Clemson Tigers Head Coach Sees Popularity Renewed with Latest Win Streak

The Clemson Tigers head coach may have been counted out last year, but all of that has changed with his recent win streak.

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The Clemson Tigers football program has employed Dabo Swinney as its full-time head coach since the beginning of the 2009 season.

In that time, Swinney has led the program to a 172-41 record in that time, with eight Atlantic Coast Conference Championships, six College Football Playoff appearances, and two National Championships.

While he has brought a consistent level of winning to the program throughout his tenure, a down year in 2023 and his unwillingness to recruit players through the transfer portal have seen many state their displeasure with the coach still remaining.

While the 2023 season is one of the worst during his tenure, Swinney has turned things around in 2024, and the program is playing at a level that has only been seen in their National Championship seasons with dominance being displayed on both sides of the ball.

The quick turnaround has seen many renew their faith in the veteran coach, and his popularity has seen an uptick once again.

In a recent article for Sports Illustrated, Pat Forde ranked the college football coaches that have seen their popularity renewed of late, with Swinney ranking sixth.

"Whenever there has been a temptation to bury Swinney," writes Forde, "it’s usually best avoided."

While the 2023 campaign as a whole was not the best, the team did finish the year with a five-game winning streak, which played a big part in the team finishing above .500.

In fact, the program has finished below .500 only once during Swinney's tenure, coming way back in 2010 when Clemson finished the year with a 6-7 record.

Since 2010, the Tigers have finished each year but 2023 with no less than 10 wins.

This year looks to be on track for more of the same, even after the blowout loss in week one to the Georgia Bulldogs.

Since that game, a 34-3 loss, Clemson has won six consecutive games, outscoring their opponents in those matchups by a combined 291-127, including a stretch that saw the program hold three straight opponents to 14 or fewer points.

Dominance on both sides of the ball has been the calling card for Swinney throughout his tenure as the head coach of the Tigers.

That has continued this season, with the help of star junior quarterback Cade Klubnik, who could be yet another Clemson quarterback to receive Heisman votes.

While many may have stepped off the Dabo Swinney hype train after last season and his reluctance to recruit through the portal, the train is still barrelling down the tracks with no signs of stopping anytime soon.