What Should Clemson Do About Dabo?

​As Dabo Swinney enters his fifteenth (full) season as the Clemson Tigers' head football coach, there is speculation circulating the College Football Rumor Mill that Clemson will be looking at moving on from Swinney after this season. This conversation has significantly heated up after Clemson's loss to the Duke Blue Devils this past weekend.

Throughout the last fourteen seasons, Dabo has led the Clemson Tigers to 8 ACC Titles, 11 Bowl Wins, 6 College Football Playoff appearances, and two National Titles. Dabo and his Clemson Tigers have made a bowl game appearance every season, and the Tigers have only won less than ten games in two seasons. 

Since the last time the Tigers made a National Championship appearance, Clemson has only made the playoffs one more time, and they have finished the last two seasons ranked outside of the Top 10. Granted, they finished 13th and 14th, but that's still outside the Top 10.

Dabo has gone on the record opposing the new NIL rules. He hates them and has not gracefully adjusted to the new College Football landscape. Clemson fans are some of the most passionate fans I have personally been around, just behind Oklahoma and Tennessee fans, and they expect the Clemson Football Program to put a winning product on the field each Saturday. 

Each year that the Clemson Tigers are not competing for a National Title is considered a failure. Before Dabo's emergence, Clemson had only had four .750+ seasons since 1990. In Dabo's fourth full season as the Tiger's head coach, he led the team to an 11-2 season and has not dipped below .750 since. 

Dabo has made Clemson what it is today. Are there things that Dabo needs to improve as College Football transitions into this new era? Absolutely. But Dabo is Clemson. As much as he has given to the program, it shouldn't be up to the university when his time as their head coach is done. I have to believe Dabo would happily step away if the Clemson Football Program isn't where it needs to be by the end of next season. 

I don't think Clemson will ever get another coach like Dabo. Not for a very long time, at least. Coaches don't often stay at the same university for their entire career and have the amount of success Dabo has had. It's a good thing Clemson holds their football program to such a high standard, which is why they will continue to be successful well into the future. But Dabo shouldn't be fired because Clemson finishes around #15. This loss to Duke could be a fluke. Statistically, you're bound to lose one game to a cupcake team, and this was just one of those examples. 

Clemson, keep Dabo around for at least another season, regardless of what happens at the end of this year. Besides, the playoffs will expand to 12 teams next season, and Dabo might lead Clemson to some deep playoff runs. 

But, if Clemson does let Dabo go, maybe we can see him team up with Venables again in Oklahoma. Now wouldn't that be something?