College Football: 25 greatest head coaches of the 21st century

Best college football coaches of 21st century: 3. Dabo Swinney

• Clemson Tigers (2009-Present)

Although Dabo Swinney hasn’t coached as many seasons as some of the others on this list, he still has the accolades to land himself in the top three. He is one of two active head coaches with multiple national championship wins under his belt. The standard is high with the Clemson Tigers, and Swinney has lived up to that standard.

In the Nick Saban era, Swinney has done what almost every other coach has failed to do. He has beaten the Alabama Crimson Tide on college football’s biggest stage. The Crimson Tide and Tigers are 2-2 against each other in the College Football Playoff.

A big reason Swinney has been so successful has been the culture he has created. He certainly does things differently. From the dancing in locker rooms to the pizza parties, Dabo certainly marches to the beat of his own drum.

Nevertheless, it is part of what convinces star juniors to come back for their senior year, and it got players like Deshaun Watson and Trevor Lawrence to join him from over in neighboring Georgia.

Somehow, Swinney has also avoided a lot of turnover on his coaching staff. The chemistry from year to year is unheard of for the top programs in the country. Saban has to replace most of his staff on a yearly basis, but Swinney has kept his main guys for most his tenure at Clemson.

The most surprising thing that Swinney has been able to do is build this type of program at a smaller school. He didn’t inherit the in-state talent that comes with USC. He didn’t have the history and legacy of a Notre Dame or Alabama. Everything he did was on his own, and that doesn’t get mentioned enough.

Swinney is a bit unconventional. Some won’t like his ways, and that is a valid criticism. However, he gets results on the field.