Dabo Swinney Joins Josh Pate - Pate State Speaker Series

0:00 First off, this is big.

0:01 This is big.

0:02 We we've hunted it for a while.

0:03 White whale.

0:04 Davos 20 wizard.

0:05 [laughter] White whale.

0:06 Yeah, right.

0:07 But I wanted to come over here cuz you don't get on the internet much.

0:10 I've been on the internet.

0:12 So I've heard some rumblings.

0:13 I've seen some headlines.

0:14 Looks really negative.

0:16 So I just come and hear it from you.

0:17 What's the reality here right now?

0:19 Oh man, you ain't getting nothing but positive from me.

0:21 That's just That's just who I am, you know.

0:24 But it's it's awesome.

0:25 I mean, I feel like I've I've made the big time.

0:29 Like like literally.

0:30 And congratulations to you.

0:32 I mean, what you've been able to accomplish

0:33 and just kind of betting on yourself, pretty cool, you know.

0:38 I I I didn't know who you were

0:39 and then all of a sudden you're like you're everywhere.

0:42 It It'd be If you're a sports guy, it'd be impossible not know who you are.

0:46 So you know, awesome.

0:47 And I'm I'm I didn't know if you'd ever I

0:49 don't know if I don't know if you've ever called.

0:52 So he said, "Hey, Josh Palwicki the bald guy?" Yes.

0:56 Yeah, him.

0:57 We want to meet with him?

0:58 Absolutely.

0:58 Let's meet with him.

0:59 And so uh so you know, glad to have you at Clemson,

1:02 but you know, it's um Man, it's fun.

1:05 Yeah, it's always fun.

1:06 I I'm a I'm a passionate guy about what I do

1:11 and who I do it with and where I do it.

1:13 And just happens to be here in Clemson.

1:15 And you know, so it's um uh just a journey, you know, just enjoying the journey.

1:22 It's all good.

1:23 Everything's good.

1:24 And so people who know me, they know I'm I'm a half-full guy all the time.

1:28 And that's kind of how I choose to live my life.

1:31 I think it's a choice.

1:32 Yeah, I think that perception, if you're a fan,

1:35 not even a Clemson fan, let's just say you're a college football fan,

1:38 you view a season from the outside,

1:40 the only thing you have to frame it against is whatever your expectation was.

1:44 So like if I expect a Clemson to play

1:46 for a national title and then they win seven games,

1:48 well I don't really hear from you for a long time.

1:51 Like the season's over and I know he's down there doing something,

1:54 but I don't know what he's been doing.

1:55 [clears throat] And so you may get this thought in your mind that oh man,

1:59 I bet they're I bet they're really dwelling on that down there.

2:01 And then we come in here No.

2:03 and it's It's like someone pulls the string on one

2:06 of those wind-up dolls and then it's energy energy energy energy energy.

2:10 And I That's not normal, obviously.

2:12 It's not [clears throat] the average way of living.

2:14 And so I would love for you to talk about how you sustain that.

2:18 It's easy to sustain it in the good times.

2:20 But when you get a negative outcome Yeah.

2:22 how you sustain that makes your entire building and organization does.

2:25 Well, I mean, I just look at I mean, life is a journey.

2:28 It's not It's not a a destination.

2:31 It's I mean we've won national championships.

2:35 You wake up the next day and you go I well, got to go back to work.

2:39 I It's got to be more than that.

2:41 And so if you don't really love if you don't really love what it takes,

2:46 if you don't love the doing, [clears throat]

2:48 if you don't love the journey of it,

2:50 you know, you're probably not going to last.

2:52 You know, because when you do achieve something great,

2:56 well, what else is there to do?

2:57 And I think I always talk a lot about competitive stamina.

3:01 You know, and and I think And that's And I love studying people

3:05 that have been really really good at something for a long period of time.

3:09 And if you study any of those people,

3:11 it's [clears throat] it's it's there's always some

3:15 moments along their journey where uh that wasn't good.

3:18 Um but you you have to you have to love it all.

3:23 And you got to love it all.

3:23 And I mean, that's biblical.

3:25 I mean, and so I guess it's it's hard for me

3:27 to answer a question like that without like bringing my faith in.

3:31 You know, Romans 8:28 says,

3:32 "All things work together for good for those who love the Lord." All things.

3:36 That's the bad stuff, the good stuff.

3:38 You can't just love the good stuff.

3:40 And quite [clears throat] honestly just my life.

3:42 I mean, we're all shaped.

3:43 I'm sure you've been shaped by your life.

3:45 You've been shaped by your experiences.

3:48 I mean, I'm 56.

3:49 I've lived a lot of life.

3:50 I've I've had a lot of really really bad bad dark days.

3:55 And I've had some really bright sunny days.

3:58 And but as I look at things, I look at it from a a perspective of faith.

4:04 And so God never says oops.

4:07 That's how I've always looked at it.

4:09 I Jeremiah 29:11.

4:11 And I know God's got plans.

4:12 They're plans for good.

4:14 They're not plans for disaster.

4:16 They're plans to give you a future and a hope.

4:17 So if there's hope in the future, there's always power in the present to to push

4:21 you through whatever you're dealing with in the moment.

4:23 But I think you know, for me, I just try to have fundamentals to life.

4:27 I just I keep my eyes on the Lord in everything I do.

4:31 Good times and the bad times.

4:34 I believe I have a I have a a strong belief in myself and and then I don't quit.

4:41 Never have.

4:41 That's kind of my fundamentals to life

4:43 and I apply those to whatever situation is.

4:45 You have a great year, you have a great situation,

4:47 everything went perfect keep your eyes on the Lord.

4:51 And that's great.

4:52 All right?

4:53 But life is is it speaks in valleys.

4:59 [clears throat] It is.

4:58 And and honestly, we're it's more that we're

5:01 None of us are built for the mountaintop, right?

5:03 We're all built for the climb.

5:04 We're all built for the journey, but I love studying people that have done

5:08 things cuz there's a competitive stamina to that.

5:11 And if [clears throat] you look at the Tom Bradys,

5:12 you look at the Michael Jordans, Kobe Bryants, the Steph Currys,

5:16 you you look at a lot of the great coaches,

5:19 the the the Nick Sabans, just people who've been really really consistent.

5:25 [clears throat] And it's not that they haven't had bad moments along the way.

5:28 But they love doing what it takes.

5:31 And it's like, "Oh, we won.

5:32 That's great.

5:33 Well, can we win again?" And and and you love the process of doing that.

5:37 And that's That's just how I'm wired.

5:39 And I mean, I'm not a rookie.

5:41 I guess is the other thing I would say.

5:43 I mean, I'm not a I'm not a wet behind the ears rookie.

5:46 I'm a I'm a thick-skinned, calloused-up dude that's been through a lot of life.

5:51 And man, yeah, last year was a really frustrating and tough season for us.

5:57 But it was just a chapter.

5:59 I mean, it was it was a chapter in a great book.

6:02 We're writing a great book.

6:04 This is the greatest era in the history of Clemson football.

6:07 And honestly, one of the greatest eras in the history of college football.

6:10 These past 17 years.

6:13 Uh but [clears throat] last year was a bad chapter.

