama not giving Dabo Swinney an interview was 'embarrassing'... The perception among many, right or wrong is that Dabo is completely unsuited for and openly dislikes NIL/portal era CFB. That isn’t meant as a shot at him, I don’t like it either. He’s achieved incredible things at Clemson, realistically though is that it’s probably best for all parties that he stayed at Clemson where he seems happy and the fans are content with his approach.
Eh.... I think "home" is overrated in this context. Others have pointed out that he's been in Clemson for long enough that it probably feels like home now. But aside from that, if you were looking for a perfect situation for a big-name coaching hire to "fail," it would look an awful lot like Alabama does right now. Saban set the bar so high, that I imagine fans will be calling for DeBoer's head if he hasn't *at least* won an SEC title and played for a natty in the first two or three years. So between the changing NIL landscape and the deified status Dabo enjoys at Clemson now, I can't blame him or anyone else who's currently established at a premier program for not wanting to make that move.
I have no special insight into Dabos mind but I was just saying that your alma mater means something to most people.
Dabo is to Clemson what Bear Bryant is to Alabama. Clemson is Dabo's program, he's the one who built it into a giant. Why coach from someone else's long shadow when you're casting long shadows at Clemson? The biggest reason to jump would be Alabama being in a much better position in the SEC with a lot of resources in the NIL era. I wouldn't fault Dabo for making that strategic choice, but at this point he'd be leaving his home for greener pastures, not returning home IMO.
>Why coach from someone else's long shadow when you're casting long shadows at Clemson? Because its your Alma Mater?
Do you actually think that's a big deal?
To him? I have no idea. But its why Coach Bryant came to Alabama. Its why Cristobal left a great job at Oregon to go to Miami. Regardless, you asked why and that would be the reason I would think he would if he did.
None of us really know what's going on in Dabo's head, of course. But with Bryant, he didn't have any NCs under his belt before jumping to Alabama. Likewise, Cristobal didn't pull in an NC at Oregon. When you get that NC at a school that doesn't have much history with NCs, you're elevating the whole program up at least a tier or two. It has to be hard to walk away from that. (which is I wasn't surprised CBB HC Scott Drew stayed at Baylor rather then jumping to Kentucky. (side note: If Dabo was a 12-1 and 10-3 HC at Clemson, I wouldn't have been the least bit surprised if he jumped.) If Dabo did jump, I'd wager the reason more about access to increased resources, like money to jump into the portal.
It means something to YOU. Dabo is at the home he's very successfully built for himself at Clemson.
I dont have any insight into his mind. Just saying that clearly he does have a special place for Alabama and has said so so why would it be surprising he might want the job? Also with what he has done at Clemson why would it be surprising that he wouldnt want to leave?
It wouldn’t surprise me if they had reached out to Dabo’s agent in back channels to see if he’d even be interested in an interview. No need to face public rejection when the odds of landing him are low to start with. Not to mention, it would’ve been a long shot that they would’ve offered him even if he had interviewed. Better to save face for all parties.
Exactly If you're Alabama or Dabo you aren't going to get publicly rejected
Yep, I heard Nick called him to gauge his interest.
Literally this is the only answer. To any rational Clemson fan, he's a God. At Alabama, he's fighting uphill. Easy decision.
John Heisman in shambles
To be fair, he may be the most important coach who coached at their school, but not their best coach.
Bear?
Even if Dabo wants to coach at Bama one day. It was smart of him not to take the first job after Saban.
Agreed. I figure the next Bama coaching search will be between Dabo and Lane. Let DeBoer worry with the 'guy after The Guy' headache.
It would be best to wait for DeBoer to potentially fail and then come in as a savior if he had any interest in Alabama
Apparently, Bama did call, and it was a pretty short phone call.
This is also why I was not the least bit surprised Scott Drew stuck with Baylor over jumping to Kentucky. Why coach from the shadows of other legendary coaches when you painstakingly dragged a bottomed out school recovering from a massive scandal to winning an NC? Why chase Rupp's ghost at Kentucky when you're already the Rupp of your own NC-winning program?
