Clemson Football Is the Only Program To Accomplish This Feat Over Past 13 Years

Clemson is the only program in the country to accomplish this feat for 13 straight years.

Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney reacts on the sideline during the second half of the NCAA Aflac Kickoff Game against Georgia in Atlanta, on Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024. / Joshua L. Jones / USA TODAY NETWORK

There's a lot that could be said about the past 12 months for Clemson, however, the disrespect surrounding the program has reached new heights, which isn't fair for multiple reasons.

To fans, alumni, analysts, and more, winning football games is Clemson's goal.

Sure, there's no argument that, as a football program, their biggest focus on the field is to win championships.

But, there are many other reasons why they're a storied program. It's not just about national championships and NFL success for Clemson.

Dabo Swinney has received plenty of criticism for his unwillingness to change with the times, but one thing remained true: Swinney does things the way he believes they should be done.

He's always optimistic. Even when Clemson lost to Georgia, he had nothing bad to say. He understood they didn't play well, but he didn't point fingers, blame his players, or anything else.

Swinney took it on the chin and highlighted the very few positives from the game. He runs a tight ship with high expectations.

When players commit to Clemson, there's a standard for the program.

One of those is graduating.

Graduation rates for programs like Clemson are often forgotten, as it's flashier to wrack up tons of wins and put players in the NFL.

Well, in terms of winning games and graduating, Clemson has done that more than any program in college football for more than the past decade.

David Hale of ESPN wrote about an interesting stat: Clemson is the only Power 4 school to have a team in the country ranked in the top 25 in the AP Poll and graduation rates for 13 straight years.

"Clemson's player retention rate is among the best in the country -- only Northwestern and Oklahoma State had fewer players leave in the December window than Clemson's 12. The Tigers had the highest graduation rate of any Power 4 school (Georgia, in comparison, is last). Clemson is the only team in the country to rank in the top 25 in both the AP rankings and graduation rates for 13 years straight."

Swinney is big on education, and while many other coaches are too, he means it. He wants his players to get the best education possible, which means he wants them all to graduate.

It shows that, despite the struggles, Clemson would be making the wrong decision if they ever fired him.

It's been an ugly 12 months on the field, but the Tigers have done a lot of right off of it.

That's more important than anything else.