6:16 We wrote it.

6:18 You know, and that's what I tell our players all the time.

6:20 It's not about what people predict.

6:22 It's not about If it was about

6:23 that, we'd have won the national championship last year.

6:25 It's about what we do.

6:27 What we do is a reflection of how we think.

6:29 It's It's a reflection of our habits.

6:31 And And then sometimes, you know,

6:32 you can do everything right and it and it doesn't go your way.

6:36 You know, that's life, too.

6:38 And I think as a person of faith, like you know,

6:40 if everything did go our way all the time

6:43 and we never lost and we never had any adversity,

6:45 we'd have no reason to depend on God.

6:49 All right?

6:49 But adversity is a part of life.

6:52 It's a part of winning.

6:54 Failure is a part of success.

6:56 It [clears throat] just is.

6:57 And last year in in life, in our world, we we we didn't get it done.

7:02 And we we did we definitely underachieved.

7:04 And and that's That's my responsibility.

7:07 We didn't perform coach or play to our potential.

7:10 And that's the head coach's responsibility.

7:12 Um but it's football stuff.

7:15 It's football stuff that we got to get fixed and we got to get better.

7:17 And you always you start over every year.

7:19 Whether you went 15 and 0 or you won seven guess what?

7:24 It's a new team.

7:24 It's a new journey.

7:25 New challenge.

7:27 Nothing carries over.

7:28 And that's how I've always looked at it.

7:31 And you go back to work and I love that part of it.

7:33 I love that process.

7:34 So um yeah, you learn from it, you grow from it, you flush it.

7:38 You know, boy, that that chapter, no good.

7:41 Turn the page.

7:43 New chapter.

7:43 And we got the pen in our hand.

7:45 Always have.

7:46 And when it's all said and done, again, it's not about what people predict.

7:49 It's about what we do.

7:51 And ultimately, that's what gets written is what we did.

7:54 What we earned.

7:55 And you know, you we from a going on 18 years now, 17 years track record

8:04 [clears throat] you know, we've we're we're writing a great book.

8:06 But um you know, last year was a a tough chapter for us.

8:10 And we're going to try to write a better one this year.

8:13 I know you had to make some staff [clears throat] moves at the end of the year.

8:15 Offensive coordinator was the one that got the headlines.

8:18 Think maybe a secondary coach.

8:20 You So you made some staff moves.

8:22 And I know you don't do that nearly as often.

8:24 There's not nearly as much churn here,

8:26 roster or coaching staff, as there is most of the country.

8:30 So I mean, you get to the end of the year,

8:31 you do your assessment, you realize those moves are needed.

8:34 Yeah.

8:34 What goes into that process?

8:36 And like what was it you saw that didn't

8:38 quite match up with what I want us to be?

8:40 Yeah.

8:41 Well, I didn't have to, but but it was the right thing to do.

8:45 And I think again, that's a part of the evaluation process every year.

8:49 It's not like somebody said, "You got to do this." Um it just as my job,

8:54 as I evaluate you know,

8:57 [clears throat] everything I felt like change was needed.

9:00 And that's that's hard.

9:02 I mean, that's never easy because I love I love my people.

9:05 I love, you know, and it and but you know, we don't always get it right.

9:09 Or or it it we it just doesn't work for whatever reason.

9:13 And sometimes [clears throat] you have to make a change.

9:15 And you know, but that's part of my job.

9:17 That's part of my job.

9:18 I mean, we have a we we've not had a lot of turnover here.

9:21 Uh you know, especially with people just packing up and leaving.

9:24 It's a really special place.

9:25 But the bottom line, you know,

9:27 as you sit back and you evaluate your season you look at it and you're like,

9:31 "Golly, man, we we I mean, we lost three games by 11 points.

9:36 We lost two games on the last play of the day.

9:38 We were we were weren't bad.

9:41 We were horrible in running the football with some [clears throat] efficiency.

9:47 We were horrible on third down.

9:49 And you know, and it's not that we didn't work hard at it.

9:52 It's not I mean, we I mean, you look back and you're like, "Man,

9:54 we in my we did everything right." I mean,

9:56 our team was was was we had great leadership.

10:00 These guys did the things right.

10:01 You look back and you evaluate stuff.

10:03 But I think [clears throat] we were affected early on like I mean,

10:06 we we we lost the opener 17 to 10.

10:09 Had the lead at halftime.

10:11 Didn't get it done.

10:12 Um when the next second game we'd go to go to Atlanta

10:17 and and we lose on a 55-yard field goal with 2 seconds

10:20 and now all of a sudden you this this you know there's

10:22 a lot of noise in our world and you got young people

10:26 [clears throat]

10:26 expect and and we've made everything in college football about the playoff now.

10:29 It's like everything is about the playoff.

10:32 And so now you're one and two with with you know,

10:37 a three-point loss and a 17-10 loss.

10:41 It's two good teams.

10:42 And and now you're pretty much your your season that was expect is over.

10:48 We [clears throat] didn't handle that well.

10:49 I mean, I don't even I mean,

10:50 we didn't even show up the first half of the Syracuse

10:52 game and and so we just it that that that affected us,

10:56 you know, the the the disappointment early, the noise, all those type of things.

11:01 But you know, you you don't have make a decision in a moment.

11:04 You I like to let things marinate a little bit.

11:07 Let's get through the season.

11:08 But when you look back at it um you know, we didn't win the close games.

11:12 We had two games that we had lead in fourth quarter we didn't finish.

11:16 Uh so [clears throat] you look up and you you get the results that you earn.

11:21 So now we'll we'll what do we need to do to get better?

11:24 And you look at your personnel,

11:26 you look at your staff, you you look at everything.

11:28 And I know I do that every year whether we won seven or won them all.

11:31 I've always done that.

11:32 So that process is never different.

11:34 But [clears throat] I just felt like that um you know,

11:39 I I I had I needed to get back

11:41 to some things that I really believe in and we got

11:43 to run the ball better and you got to be

11:44 more productive on third down at a place like Clemson.

11:47 And you know, we didn't we didn't do that.

11:49 And then on the flip side defensively it's it's

11:53 the worst pass defense I've had since I've been head coach.

11:55 You know, it's Tom Allen's first year.

11:58 [clears throat] So there were some personnel things that we

11:59 needed to get better and we needed to address.

12:01 We did that.

12:02 Made some changes within the staff as well.

12:05 Um you know, we we we gave up a kick return.

12:10 Um you know, Duke was the last we lost on the last play of the game.

12:14 That [clears throat] that game there was also

12:15 a kick return we gave up for a touchdown.

12:17 When I hired Rich Bisaccia who's probably

12:19 the best uh special teams coordinator in the NFL.

12:24 Um so the timing was right for that to work out.

12:26 So you know, made the changes that I

12:28 felt like we needed to make within our staff.

12:30 And then we had a bunch of guys,

12:31 you know, John Grass got the head job at Samford.

12:35 [clears throat] So it created a lot of kind of um you know,

12:38 open spots in the outfield if you will uh

12:40 to to kind of fill some some some roles.

12:44 Um so we got a bunch of new people that have come in uh and it's been fun.

12:48 And then again personnel.