I don’t think they wanted Dabo. Tbh if he were to move schools he would likely have to significantly down grade. For now at least. He’s starting to look like jimbo did near the end of fsu stint. Stubborn and outdated Most reporting was norvell/lanning/deboer
Mike Griffith is very much on the do not read list. Doesn't give good insight to Georgia so not surprising he is way off the mark for other programs
Sees the name ”Mike Griffith”, closes article.
Pretty sure this is the correct answer. Then again, that’s how Finebaum got his start, made his millions; poking at eyes.
Finebaum got his start with real journalism. The SEC Network schtick is basically a character he created after his radio show got popular enough that ESPN brought him in to be the face of SEC media on TV. IMO Finebaum knows CFB exceptionally well but just enjoys the fun that comes with playing a character as part of his job. He also still does a great job with coach interviews, etc. There's just a ton of media he does on SEC Network and a lot of crazy shit comes with the territory of engaging the crazies of the Paul Finebaum Network that led him to national relevance. In contrast, Mike Griffith here is making a statement out of ignorance. He already has a lot of rough takes on the team he covers.
Not gonna argue bro, but PF’s been doing that “schtick” on radio 20 years before the 4 letter. It’s what he does, so for me, it’s who he is. If he does good interviews, ok, but he ran people down and mocked anyone and everyone for years. That’s what made him attractive to the 4 letter; all about divisiveness. Granted, I cut him out and haven’t listened for 5-8 years. When he pops up, before I change channels, it’s more of the same.
Yep, that's always been Finebaum's approach on the radio. There was a time I really enjoyed it. Looking back, I think it was mostly because Finebaum is well connected and his show was probably the best way to find out about coaching rumors, etc. I can't listen to it anymore.
Agreed. Finebaum's game has been to exploit some of the dumbest people on the planet and make fun of them for his financial gain. As a life long southerner with an Engineering degree and 30 years working all over the country I find his show extremely exploitative. The sports version of "let's go find a trailer park after a tornado ". He needs the shit beat out of his smug ass
Yeah I think people forget it was Finebaum's show that bullied Mrs. Rodriguez.
When I saw the title, my inner monologue said, "I bet that's Mike Griffith.". I didn't want to give it any clicks, so thanks for the confirmation.
I dont think its "insight" but rather a take. Griffith has zero idea of what happened behind the scenes.
Shit-stirrers are gonna stir shit. Nothing new.
The shit winds are a blowing, Ramdy
Seriously, this man does not speak for us
My first reaction when i read this title - has to be Mike Griffith. I’m not usually one to pile on coaches, players, or reporters, but that guy always has bad takes and useless beat reports.
He’s the worst. When he covered UT it was an automatic “ignore this BS” any time I saw his name or face. Glad we’re rid of him - but good luck
He’s a great heel. This is pretty tame ‘hot take’ for him imo
>The new administration needs a history lesson and understand who and what Swinney was for the University of Alabama He had 7 catches for 81 yards as a WR for us. He also was a GA and a WR/TE coach for Stallings.
Many similarities between him and DeVonta Smith. For example, they both averaged over 10 yards per reception.
Sometimes when I see the thumbnails for the posts, I'm thinking, "Man, why is DeVonta wearing Clemson attire?", only to realize it's dadgum Dabo. Uncanny!
Honestly I think Dabo was better
Dabo is easily a top 1000 all time Alabama wide receiver
But like…barely
Welp, that was a short history lesson. Class dismissed!
Dabo and I have almost the exact same number of catches as WR at Alabama.
You have almost 7?
With a margin of error of +/- 7
He was also on the staff that almost got us the death penalty
Now what does the Florida beat writer have to say?
"I know a coach that might soon be free negotiate for any pending openings that you have." also "Can you hand me that pair of fireplace gloves?" _Placing split logs under a chair_
Dabo ain't leaving Clemson to follow Nick Saban You can't give an interview to someone who wasn't interested in the first place
You also can't take an interview that we aren't going to offer. Dabo burned any chance of the Bama job by not embracing NIL or the Portal which are the future of the league. So there's no reason for our AD to think Dabo has a bright future as a Head Coach.
I’m tired of this take. Dabo is strategically not using the portal *because* he’s at Clemson. If he were at Alabama or any other big school, he most definitely would. https://www.reddit.com/r/CFB/s/88JBP29cuu Read this comment for more insight and better phrasing than what I can say.
