Swinney Proud of the 2021 Team, In Spite of the 'Crap'

The Clemson Tigers fought their way through adversity and "crap" in the 2021 season.

Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney has experienced the highest of highs in the world of college football, winning the 2016 and 2018 national championships. 

The 2021 team did not only not win the national title, they also did not even make the playoffs. But the fact that they did not win the national title does not change the fact that the 2021 group is one of the teams he is most proud of.

"I'm as proud of this team as the 15-0 team when we held up the trophy in – wherever the heck we were, Santa Clara, wherever that was," Swinney said. "I'm as proud of this team as I was that team. That team stayed healthy. We didn't have anywhere near the challenges that this team had. It's incredible what they had to deal with this year.

And then you have criticism and negativity and all that crap. And they never flinched. They kept fighting. They kept the faith, and they finished. They finished."

They sure did finish.

Clemson withstood a late rally to claim the 2021 Cheez-It Bowl, 20-13, over Iowa State (7-6) at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Fla. The win was Clemson’s 10th of the season, marking the 11th-consecutive year in which the Tigers (10-3) have won 10 or more games. Clemson won its final six games of the season.

Clemson now has 18 seasons of 10 or more wins in school history, with 11 coming under Dabo Swinney, has won 10 games in a season in which it started 2-2 or worse for the second time in school history, joining the 2014 Tigers that rebounded from a 2-2 start through four games (and a 1-2 start through three games) to finish 10-3 with a bowl win in Orlando. Beyond the 2021 and 2014 teams, the only other Clemson team to reach even nine wins after starting .500 or worse through four games was its 2009 team, which started 2-2 and finished 9-5.

"Just really, really proud of them," Swinney added. "As I said earlier, man, I look at every team like one of your children, and if you have children, you know – I have three boys, and they are all different. If you have any kids, they have different personalities and different journeys and different challenges. And I love that about starting over every year because you truly start over. Because it is, it's new leadership, new challenges, new struggles, new journey.

"Man, I love this team. Very similar to the 2014 team that we had. Actually, ironically, right here in this Bowl game, that was one of my favorite teams as well. I've never judged a team based on a championship, never, ever. Because you know what, there's a lot of things that go into winning a championship. Just because you don't win the championship doesn't mean this team was any less committed than our 2018 team that won it all. This team was just as committed, just as passionate, unbelievable group.

"So you know, I judged him based on their commitment to excellence, how they handled themselves off the field, what type of teammates they are, how they respond, how we practice, the camaraderie and chemistry, the development of the leadership, their passion, their toughness. That's how I judge these teams."

Even though the Tigers did not accomplish what many fans and people around the country expected of them, Swinney would not change anything about the 2021 team.

And this team is right there with any team I've had," Swinney said. "And yeah, wish we'd have won them all. We didn't. Sometimes you're not quite good enough. That's okay. But they have laid it on the line every single week, and I'm just really, really proud of them. There's not many programs out there that could have done what this group did this year."

The 2022 team will be again one of the favorites to not only return to the playoffs but win the entire thing, as they currently hold the fourth-best odds according to Fanduel at +1000.

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