Clemson’s Dabo Swinney the rightful heir to Nick Saban at Alabama

Is Clemson Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney the heir-apparent to Nick Saban with the Alabama Crimson Tide.

If you thought last season’s National Championship matchup was good then you must be quivering with anticipation over Monday’s game between Alabama and Clemson.

There are so many story lines heading into this matchup. An unbeaten Clemson team, led by quarterback Deshaun Watson, taking on mighty Alabama with their top defense and Heisman-winning running back in Derrick Henry.

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But the most intriguing story line, however, concerns the man leading Clemson and not those playing for him. Dabo Swinney has attracted his share of media coverage in the past few seasons because of his colorful personality. Videos of him celebrating with players after big wins have gone viral. He has created a very loose and fun atmosphere within the Clemson football program that his players have clearly excelled in.

With all of Swinney’s recent success, one question seems to be popping up; is Swinney the favorite to take over at Alabama after Nick Saban decides to move on?

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If that is the case here’s my question: Is this Swinney’s best shot at showing Alabama Nation (the fans, administration, boosters, and financial backers) that he is capable of continuing the success under Saban?

Obviously, Swinney isn’t thinking about any future job now. He is focusing on how he is going to put his players in a position to be successful. But while Swinney is putting his undivided attention toward the game it might be fun for us to explore the possibilities.

Jon Solomon of CBS Sports asked Swinney about the idea while reporting for a feature on Clemson in November. While Swinney was adamant that he is happy where he is, he didn’t completely shut the door on the idea.

"“You don’t ever say never. You don’t ever know what the circumstances would be at any given time. First of all, Alabama may never, ever call me and I would never have a problem with that. They’ve got to do what they’ve got to do. My deal is to be great where I’m at. I had opportunities to leave Alabama. I had opportunities to leave Clemson. But I’ve just never been that guy about the next job. I’m about the job I’ve got.”"

The job Swinney has now is certainly a good one. The football facilities at Clemson have gone through many upgrades in recent years and in the feature, Solomon quotes Swinney as saying that “My vision is for Georgia, Florida and Michigan to be like Clemson.”

But Swinney has obvious ties to Alabama making it one of only a few programs that could steal Swinney away from Clemson. Alabama is where Swinney played his college ball  and won a national championship as a walk-on receiver from 1990-1992. It is also where he began his coaching career as a graduate assistant and later wide receivers coach under Gene Stallings.

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Obviously, for Swinney to move onto Alabama it means Saban would have to leave. Monday’s National Championship Game may be a distant memory by the time Saban decides he is ready to move on. But what if that time comes sooner than Crimson Tide fans would like to believe?

Saban has been mentioned as a possible candidate for NFL head coaching jobs for several years now, but what if this is the year he leaves Alabama for the pros? Saban has already accomplished all he can accomplish in the college game. He has won national championships at two different schools, has multiple Heisman winners, he’s been to the first two College Football Playoffs and may be the best college football coach ever if he wins his fifth championship on Monday.

If Saban does move onto the NFL in the next couple of season or when he eventually retires this could be Swinney’s best shot to give Alabama Nation a look at what he is capable of. He can showcase how he accumulated a 75-26 record with a .743 win percentage at Clemson and sculpted a National Champion contender.

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He can show how he brought a team know for ‘Clemsoning’ defined by Urban Dictionary as “The act of delivering an inexplicably disappointing performance, usually within the context of a college football season” all the way to the National Championship game.

If Clemson comes out on top come Monday – or even if they give Alabama a fight before eventually falling – Swinney will prove that he should be the top candidate for the Alabama job once it becomes available.

Will he take it? We’ll have to wait and see, but Alabama should make him Dabo their first call.