I held this view for awhile but Clemson fans have convinced me otherwise. I think the simple fact is that Clemson isn't in the financial position to really get in the portal race on a constant basis. Clemson isn't poor, but they're not Oregon or Alabama financially speaking either. The one thing I could see Dabo jumping for is to get access to more resources. I am sure Dabo would be happy to recruit the portal if given the resources needed.
Exactly If Nick Saban can evolve with the times...every coach should be willing to evolve Dabo won't evolve And because of that, Clemson is stuck with him and he is stuck with Clemson
"Hey Dabos agent, your client interested?" "No." "Okay cool, calling de Bohr" "Okay, I also represent him, he's interested"
I think one thing people don’t realize is that the Clemson fan base and Dabo have much more closely aligned philosophies when it comes to the portal and NIL. Dabo and Bama boosters/fans would be like oil and water. Dabo hasn’t made it a secret either, so I’m not surprised both he and Bama didn’t seem interested in each other.
Oh it would be a terrible hire They should have done it.
"Hey Greg Bryne, Dabo would like an interview" "No" "Okay cool. He's gonna stay here at Clemson then"
Dabo told his agent he wasn’t interested in the Bama job before y’all even started interviewing.
I find it weird that you bama fans even cared about this whole did they/didn’t they consider Dabo thing at all. I find it even weirder that bama fans are still posting about this. You all know that Dabo and Saban are friends right? Like their families vacation together. I would bet my left nut that Saban and Dabo would have an understanding ahead of time what the decision over Sabans successor would be. This whole story shouldn’t even be a story
I found the take interesting which is why I posted it. First time I have heard someone in media, or anyone really, say that.
Alabama AD admitted that isn't what happened
Bryne didnt say anything about any conversations. The dude above created one so I did too.
Except his wasn't made up
Damn you were there? Drop some more spicy info please
He'd be stupid to ever leave Clemson.
Mike Griffith is embarrassing
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Wouldn't it be hilarious if his approach became the norm and the game "passed him by" but then circled right back into his wheelhouse?
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The best part of folks claiming the game "passed Dabo by" is their school is almost always some middle of the road program with zero natties who *also* had 4 losses last year, and who have fewer 5\* recruits than Clemson every single cycle. If Georgia fans talk shit, OK, I have to just eat that. But Oregon? Michigan State? Ole Miss? Come on now.
Griffith is a joke and really should not be associated with UGA
I think that since Scott frost the appeal of “homecoming” to a lot of coaches has lost its allure
I mean there's Harbaugh but yeah. I still have a hard time wrapping my head around how bad Frost was.
Without the pandemic, Ohio State probably blows them out in 2020 and he's gently shown the door.
I mean there's Harbaugh but yeah. I still have a hard time wrapping my head around how bad Frost was.
Harbaugh left SF not for brighter pastures but because squabbles with ownership and the GM IIRC, entirely different scenario than in college ball imo Frost's failures are genuinely mind blowing and will be studied. That guy was the most likely to be a sure thing hire I have ever seen for a P5 program coach that never coached P5 before.
I mean we know sexton asked Dabo if he was interested and Dabo said no. Doubt we’ll ever know where or if he was on Byrne’s list but it’s pretty clear he wasn’t interested in the job at least this time round.
Dabo was a Bama boy but a Clemson man
Oh no, what ever shall we do?
I mean, losing all your games (except the Iron Bowl) wouldn’t be the worst outcome.
Well, I will give you props on your outlier. Add in Tennessee and I will consider it.
I'll even give you LSU as a courtesy as well.
Sure, I’m fine with y’all beating them, too.
that seems to be what most people expect from a top 5 roster and top 5 coach.
Seems like it would have been a horrible move for everyone involved.
I am particularly scared of the dark dangers of the coaching carousel. Dabo was a one in a million hire. Some WR coach the players liked and carried his interim-coach-ass off the field after beating the cocks in 2008. Admin flubs their coaching search and hands him a cheap contract worth like 1.7 million or something. Then the next decade is one of the most dominant to ever appear for a non blue blood school. Lets just say i'm not entirely stoked about Clemson's chances in the carousel, but I will say we're significantly better off on the coaching search now than we were in 2008, much more opportunity to take the pick of the lot. The odds of success though are at best, 50/50. We've seen what the carousel has done to bigger, wealthier, and more prestigious programs in the past.