12:50 We got some guys that are able to come in and really fill the gap right away.

12:54 We signed a we think a really good class that fits what we're looking

12:58 for from a um profile standpoint and uh so good spring, did a lot of work.

13:05 We got a quarterback battle going on and and you know,

13:08 we came out of spring with a little bit of clarity there.

13:10 Uh it's been fun bringing Chad Morris back.

13:13 Uh he was you know, ironically [clears throat]

13:16 you and I were talking about this off air,

13:17 but in 2010 we won six games, my second year.

13:22 And so you were asking me kind of like I mean like it feels it feels very much

13:26 like 2010 to me or spring of '11 if

13:29 you will cuz we won the championship my first year,

13:33 won won the division, went to the championship, got beat by Georgia Tech.

13:37 But there was a lot of excitement because we won our bowl game.

13:42 [clears throat]

13:42 Kyle Parker who could have called he was first round draft pick in baseball.

13:45 He says, "I'm coming back to play

13:46 quarterback." We had Andre Ellington and Jamie Harper

13:49 and Dwayne Allen and we had Chris Hairston and we had some in the line.

13:52 We had Byron Maxwell, DaQuan Bowers, Jarvis Jenkins, Marcus Gilchrist.

13:56 I mean, we had a good team.

13:58 And really good defense that year especially.

14:01 But we had a tough year and we won six games.

14:04 And and again, I wasn't a real popular hire at the time

14:07 and now I just won six games in year two.

14:10 And it was a lot of disappointment because we were we way underachieved.

14:14 And five [clears throat] games six points or less, we competed.

14:18 Um lost in overtime in Auburn,

14:20 lost on a bomb of a kick at Florida State um at the end of the game,

14:25 but it was a tough year.

14:27 So that spring made some changes that year.

14:30 Kind [clears throat] of tweaked some things very similar.

14:32 But ironically brought Chad Morris in in 2011 for really the same reasons.

14:37 Uh we we really aligned and and were very like-minded.

14:41 Uh I thought he was a great fit for me at the time.

14:44 I really believe that.

14:46 Uh and it proved to be the case.

14:48 We had four great years together before he went on to be

14:50 the head coach and now here we are uh fast forward

14:54 to to 20 spring of '26 and we're coming off our second

14:58 worst season in 17 years and uh the timing was right.

15:03 And so bringing him back uh I thought he really fit what

15:07 I think we need to do to get back on track offensively.

15:09 And then Tom Allen um man, Tom's great and he's going into year two.

15:14 And we got better in in pretty much every area defensively,

15:18 but we were horrible in pass defense.

15:21 And a lot of that was you know, bus communication,

15:26 uh some you know, some some personnel things we needed to address as well.

15:31 And so that's what we went to work on doing this spring

15:33 and and now we get a chance to to you know,

15:37 attack, try to climb the mountain all over again.

15:40 One of the things I've always appreciated [clears throat]

15:41 about you is I'll sit there from a distance.

15:43 I'll watch you over in Nashville.

15:45 You'll win a bunch, you'll lose occasionally,

15:48 but there's a lot of noise always even from your own fan base

15:52 sometimes about what they wish you'd do differently or I wish you'd change this.

15:55 I wish you'd change that.

15:56 And one thing I think I've said it a million

15:58 times on our show is independent of my position on it,

16:02 the one thing I know about that guy

16:03 is that he's got his principles and values defined.

16:05 They are not going to bend.

16:07 Does not matter if it's 99 people out of 100

16:09 in the room that want him to bend, he's the 100th.

16:12 He's not going to bend them.

16:13 That doesn't always happen elsewhere.

16:16 And there are examples sometimes, recent history in this sport,

16:20 maybe of places that chased, you know, more the sugar high effect.

16:23 Yeah.

16:24 And in a in a temporary saints, they achieve [clears throat] really really high

16:27 highs and then it's really really low lows.

16:30 And Yeah.

16:30 that it's so easy to sit there and watch that from the outside.

16:33 But when you're running a program um what

16:37 is it like to maybe be pressured to chase

16:40 some of those 100 mile an hour down a dead end road approaches and to you know,

16:45 have the discernment, have the wisdom,

16:46 you're a little bit older now to say, "We're not doing that guys.

16:49 I know it didn't go the way we wanted it to, but we're

16:51 we're going to we're going to keep doing it this way." Yeah,

16:53 I think it's important to be true to yourself.

16:56 Like [clears throat] well, I had this job for 3 weeks.

16:59 If you come to my office um I I've got a little It's a museum.

17:04 Yeah, [laughter] I got a little note card [clears throat] right by my phone.

17:08 I had had the job for 3 weeks.

17:09 I got like the full-time job December 1 of '08.

17:14 And so you know, I'd been a head coach for a few weeks as an interim,

17:16 but now I I got the job.

17:18 And um I go [clears throat] do my like first head coach deal.

17:22 It was the back in those days the coaches

17:24 would come and speak at the Shula Bowl.

17:25 And I'll never forget it.

17:27 Um so I'm walking into the Shula Bowl and there's all the head coaches.

17:32 It's like North Carolina, NC State, South Carolina.

17:35 Uh [clears throat] Georgia, everybody's there.

17:37 Uh and and I see Bill Curry.

17:40 And he's the head coach at Georgia State.

17:42 And so I was I played at Alabama.

17:44 I was only with Coach Curry for just over

17:46 a year and then he left and went to Kentucky.

17:49 Gene Stallings [clears throat] came in and then I was with him

17:51 for his whole seven-year career there playing and coaching for him,

17:54 but I I I misremember like walking toward the table.

17:59 And you know, I'm I'm 38 whatever.

18:01 I'm I'm I'm just like but you know,

18:04 it's just like an official like you got to go do this.

18:07 And [clears throat] um I'm like,

18:09 I don't even know if Bill Curry even remembers me, you know,

18:11 I was a still walk-on that that year with him and and I

18:15 remember sitting down and he was and he if you know Bill Curry,

18:18 he's one of the he's just a he's a he's

18:20 a very smart and he's very kind [clears throat] man, stern.

18:25 Um and I remember sitting down and I'm like,

18:27 "Hey Coach Curry." And I started to tell him

18:28 how I'm I'm sweating and he goes he's like, "Dabo,

18:32 sit down, you know." And then we sat down for a second he goes

18:35 and we were kind of right next to each other on the little podium thing.

18:38 I had [clears throat] my little speech and my little

18:40 poor note cards or whatever in my coat pocket.

18:43 And um I had one extra card in there with nothing

18:46 on it just in case you needed you write something down last minute.

18:50 And uh he [clears throat] goes he goes, "Listen to me.

18:54 First of all, congratulations, man.

18:55 I'm so proud of you." He said, "I've just watched your journey you know,

18:59 and and um he said, "Listen, you didn't call me for any advice." [clears throat]

19:03 He goes, "But I'm going to tell you three things and and then I'm going

19:07 to shut up and we're going to enjoy this banquet." And I went I'm like,

19:11 "Well, hang on." You know, I'm like scrambling in my thing and I pull out

19:16 [clears throat] my note cards and I got that one card with nothing on it.

19:19 And I I I wrote the date and um and he said he said,

19:24 "Number one." There are three things.

