How Dabo Swinney, Clemson Tigers Will React to NCAA's New Five-Year Rule

Known for his experience with developing players, an extra year will help the Clemson head coach's players get more game experience without worrying about burning a year.

Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney enjoys the new five-year rule due to the ability to have more time to develop players. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

In a program that’s built on development over talent itself, Clemson football could see a shift in how it runs things with a new ruling. 

Going into this season, the NCAA will now use a five-year rule, granting all players who are currently playing an extra year of eligibility. Of course, redshirts mean that the rule already applies, but for players with only four years currently, it’s helpful. 

For head coach Dabo Swinney, a coach who has used “the crockpot” to develop players while sitting their freshman year, it could be a benefit. 

On Thursday, when speaking to the media for the first time during fall camp, there have been times where Swinney has wanted to play freshmen due to being ready for the moment, but he didn’t want to waste the extra year. 

“That’s the good thing about this five-year rule, because you don’t have to try to pick, balance stuff, you know, because maybe the kid’s not going to be ready early,” he said. “But maybe, by November, he’s going to be ready.”

Entering his 18th season at Clemson, it’s safe to say that Swinney knows how to judge a freshman on whether he’s good or not early. He compares it to a fruit being ready to be picked. 

“It’s like picking an apple,” he said. “When it’s ripe, right? I mean, when it’s ready, some guys are just ready. It doesn’t take long to see it.”

“Some guys physically look the part, but then you start coaching them, and they’re just a ways away.”

But in this case, some players could need more time by the end of September or October. By that point, one wouldn’t want to waste reps for the sake of having a fifth year at the end of their collegiate career. Swinney had to bite the bullet on not using redshirt freshman tight end Logan Brooking last year. 

However, if he came a year later, his usage would’ve went up. 

“But, it’s a situation where you’re like, ‘We got these guys right here, and you don’t want to waste a year,’” Swinney said.

It truly depends on the player for that to occur. For a name like offensive tackle Blake Miller, who arrived in the summer, it didn’t take long for him to move up the depth chart and be a starter by Week 1. Four years later, he’s Clemson’s all-time leader in snaps. 

A name like Sammy Brown, who Swinney said needed more time to develop from his mid-year enrollee spring, eventually came into his role. Simply, it all depends on the people around him, which the Clemson head coach is satisfied with. 

“That’s why it’s important that you really are efficient and utilize your staff the right way,” he said. “Even though guys aren’t getting a lot of reps on gameday, they’re progressing. So, that’s important that you manage things that way.”

That is very present at quarterback, especially during some of the garbage-time games that the Tigers end up in for various games. For freshmen, it’s important to have that potential year at the backend of your career. 

But now for freshmen quarterbacks Tait Reynolds and Brock Bradley, real game reps can happen without the damage of losing a year. Especially with Reynolds being a candidate for the starting job, don’t be surprised if Swinney puts him in at times to gain that experience. 

At the end of the day, Clemson figures out what players are ready and which that aren’t. It can be either physically, mentally or schematically. However, when you’ve spent as much time as Swinney has at head coach, the eye test says all. 

“So, you just kind of know. You know when you know it, when you see it.”