Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney will always love the Alabama Crimson Tide.
Swinney, after all, joined Alabama as a walk-on receiver in 1989 under former coach Bill Curry. He spent the next three years playing for Gene Stallings, and as a senior in 1992, Swinney won a ring as a member of the Crimson Tide’s 13-0 national championship squad.
After graduating, Swinney worked his way up to a full-time coaching position on Alabama’s staff from 1996-2000. Swinney’s own coaching staffs have featured numerous players with Alabama ties through the years.
Mickey Conn, a college teammate of Swinney’s, is the Tigers’ safeties coach. Another former college teammate, Lemanski Hall, was Clemson‘s defensive ends coach from 2018-2023. Andrew Zow, the starting quarterback who led the Tide to an SEC championship in 1999 when Swinney was the team’s wide receivers coach, has been a member of the Tigers’ staff since 2021.
And arguably the most influential person in Swinney’s ear at Clemson is his chief of staff and former wide receivers coach at Alabama, Woody McCorvey.
As for the once-held notion that Swinney might someday return to Tuscaloosa to lead the Crimson Tide? That door appears solidly closed.
As he enters his 17th full season as Clemson’s head coach, Swinney sat down with veteran ESPN college football reporter Chris Low for a lengthy feature on the Tigers’ program entering a 2025 season brimming with high expectations; Clemson was ranked No. 6 in Monday’s preseason US LBM Coaches Poll.
While recalling the hectic 48 hours after legendary coach Nick Saban announced his retirement in January 2024, Swinney made clear to Low that he was happy where he’s at: Clemson, a place where he’s won two national championships (both against Alabama, no less) and nine ACC titles.
“Nick called me the next morning early, and we had a good conversation about a lot of things, but I’m where I’m supposed to be and that’s the main thing. I mean, listen, I knew that’s a question that would always be there. And again, I think they hired a great coach, and man, I love Alabama and always have, always will, and will always pull for Alabama, except for when we play.”
“But after 23 years, this is home.” –Dabo Swinney to ESPN’s Chris Low