19:26 He said, "Number one." It's it's it's right in there by my It's

19:29 been there right by my by on my desk my entire coaching career.

19:33 He said, [clears throat] "Listen to me and I need you to listen to me.

19:36 He said, "So many people get these jobs

19:38 and then they try to be something that they're not.

19:41 You know, they I got to do it the way that guy does it.

19:43 I got to do it the way that guy does it.

19:44 He said he said, "Be Dabo." He said,

19:48 "That's what's made you successful at Alabama.

19:52 That's got you this job.

19:54 Just by being you.

19:56 He said so

19:58 [clears throat and cough] be who you are.

20:00 And he said that's what got you this job.

20:02 That's what's going to keep you this job.

20:04 I wrote number one.

20:06 Be Dabo.

20:08 [clears throat] And he said the second thing he goes and I want

20:11 you to hear me on this and these are my greatest regrets.

20:14 He said there is no job worth sacrificing your family.

20:19 All right.

20:20 And I at that time young kids and [clears throat]

20:23 he said my greatest regret he said I thought I had to do every booster thing,

20:26 every speaking engagement, every church, everything.

20:29 You know, he goes and I had a hard time saying no and I missed this game.

20:34 I missed that practice and he said he said cuz

20:37 in the end that's what you got is your family.

20:39 This [clears throat] guy is a head coach at Georgia Tech,

20:40 Alabama, Kentucky, Georgia State he started program there.

20:43 And and I and I I really as a young father at the time and I wrote it down.

20:48 No job is worth sacrificing your family.

20:52 And so to me that's like man I've got to create a [clears throat]

20:56 a life for not just me, for my staff that we can be highly

21:01 successful without sacrificing being great husbands, great fathers.

21:06 And it was important to me.

21:08 And then the third thing and he was dead on this.

21:11 He said now the last thing I'm going to tell you [clears throat]

21:14 he said you've never made any money.

21:16 I mean I I I made a hundred and something thousand dollars or whatever uh

21:21 was the most I've ever made and [clears

21:22 throat] he goes you've never made any money.

21:24 Now you're going to make some money now.

21:27 And he goes this is a very volatile job.

21:32 And he said so make sure you get a good money manager and you

21:37 make sure that that you you plan like to not be coaching forever.

21:44 And you think it could it could change next year and I think you know he's

21:46 probably been reading the media reports about you

21:48 know he probably saw I was a D plus

21:50 hire by ESPN whoever you know and so and my you know my contract they could have

21:56 they could have fired me for a steak

21:58 dinner at at Hall's and Rick Erwin's or something.

22:01 They could have you know sent me on my way.

22:04 So but that was great advice and so I wrote those three things down.

22:08 And so you know that's the biggest answer I

22:11 can give you is I don't know [clears throat]

22:13 how to be anybody but me and I have I don't I have conviction in what I believe.

22:18 And I have conviction in uh what I think's best for the 30-year-old

22:22 version of these players and that's what matters most to me.

22:25 I want to win as much as anybody.

22:27 But what motivates me and drives me is how we win.

22:32 Cuz when it's all said and done it's you and you and you

22:35 better be able to you know have peace with you and you.

22:38 And listen if my career ended today I have peace.

22:42 You know we have served this community.

22:45 We [clears throat] have man we've had

22:47 great moments and memories and made Clemson better.

22:50 But most importantly man we've we've impacted lives.

22:54 We we we've I've had 430 seniors and 424 graduates.

22:57 We lead the nation in graduation and I know that's not a man

23:00 that's like uncool to talk about the value of an education now.

23:04 But not to me.

23:06 Not to me and and that's never going to change for me.

23:09 That's my we have a responsibility as coaches to serve these players' hearts.

23:15 Yes there's a transaction and there's all this stuff

23:17 that that's all fine but these are young people.

23:20 These are young people who need to be equipped

23:23 as men that are eventually going to be 28-year-olds, 29-year-olds, 30-year-olds.

23:28 And eventually they're going to look back and they're going to think

23:30 differently at 30 like we all do and they're going to look

23:32 back on the people that were in their life in the process

23:35 and and and they're going to go man like where were the adults?

23:38 Yeah.

23:39 Where were the people that told me the truth

23:40 and and and at the end of the day man I want to be a guy in all my players'

23:45 life that they could say man he was genuine,

23:47 he was authentic, he was tough on me but he loved me and he cared.

23:52 All right and that's just how I go about it.

23:53 So I don't I don't know how to be anything other than

23:56 me and I and I know there's a lot of people out there

23:59 that that want me you know it's it's it's a fascinating thing

24:03 to me like they go they want me to be something like this.

24:08 And it's like well like well what's that guy done?

24:13 You know cuz it cuz to me it's not just about win I mean like [clears throat]

24:16 I mean again it's about how we win.

24:18 It's about our purpose, it's about how we win and by serving

24:21 their heart not their talent equipping them as men.

24:23 I want them to have some fun.

24:25 I want every every signing class I've had 17 years has won a championship.

24:30 Every one except for last year's freshman.

24:33 You know Braden Jacobs, Gideon Davidson those guys are on the clock.

24:36 They got three more every signing class and and prior

24:39 to our tenure here Clemson hadn't won the ACC in 20 years.

24:44 So now every kid that signed with Clemson

24:46 for 17 years they've won a championship.

24:49 Every coordinator that I've ever had has won a championship.

24:52 Billy Napier my first OC won we won our first division championship.

24:56 Every coordinator except for Tom Allen.

24:58 He's on the clock.

24:59 He he was he was a rookie last year.

25:03 We've had seven quarterbacks win championships here.

25:06 Uh you know something's driving that.

25:08 It's it's it's it's it's not just like something we've done once.

25:12 And I and this is this has come up many times over

25:15 the years like I've just never been willing to compromise what's best

25:20 for the long-term health of our organization and our program

25:26 or for the 30-year-old version of this kid for what's best in the moment.

25:29 I've just never been willing to do that.

25:31 Uh and I've always told our staff you guys want

25:33 to stay employed long-term or y'all want to be short-term.

25:36 And let me tell you I've been I've had a front row seat going on 18 years.

25:39 I've seen a lot of people that were really hot

25:41 in the moment and you can't find them 2 years later.

25:44 I got a I got a long list of those people.

25:47 And and I've never really wanted to be that.

25:49 I want to be consistent.

25:51 And and and we are far from perfect but there's very

25:55 few programs that have been more consistent than us in 17 years.

25:59 And and so you know a lot of times people want me to be

26:02 like well they and I'm like well because it's it's all about the playoffs now.

26:06 Well we've been to seven playoffs.

26:08 Who's been to more playoffs as a head coach?

26:11 Who's been to seven playoffs?

26:13 I don't know if there is another one.

26:15 I think I've been to more playoffs than any coach in college.

26:17 There's 138 coaches.

26:18 And they'll say okay well we're going to measure you by championships.

26:21 Well we got to let let's just well let's do that then.

26:24 Well we've won 11 championships in the last 15 years.

26:28 11 including and then they say well that was last decade.

26:33 I you know and I'm thankful that I can speak in decades.

26:36 Like last decade we finished second in wins in the decade to Alabama.