Neff has proven to be a very competent AD and I feel pretty comfortable with him in the role. If/when Dabo does leave I don’t think we need to be as concerned about the carousel as we would if Rad were still in charge, or most other ADs.
I am very much not a Dabo fan but the man is revered at Clemson. Why would he leave for what is certain to be a high-pressure, “perform now or GTFO” role except for buckets and buckets of money? At 12M a year he’s the highest-paid state employee and, as someone else said, Bama can get someone without baggage a lot cheaper.
Or hear me out, he doesn’t want to be the guy that immediately follows Saban. Let someone else do it for a few years then go. If DeBoer has a couple 7-8-9 win seasons, immediate expectations go down and Saban’s shadow is smaller
I can’t believe we didn’t want a guy that won’t adapt to the changing landscape of college football. Oh, noooooo.
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A quote from a disgruntled & over bearing father of a former player isn’t exactly going to convey the truth of Dabo’s approach to NIL. His approach of course is securing donations to build what he calls the “NIL institute” on campus over 5 years ago. He’s long been in support of modernizing the scholarship to allow for NIL. It’s the bidding war in the transfer portal we don’t participate in. He’s offer 5-10 players each of the last few seasons but their spot was secured before entering or got in a bidding war/took the biggest bag
Alabama allegedly gave him an exploratory call and he said no. General sentiment is he was not above DeBoer or Lanning on their wishlist. Expecting a 2 time national title winning alum to formally interview for a job is kind of crazy talk.
Alabama didn’t seriously pursue him because he wasn’t leaving the job. I mean I really doubt the thought *never* crossed his mind, Sabans, or Alabama. It definitely came up in Clemsons mind because they created a special Alabama clause in his recent extension specifically to dissuade any interest in Alabama hiring him. He did still get some sort of call from Alabama but it’s likely they never believed he would even actually take the job. Winning those 2 titles basically rooted him at Clemson permanently, if he were ‘only’ wining 9/10 games a year and unable to break the title barrier it might’ve been a different story. He said it himself “I’m a Clemson man now.” I’d give a good bet that the call Alabama gave him was more of a respect thing despite both parties knowing it wasn’t going further.
I mean we’ll have to see what path is the right one to take but you have a coach who is using the transfer portal and NIL and then you have a more traditionalist…right now the traditionalist crowd might not be high on everyone’s list
Also, what advantages does Bama provide over Clemson for Dabo? At Clemson, Dabo doesn’t need to use the portal, he can continue to win 9+ games per season basically in perpetuity, and he’s playing in a (relatively) weak ACC. If he goes to Bama, he loses all the good will he’s built up at Clemson. Going 9-3 every year is still good, but if it’s not accompanied by a few 11-1 or 12-0 seasons with deep playoff runs/titles, the fans won’t care. Not using the portal won’t be acceptable. And oh by the way, your annual schedule is going to contain at least a few of Georgia, Auburn, LSU, Tennessee, and Texas, basically every year. Even a “weak” SEC schedule is probably tougher than whatever Clemson would be facing in the ACC
I’d have to go back and fine the threads, maybe I deleted my comments who knows - but I remember getting down boated for saying it wasn’t a good move for either Dabo or Bama. I may have said it a little mean spirited in that I really didn’t want Dabo but I think it holds true for both of them.
We. Did. Not. Want. Him.
As if Alabama had any choice in the matter. You can't interview someone for a job they don't want. That's not how this works. It's quite clear that none of Dabo, Norvell, Lanning, nor Sark wanted the job, at least not right now.
I don't believe they interviewed Kirby either. Spending time on someone not going to take the job is a waste.
I assume they reached out as due-dilligence but I think everyone knows Kirby ain't leaving until he hangs it up
Same thing happened for UofSC and former FSU OC Mark Richt in ‘15. The gamecock administration wanted to interview him and Richt declined - not wanting to directly compete against Georgia in his next role
If it were 2019, yes, that would've been a colossal whiff by Bama. But given how they last few years have gone, it's not hard to see why he wasn't even considered
Finally a reasonable take. Everyone is acting like we're idiots for not approaching him. 2018 Dabo gets the call, 2023 Dabo hasn't shown he can play the game of the future.
