Clemson Tigers HeadCoach Dabo Swinney Voted Among Best In Country

Dabo Swinney is rightfully near the top of the college football head coach rankings.

Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney during Spring Practice in Clemson, S.C. Monday, March 24, 2025. / Ken Ruinard / staff / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Clemson Tigers have consistently been one of the best college football teams in the nation under the leadership of head coach Dabo Swinney.

He took over the job in the middle of the 2008 campaign from Tommy Bowden, who had gone 3-3 before Swinney finished things up going 4-3. No one knew it at the time, but it would be the berth of one of the gold standards in the sport.

After going 9-5 and 6-7 in his first two years, the Tigers would rip off 12 consecutive campaigns winning double-digit games. 

Consistently in the title mix, Clemson has won the ACC championship eight times under Swinney. Four national championships were won in a five-year span from the 2015-2019 seasons.

The Tigers have gone 12-9 under their current head coach in bowl games, which is the most wins in ACC history.

With an overall record of 180-47, it should come as no surprise that college football reporters over at ESPN believe the Clemson head coach is one of the best in the business.

They recently ranked who the best head coaches in the nation were heading into the 2025 campaign and Swinney came in at No. 3.

The only people ahead of him were Kirby Smart of the Georgia Bulldogs and Ryan Day of the Ohio State Buckeyes.

“No shade here. There's not a clear line of delineation between No. 3 and No. 6, and there are logical arguments that could be used to advocate for Swinney as high as No. 1. So when splitting hairs, I think I dropped Swinney below the consensus because his recent success hasn't matched his peak success. But, again, this shouldn't be misconstrued,” wrote Kyle Bonagura, one of two people who voted Swinney No. 6, which was the lowest he appeared on any ballot.

The Tigers are looking to get back into the championship picture this season, possessing one of the most talented rosters, on both sides of the ball, in college football.

Swinney is no stranger to getting the most out of elite talent, regularly having players selected in the NFL draft and having 12 players named consensus All-Americans during his tenure with the program.

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