26:41 This decade we're in the year seven not like year two and we and listen

26:46 man it's a fact we've had man we've lost games we should have won.

26:51 I think we've underachieved.

26:53 Uh I've done a poor job especially last year in some areas and in bringing out

26:57 the best in in everything man kind of getting it to work where it needs to.

27:00 We've had some bad stretches.

27:02 That's a fact but it's also a fact that there's 17 teams in this league.

27:07 We've won this league three times this decade 20, 22, 24.

27:10 We've been to the playoffs twice.

27:12 We've had four out of six seasons 10 plus wins.

27:15 Five out of the six nine plus wins.

27:17 Nobody else in this league can say that.

27:19 Nobody's won this league more than one time this decade.

27:23 Nobody's been to the playoff more than once this decade except Clemson.

27:27 And and even this decade we're we're as a program we're third in championships.

27:31 Georgia's had five.

27:33 Uh I think Alabama's had four a combination of Coach Saban.

27:38 And we've had three.

27:40 And so we're not perfect but but my point is like why do I want to be like them?

27:46 Like what what what's that guy done?

27:48 Okay did something what can he can you do

27:50 it over and over and over and over again?

27:52 Check back in a decade.

27:53 You know and and if you look back if you

27:55 go back and watch we won 10 games in 2011

27:58 and it was a it was like you'd have thought we

28:00 I mean it was a like oh my god 20 years.

28:04 And and now like I mean we've had I said

28:08 well let's just see if we can put our head down.

28:09 Let's see if we can do this a few times before

28:10 we start right out parade around here for a 10 win season.

28:13 This should be what we do.

28:15 You know maybe not every year but we should be really well we've done that.

28:21 I mean we we've we've had 13 out of last 15 years 10 plus wins.

28:26 You look at some of the these great programs around there man

28:29 that's more than they've had in their whole history of their school.

28:33 But again so people want me to be like all these other people.

28:37 I don't know how to be like them.

28:40 You know I just got to be me and being me as Bill

28:43 Curry said is what got me here and that's what's kept me here.

28:46 And so sometimes when I've made mistakes it's I've gone against my instincts.

28:54 [clears throat] And and that's kind of my whole self about it.

28:56 And honestly some of the best decisions I've made are are some of the or I

28:59 would say the most popular decisions I've

29:01 made have been some of my worst decisions.

29:04 And some of a lot of my really

29:06 really unpopular decisions have been my best ones.

29:10 And so that's kind of an odd thing but it's so at the end of the day

29:14 um you know I have to make the decisions

29:16 that I think are best for the long-term.

29:19 And it doesn't always it's not always going to make sense.

29:21 If you if you the one way to fail is you try to please everybody.

29:25 If you try to please everybody in this job you you you you have zero chance.

29:30 Zero chance.

29:31 And then whatever you decide you just have

29:33 to understand in this role there's going to be

29:35 a lot of criticism and a lot of hate and all that and it just comes with it.

29:38 And so you got to have conviction and and leadership

29:41 is a very sometimes you got to stand alone.

29:44 Uh sometimes it's you're in a line with it everybody,

29:47 but a lot of times you're not.

29:49 And so, you know, and at Clemson the the the the advantage that I had

29:54 with this job was if I was here

29:56 I wouldn't have probably wouldn't have got the job.

29:58 I got it I was a walk-on player who earned a scholarship.

30:02 I was a walk-on coach I was an interim.

30:05 That went four and two and Terry Don Phillips said, "You know what?

30:08 Let's give this guy a chance." And I've been an interim ever since.

30:12 I'm still an interim.

30:13 You know, we all are interims.

30:16 Uh, but I'm on my 18th year as an interim.

30:18 And and and that's that's one of the things Terry Don told me early on.

30:22 He said, "Look, trust your instincts." And he said, "You know,

30:25 you you and he and he trusted me and he empowered me because

30:30 a lot of the things that I did was kind of countercultural." Uh,

30:36 but but he he really supported me and he aligned with that.

30:39 And and it wasn't perfect.

30:40 I mean, we I mean, we did you go back everybody forgets.

30:44 I We won six games and 10.

30:47 We lost five in a row to our rival.

30:49 Uh, we we we had some tough stretches along the way,

30:53 but but we've been consistent.

30:55 And but it's how we've won is what I'm most proud of.

30:58 We lead the nation in graduation.

31:00 We lead the nation in retention.

31:02 And you know, so you know, everybody you know,

31:05 learns this and then you know, the portal.

31:07 I mean, we've gone through COVID.

31:08 We've gone through portal.

31:10 We've gone through the NIL.

31:12 We've gone through no rules.

31:14 Like I mean, it's been a lot that we've managed,

31:17 but even with all of that this decade

31:19 somehow we're still top 10 in wins, top seven.

31:23 Top five in championships.

31:25 Uh, as a head coach I lead the nation in draft picks.

31:28 The nation.

31:30 Me and Kirby are the only two coaches

31:31 138 coaches that have 20 plus first rounders.

31:34 So, and but we have we've never had a top recruiting class.

31:38 So, you know, I know people want me to be like you know,

31:40 other people, but but you know, all I can be is be me.

31:44 And and and then they say, "Well, you know, coach Sweeney don't change.

31:47 Coach Sweeney don't do that." And that I mean,

31:48 you can't keep a job for 18 years if you don't change and grow and adapt.

31:51 That's just that doesn't even make sense.

31:53 That's like a what is that?

31:54 Like an oxymoron?

31:55 Like it don't even make sense.

31:58 So, we've always had to change.

31:59 We've always had to grow.

32:00 We've always had new problems to solve.

32:03 And I love that.

32:04 I love being a problem solver.

32:06 And I think if you're a leader you you have to embrace that.

32:09 Um, but I love my players.

32:12 That's what ultimately it comes down to.

32:14 And that's what drives everything is is my love for the player,

32:18 my passion for the game, and my love of Clemson of Clemson.

32:22 You know, this is a really special place,

32:24 but what helped me early on as an interim was I'd been

32:26 here for five and a half years and I really understood Clemson.

32:30 And if there's one thing I know, I know it's I know Clemson.

32:36 Yeah.

32:35 And so, you know, we we we we've never if we and I said that.

32:40 When I got hired at my very first board meeting,

32:43 I went in there and I this one of our board members says,

32:45 "You know, we want to be like this school and this school and this school.

32:49 We want to be great academically and athletically."

32:51 And and it was like a moment of truth for me.

32:54 You know, this is like the first board meeting.

32:55 I'm 38 years old.

32:56 I walk in there you know, I don't I don't even know them.

33:00 And I'm like and you know, it's like just keep your mouth shut.

33:05 [laughter] Smile and leave.

33:05 And then the other one was like, "Oh, hell no, man.

33:08 Well, no, that ain't who we are." Well,

33:10 that voice won out which sometime that can get me in trouble from time to time.

33:15 And and that that voice won out and I'm like, "You know what, sir?

33:17 I don't want to disrespect you, but it's not my vision as your head coach.

33:22 Like I want for those programs to want to be like Clemson.

33:27 And here's how we're going to do that.

33:29 I want to build a model program.