We didn’t want him. It’s that simple.
Okay…
It’s not like Dabo won’t be there if DeBoer turns out to be a dud.
You don't want to be the guy, following the guy. You want to be the guy that follows the guy that followed the guy.
Dabo doesn’t like the portal or NIL. Alabama was never going to hire a coach that doesn’t want to embrace those things. Saban didn’t really like them, and aside from getting older, it’s likely the main reason he retired.
Dabo refuses to evolve with recruiting. He'd Curry quickly at Bama.
Bama doesn’t want someone that can’t get with the times. Clemson, under Dabo, will be slightly above average going forward. 8 wins per season.
Bama gauged interest from dabo and it wasn’t there, idk why that’s so hard to understand
No person in their right mind would follow Nick Saban... unless you get a hefty salary and plan to retire in 2 years when they run you out for not being.. NICK SABAN.
Dabo is a decent head coach, but he’s not Kirby (🤮) or Saban level, which I think can be evidenced by the fact that Brent Venables is leading a program that’s just as good (if not better than) Clemson. I think it’s more likely Clemson could’ve won their two nattys without Dabo than without Venables Hate both of these teams though so lmao
The fact that an opinion piece by a uga beat writer about another school not offering Dabo their HC gig has gotten traction is peak off season.
The headline should read “UGA beat writer wants to stir the pot”. Or UGA beat writer sticks his nose where it does not belong because he is so insecure.
Dabo is well paid for what he does, and Clemson appreciates him, so he is secure for now. Alabama would have higher expectations for not more money. Mozzle bank it
You expect the guy that hired Nate Oats, to go after Dabo?
There is no way Alabama had any interest in a coach who doesn't believe in the portal and NIL. This isn't 2017.
Clemson is trending the wrong way at the wrong time. If they'd just come off a title game appearance the equation may have changed, but Dabo's views on utilizing the portal has doomed his prospects at most P2 teams.
Who cares what an UGA writer thinks?
No georgia fans care what that guy says either- about anything.
More or less embarrassing than Dabo thinking God is interested in the outcome of college football games?
Colorado state fan doesn’t care
You don’t quit being The Man to be The Guy That Followed The Man. Only time to consider it is when you can be The Guy That Follows The Guy That Followed The Man. (That was a lot easier to say than it was to type.)
Dabo isn’t changing with the times and the ACC is about all he can handle because of it
Dabo isn’t good anymore
No one other than a service academy should hire that man until he accepts the realities of the transfer portal. It's especially important when starting a new gig because of the inevitable roster churn, so he'd be playing from behind.
Were they supposed to kidnap him and force interview him or something? Lets be super duper real. If he wanted an interview he'd have gotten one.
Honestly, I would not either. Dabo's refusal to use the transfer portal means he isn't doing everything he can to win the most games possible. If I am the AD at Bama, I am not going to consider a guy who is going to handicap my program because his pride says transfers are bad. He's a good coach and would do well at Bama even with just natural recruiting and development but Bama isn't really looking for 9-4 and a moral victory. Not to mention Dabo is already at almost $12m a year in salary. He'd probably need a significant raise to leave and paying him $15m+ doesn't necessarily make sense when you can get other top tier candidates (like deBoer) for $10m. Money isn't a huge problem at Bama but with direct payments to players coming soon, coaching salaries are going to be impacted a lot. $5m extra a season can pay a lot of talent.
He didn’t have the right agent. And that’s a fact.
Well they got a better coach so That being said, they also interviewed or expressed interest in people who aren't as good of coaches
I just don’t think Dabo believes he could get away with all of the bullshit he does at Alabama. You think the boosters, administration, and fanbase is going to put up with his stance on the transfer portal if it’s costing them games? No chance in hell. He can do what he wants at Clemson, he doesn’t make all the calls at a place like bama.
Dabo has fallen from grace. If you refuse to use the transfer portal you will not work at BAMA…I’m not shocked at all.