Boyd Helped Build the Program
Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney never forgets the players who helped build the Tigers into the program they are today — a national powerhouse and college football's new dynasty.
But there is one player who he has a special affinity for when he thinks back on those players, his first quarterback, Tajh Boyd.
"He was my first quarterback that I signed. You're talking about a guy that could have gone anywhere really," Swinney said. "He signed in my very first class in February of '09. We only signed 12 players that year.
"I needed a quarterback. I needed somebody that could come in and help me build a foundation, somebody that could be a face of our offense. I was looking for a certain style of play, the qualities that Tajh possessed."
Boyd helped pave the way for the Tigers' success.
Boyd finished his career as one of the most prolific passers in Clemson history, setting school and conference records with 11,904 passing yards and 107 touchdowns.
In addition to leading the Tigers to an ACC Championship title in 2011, Boyd earned First Team All-ACC Honors in 2011 and 2012 and was named a First Team All-American in 2012. As a three-year starter, Boyd lead the Tigers to three consecutive 10-win seasons, including victories over No. 9 LSU in the Chick Fil-A Bowl and No. 7 Ohio State in the Orange Bowl.
"Tajh was unbelievable. He left here as the winningest quarterback in school history," Swinney said. "He and Rodney Williams tied. He took us to our first ACC championship, our first 10-win season in 20-plus years. That was huge for him.
He took us to our first BCS bowl win, had the huge win over LSU in the Chick-fil-A. We beat Ohio State in the Orange Bowl in '13. Tajh was just a massive, massive piece to the foundation of our program today. He kind of passed the torch to Deshaun Watson. Deshaun came in here, just unbelievable what he did. He also left here tied with Tajh and Rodney as the winningest quarterback in school history. Took us to the next step, that was to win a national championship. Trevor has come in and took us to our first 15-0 season, another national championship."
Even though Boyd has been removed from the playing field for eight years, the impact he made will never be lost.
"Certainly Tajh was a major, major cornerstone to the foundation of our program," Swinney said.