33:31 I want to be great academically and athletically,

33:33 too, but I want to do it this way.

33:35 And this is going to be the Clemson way.

33:37 And that's what I felt like we had to do.

33:39 I think there's two ways to be successful.

33:40 You can do what everybody else does or you can be unique and different.

33:44 And we've been unique and we've been different in everything we do.

33:46 It's unique.

33:48 And it's become our brand.

33:49 Uh, honestly.

33:50 And so, and it and it's and it and it'll

33:53 I think that's what continues to drive our success.

33:55 If we try to be like some of these big brand schools,

34:00 we're not going to be successful.

34:01 We have to be Clemson.

34:02 I got to be me.

34:04 We got to be Clemson.

34:05 And and and and we've always won and we'll continue to win.

34:09 We'll write a new chapter this year.

34:10 I remember when things started to evolve with NIL, with the portal.

34:14 I remember hearing someone say, and they weren't wrong about this, "Hey,

34:18 the players are about to make a lot more money.

34:21 They need to understand they're about

34:22 to be treated like professional athletes a lot

34:25 more." Which kind of sucks a lot of the soul out of college football,

34:28 [clears throat] a lot of the spirit out of college football.

34:30 I've heard you talk about this.

34:32 I feel like you and I are perfectly aligned on our vision

34:35 that it's not a bad thing that guys can make money.

34:37 It's not a bad thing that guys even have the freedom to do this or do that.

34:42 But it does not feel like there are a lot

34:44 of people who have their hands on the wheel,

34:46 who are thinking about what you said, about the 30-year-old, 35-year-old,

34:51 40-year-old version of those players because it's really just an ends

34:54 to a financial means for a lot of people right now.

34:57 And I look, I know that maybe there'll be cynics who listen

35:01 to you or listen to me talk like that cuz I deal with them,

35:03 too, [clears throat] in this vein.

35:04 And they'll say, "You don't care about those kids either, man.

35:07 You're just you're just trying to have a different point of view." Well,

35:10 I love college football.

35:12 I've loved it my whole life.

35:14 And [clears throat] I love, you know,

35:15 when I can look at a 45-year-old guy number

35:18 one who's well off and his family's well off,

35:20 but also he belongs to a community.

35:22 Like he belongs to a place.

35:24 And we talked to Kirby yesterday about this, but I've talked

35:27 to you about it as well about how there is coming very,

35:30 very soon a group of 28- to 38- to [clears throat] 48-year-old people,

35:35 young people, adults at that point who really don't have that root system.

35:39 They never got the full development as a player,

35:43 but also development as a person.

35:45 And they may have made a few hundred thousand dollars that they've long since

35:48 burned through and you're just sitting there

35:49 at 29 years old and you're asking, Yeah.

35:51 "What did college do for [clears throat]

35:53 for that person?" Cuz college football in my whole life

35:56 has done a whole lot for a lot of people.

35:59 And I'm just wondering I know I know you've talked about this.

36:01 I know you go five hours on it about what that group of people,

36:05 the documentary if you will,

36:07 that those people are going to sit there on camera and talk about if

36:11 they could go back they'd do this, if they could go back and do that.

36:14 But in the moment Yeah.

36:15 you got a bunch of people that are failing [clears throat] the situation.

36:18 Yeah, it's um that moment's coming.

36:21 I mean, it is.

36:22 There there there will be a reckoning.

36:24 And and I I hopefully we're we're heading into a better

36:29 situation where we can maybe have some order and have some rules.

36:32 And and nobody's wanting to not these guys not

36:36 have a more modern situation where they can make money.

36:39 That's not the case.

36:41 But we have to stay scholastic.

36:43 We have to educate our young people.

36:46 You know, football's not a game of longevity.

36:49 It's just not.

36:50 You know, and and everybody talks about that.

36:51 It's 78% of NFL players are bankrupt within two years.

36:57 Those are the ones who make it to the NFL.

36:58 Yeah, that make it.

36:59 2% make it to the NFL.

37:01 And then 78% of the guys within two years of being done are bankrupt.

37:04 That's a real that's data.

37:06 Like that's not make-believe.

37:07 We're and these are mid-20s to 30-year-olds.

37:10 We're not going to get a different result with an 18-year-old,

37:13 19-year-old, 20-year-old who's never been away from home in their life.

37:16 And and you know, the adults have left the room.

37:21 And and it's it's uh, you know, it's frustrating.

37:24 And I've I've voiced things and I get just,

37:27 you know, crucified uh, you know, for speaking what I believe.

37:31 I've raised three boys.

37:33 I've been one.

37:34 I've been in college for I'm not some just random casual person.

37:38 I mean, I mean, I listen, I I I slept on the floor as a senior in high school.

37:43 I mean, my my mom and dad were married at 18 years old.

37:46 My dad was on plants, man.

37:47 My mom cut hair and worked at the mall.

37:49 My parents were divorced.

37:50 We had addiction in our home.

37:52 Like I know what it feels like to have nothing.

37:56 Nothing.

37:57 I went to I I chased my dream to as the first one to go

38:01 off to college and and and with a Pell Grant and a student loan.

38:05 And the reason I did that is because I

38:07 had a counselor tell me what a Pell Grant was.

38:09 And I I go went to to Alabama to to chase my dream.

38:14 And I'm like, "Yeah, I can do this.

38:17 Sure, I can go play at Alabama.

38:19 Absolutely." And and then I got there and I'm like,

38:22 "Man, boy, I got a lot to learn.

38:24 I got But I learned how to take what I had and become the best I could be.

38:31 I learned that you can outwork people.

38:32 You can outthink people.

38:33 You can outlast people.

38:34 You can outtough people.

38:36 I learned, you know, through my education that, man,

38:39 I have a lot of I'm going to I'm going to have a great life because,

38:43 man, I know if I equip myself I'm going to be

38:45 able to have a better path than anybody in my family.

38:48 I'm the first college graduate in my entire family.

38:51 Ever.

38:53 Baby, three boys, mom,

38:54 dad, parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, great-great-grandparents.

38:57 Like forever.

38:59 And that's why I'm passionate about education.

39:01 That shaped me.

39:02 All right?

39:03 And so, I go there and and I get I get my my my degree.

39:08 And and I but but I went to college at 18 in 1988.

39:13 And I've been in college my whole life.

39:15 Like I'm not a casual person.

39:18 I was a walk-on.

39:19 Earned a scholarship.

39:21 Lettered three years.

39:22 Won a national championship.

39:23 Coach Stallings says, "You're going to be a GA." Got my MBA.

39:27 GA'd for three years.

39:28 Then at 26 he says, "You're my full-time tight end." I

39:32 was probably the youngest coach in the SEC at that time.

39:34 Coaching the receivers and the tight ends for Gene Stallings.

39:37 And then eventually that ended and I I came to to Clemson in '03.

39:42 And I'm going on my 24th year here.

39:44 I've been a walk-on.

39:46 I've been a scholarship player.

39:48 I've been a GA.

39:50 I've been an assistant.

39:51 I've been an assistant head coach.

39:52 I've been a head coach.

39:53 I've I've done it all.

39:55 And but I also was at Alabama from age 18 to 31.

40:01 And that shaped me.

