Clemson Tigers Head Coach Dabo Swinney Makes List for Prestigious Award

Clemson Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney is a top candidate for a major college football award.

Oct 23, 2021; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Clemson Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney reacts on the sidelines against the Pittsburgh Panthers during the second quarter at Heinz Field. / Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

The Clemson Tigers are heading into the 2024 college football season looking to get back on track and back into National Championship contention.

After coming up short of that goal for three straight years, Dabo Swinney is more motivated than ever. He has a very talented team and is an elite head coach himself.

Swinney himself is being looked at as a potential award winner this season.

The Dodd Trophy is a very prestigious award for college football coaches. It is given to the coach who leads his team to success on the field, but also leads his players to success in leadership, integrity, and schoolwork.

Basically, the award is given to the coach who best teaches players how to be men off the field just as much as on it.

Ahead of the 2024 season, Swinney has made the cut on the list.

Throughout his college football coaching career, Swinney has led many great teams on the field. He has also seen many of his players go on to find NFL success. Former Clemson players have also gone on to have success in other industries and areas in the workforce.

Swinney takes a lot of pride in developing players and people. He is truly a leader of men, which has made him so successful in the college ranks and has helped him continue adding elite recruiting classes.

In 16 season as the head coach at Clemson, Swinney has truly cemented himself as one of the great college football coaches in this era. He has led his teams to a combined record of 170-43. In conference games, they are 103-23. Swinney has also won two National Championships as head coach of the Tigers.

Hopefully, he will be able to lead Clemson back to contention in 2024. It will take a lot of players playing up to their potentially, especially quarterback Cade Klubnik, but the team certainly has the talent.

All of that being said, coach Swinney is the true definition of what a college head coach should be. He expects success on the field just like any other coach, but his expectations of success off of the gridiron are what sets him apart from most of the field.