40:03 Because, you know, most who gets to do that?

40:05 Like most people you go to college and and you

40:07 get on with your life in a few years.

40:08 And then I I I saw a lot of my teammates

40:11 that the the band played loud for and the crowd roared for.

40:15 And then all of you know, all of a sudden at 28 they were struggling.

40:20 Yeah, and then some of them went to the NFL and they

40:21 spent their money or they didn't get their degrees or whatever.

40:24 And I I was shaped by that.

40:25 And I always said, "Man, if I'm a head coach I I I'm here's how I want

40:28 to do it." I didn't even know if I'd ever be a head coach.

40:31 And and now we've got this situation where like if you were an adult,

40:36 we all think differently at 30 than we did at 18.

40:39 And I've said this many times,

40:40 there's a reason why these insurance companies they make a lot of money.

40:43 There's a reason why the what you pay for a a 16-year-old

40:47 to drive a car is different than a 25-year-old.

40:49 Because data says and and yet we have

40:53 just created this system where there's no order,

40:57 there's no mean like sometimes you know, as adults,

40:59 as parents, you'll be a parent one day.

41:02 Like there's certain things that you do as a parent because you have wisdom.

41:07 You have wisdom.

41:08 And and it we've created this system to where

41:10 if we try to apply wisdom as adults,

41:13 it's it's where you're you're this terrible human being.

41:16 And and my whole thing is I just I if I

41:19 could wave a wand we could do it so much better.

41:21 We could do it so much better to serve

41:24 the 25-year-old version of this kid that would come

41:26 and hug our neck and and as opposed

41:29 to the 18-year-old who's never lived away from home before.

41:33 And now that 19-year-old who's probably making the most

41:36 money that he's ever going to make in his life, and how are we equipping him?

41:42 You know, and again, it could be so much better if we if we if

41:45 we really wanted to if we really wanted to do it right.

41:48 And I said this, you know, I mean you hey, pay them all a hundred grand.

41:52 Like who can't live well off a hundred grand

41:55 as a college student and your scholarship's paid for.

41:57 And then you can still have the rev share and the NIL and all that stuff.

42:01 But that money goes into a like a compound earning annuity type thing, 401k.

42:06 Obviously, you'd have to have all kind of legislation for stuff like that.

42:10 But they can't get it.

42:12 They can't get it until they either graduate or they turn 25.

42:16 So now you've incentivized education which we need to educate our young people.

42:21 All right?

42:22 Cuz if you're playing football at 25 you're you're old.

42:25 Like very many you're you're in a very it's a very small group.

42:29 And I just think we could do it better.

42:30 I really do.

42:31 And these kids that are now

42:32 they think they're they're they're wired differently.

42:35 They're fully developed as to like if you're doing a state,

42:38 you don't you don't leave all your if you if you got this estate,

42:41 you don't leave everything to your 13-year-old kid.

42:45 You know?

42:46 We we don't let 13-year-olds just jump in Ferraris and drive down the road.

42:50 We got laws but yet we have no rules in our world right now.

42:55 And we're just throwing all this money at these kids

42:58 and they're they're trying to be they're you know, you got expectations.

43:03 Enormous.

43:05 You have expectations.

43:06 You have people pulling at them.

43:08 We have nothing to protect them from themselves, from families, agents.

43:12 We don't we don't have any like anything in place like that.

43:15 It's just whatever.

43:17 And it for some it's going to be just fine.

43:20 And that's what the stories are usually.

43:22 It's for all those people that it's the good stories.

43:25 But but the reckoning is coming.

43:27 There will be a voice from this era of kid that's

43:31 going to have that 30 for 30 one day and you know,

43:35 he was making two million dollars as a 19-year-old.

43:40 You know, he's not training like he needs to.

43:42 He's not doing what he needs to.

43:43 He gets beat out so he transfers.

43:44 Then he gets hurt.

43:45 Now he owes a bunch of tax money and cuz you

43:47 best believe this government they like they they want their money.

43:50 And now he's working, you know, a a job that's and and they're like,

43:54 "God, how'd you get here?" And now that 28-year-old version who's struggling,

43:57 he's going to be like, "Man, if I could go back." But you can't go back.

44:02 And and we created this system where like I said,

44:04 the adults have just kind of left the room.

44:07 And we just we just we just locked all the kids upstairs in a room

44:11 with a bunch of knives and fireworks and matches

44:13 and gasoline and noth- nothing to see there.

44:17 Everything's going to go great.

44:18 And we just focus on the you know, where and and for some it will be just fine.

44:24 But for a lot of these kids, um you know,

44:27 we've made it to where it gets hard you take off.

44:29 And so you're going to have a bunch

44:31 of that and you're going to have kids with no

44:33 degrees and they've spent the money and and it's

44:37 it's just it's just And then guess what?

44:39 Mental health and all that comes with that which

44:42 is already a crisis in our country.

44:45 Uh so but all I you know, for me all I can do is is man, focus here.

44:51 My focus is inside out.

44:53 Like my my my I just stay in my lane, man.

44:55 My focus is like how can we how can we make sure

45:00 that we do everything that we can that our guys are not an example,

45:04 they're the example.

45:06 They're the example.

45:07 We just had 16 guys go to the NFL.

45:09 15 have their degree.

45:11 Two of them were true juniors, T.J.

45:13 Parker and Peter Woods, got their degree in three years.

45:16 They're all champions.

45:17 They all won couple of conference titles.

45:20 Um and and I mean like they all were Clemson their whole career.

45:24 Like there's a there's a there's a we what we have here is unique.

45:27 There is a heart and a soul at Clemson.

45:30 And and it's and it's it's unique.

45:33 But for me that's my focus is is how can we Yes, we want to win.

45:39 Nobody's more competitive than me.

45:41 You don't you don't you don't accomplish what I've accomplished in my life,

45:44 you know, in in 5:00 a.m.

45:47 mat drills for months just to get a chance to be on the team.

45:51 To walking on and being a I mean like, you know,

45:54 two weeks of full pads camp every practice to being a tackling

45:58 dummy to to continuing to go to earn a scholarship to play

46:02 and to becoming a coach to becoming a head coach to still

46:05 being a head coach as a D plus hire 18 years later, I think we've done okay.

46:10 I think we've done okay.

46:12 Uh that doesn't happen if you're not competitive.

46:15 If you don't want to win.

46:16 But what drives me is how we win.

46:20 That's what drives me.

46:22 And people don't understand that.

46:24 I I'm I'm sorry, you know, but my I'm not here to please other people.

46:28 I'm here to please the 30-year-old version of my player.

46:31 Well, here's the That's what matters.

46:33 So so I could go on any street corner

46:36 and find people in your part of the business,

46:40 my part of the business, who would yell,

46:42 "Oh, things are messed up right now." I know [clears throat] no

46:44 one really thinks things are great right now per se, but there's

46:49 Well, nobody does.

46:49 And if if they think everything's great, they're just they're just posturing.

46:54 They're just posturing, you know,

46:56 because they're afraid they're going to be criticized or or something like that.

47:00 And but I don't I don't care about that.

47:02 But so but my point was a lot of them

47:06 stop short of doing what you just talked about.

47:08 So like this is where my appreciation comes in.

47:10 So you control what happens at Clemson largely.

47:13 You're in charge of this place.

47:15 You could theoretically look at the way things are and say,

47:19 "I don't like it, but oh well, since it's that way I'm going to traffic

47:22 in it." You could push kids out of the door.

47:25 Uh but you know, so it's just an example and my point

47:28 to people who may not be familiar with your practices here,

47:31 that's actually rubber meeting road.

47:33 That's actually someone talking about the problems,

47:36 but also doing whatever parts you can do

47:38 to actually be a little part of the solution.

47:41 And it may in the interim mean I don't

47:44 have spots on my roster to sign a big class.

47:47 I can't really even go into the portal cuz where would I put the guys?

47:50 But also that portal strategy, that recruiting philosophy,

47:54 a lot of it's just really in wheeling around what you're talking about

47:57 to begin with, which is well I could go in the portal and get guys,

48:02 but do they fit what we do here?

48:03 Do they fit what we're looking for here?

48:05 And that's why seven wins, 12 wins, like whatever the case may be,

48:09 I always got to look at that result and set it to the side and ask myself,

48:13 "All right, if I love college football and this is this guy's approach,

48:17 do I not have to respect that?" My answer's yes.

48:19 I don't know what everyone else's answer is, but my answer's always yes.

48:22 So like I've got an appreciation for that part

48:24 of it almost independent of the result,

48:26 which I know is hard for normal fans to say.

48:28 Yeah, I mean and listen, it's football.

48:31 It's hard to win.

48:33 I mean it's just at the end of the day it's football.

48:36 It ain't like we get lined up and get beat by four touchdowns every week.

48:39 I mean we we we had a tough year last year, but it's football.

48:43 And typically, watch the NFL every every game

48:46 in the NFL most weeks it comes down

48:48 to the fourth quarter and a few plays and last

48:50 and you look up and now there's 50 seconds.

48:51 Well, you know this is going to go.

48:54 And and that's football.

48:55 Game the game of football is a few plays that make a difference.

48:58 And it's that way every single it's incredibly competitive.

49:02 It's incredibly competitive.

49:04 You know, but from my perspective,

49:06 whether you win 12 or you win seven, you know what?

49:09 You stay true to who you are.

49:10 You know what your core values are.

49:12 You're always trying to get better.

49:14 You attack the problems from the inside out.

49:17 And yeah, I mean people you know, like last year,

49:20 I mean like we we had 16 guys go to the NFL.

49:23 Nine drafted, seven free.

49:24 We didn't have a portal problem.

49:26 You know, I didn't get it done as a coach

49:28 cuz my players didn't play to their potential.

49:31 And we didn't win the close games.

49:32 And I think that's where I have to make the difference.

49:34 We got to win the close game.

49:35 We got to finish in the fourth quarter.

49:37 We didn't do it.

49:37 And then you know what else?

49:38 Nobody ever wants to give the opponent credit.

49:40 How about How about they got good players, too?

49:43 How about they got good coaches?

49:46 I mean it's it's just it's it's just crazy to me that, you know,

49:50 we're held to a standard that if we're not

49:52 in the playoff or the national championship that, you know,

49:55 it's our way doesn't work anymore.

49:57 What are you What are you talking about?

49:59 We We In this era, COVID, NIL, we we've won this league three times, 2022, 2024.

50:06 Maybe this is the year we're back where every other year seems like now.

50:08 Maybe we're back on track this year, but I know what's working.

50:12 And we we haven't been quite as consistent.

50:14 We're top seven in wins this decade.

50:17 You know, it would come That's with seven wins this past year.

50:20 So, you just are always But you you do this long enough You do this long enough.

50:25 Show me a coach that's been a head coach

50:26 for 18 years and he's had 18 years of 10-plus wins.

50:30 Show me one.

50:31 Never.

50:33 Ever.

50:34 I mean, like that don't exist.

50:36 It don't matter who it is.

50:37 You name any coach out there, Bear Bryant to whoever.

50:41 Like you can have You do it long enough you can

50:44 have But But can you Can you Can you get back going?

50:48 And if you're just judged by one season and and again, that's our world.

50:51 You're only as good as your last game or whatever, and I get all that.

50:54 Uh but but I'm not affected by that.

50:57 I'm more Like Like let's keep our perspective on Okay,

51:03 you got to have self-awareness.

51:04 You got to be real on what the problems are,

51:06 and then you attack them, and then you go again.

51:08 And, you know, um but negativity doesn't It doesn't help anything.

51:14 Uh and we have so many reasons to be

51:16 positive and so many reasons to believe here,

51:18 but um you know, how we do it is is you know, what's kind of our North Star?

51:25 All right.

51:25 I'll get you out of here on this.

51:26 The 2026 version.

51:27 You just came out of spring ball.

51:29 You're in the middle of May as we're recording right now.

51:32 What were your thoughts coming out of spring?

51:34 What are some of those like red Sharpie circle focal

51:37 points that will ultimately determine what this group does this year?

51:40 Well, we got to be better offensively.

51:42 Simple as that.

51:43 I mean, we have to run the ball.

51:44 We don't have to I mean, we don't have to lead the nation in rushing,

51:45 but we've got to We've got to have a pulse.

51:47 We've got to be efficient.

51:49 We have to have a complementary system that that, you know,

51:52 we run the ball effectively and everything comes off of that.

51:54 Your play action, your RPOs, your screen game.

51:57 Like everything is it's a complementary system that is built in the trenches.

52:03 And we have to run the ball and be

52:05 committed to that and and attack the one-on-ones

52:07 that come and get presented to you when

52:09 you can when you can run the ball effectively.

52:12 Uh so, it starts with that on offense, and then defensively,

52:15 we we we've got to We don't have to go

52:18 from 120 We don't We can't go from 120th to 110th.

52:22 But I mean, and we don't have to go to top 10.

52:25 But if if we can drastically improve our pass defense,

52:28 and we're going to, uh we're going to be much better.

52:32 Uh so, you know, those are the big things from like last year to this year,

52:36 but from a team standpoint, um you know, it's it's about our quarterback.

52:40 It It's always about the quarterback.

52:42 And, you know, we believe in Vezina.

52:44 I think this is a kid that has um you know,

52:49 I think he's got a chance to be a really good player.

52:50 He's only started one game.

52:52 He And he did his part to win that game.

52:53 He threw for 300-something yards,

52:55 and he gave us a chance in that game and gotten better as the game went.

52:58 Bright lights.

52:59 And I like how he responded.

53:00 I like how he's competed.

53:02 Um but he's the most experienced guy we've gotten.

53:04 We've got this kid, Tate Renfro, who who, you know,

53:07 we kind of had a battle of four guys to see who's going

53:10 to come out to be the two so that he could go compete with CV.

53:13 And And he he dominated that.

53:16 So, now we've got this kid, Tate Renfro,

53:18 who's big-time talent, and now we're coming out with some clarity,

53:22 and we've got two really good players that are going to go compete.

53:25 And either way, we're going to get better.

53:27 CV holds this kid off, and he's earned it.

53:30 Uh Tate beats him out, then cuz CV ain't going to back up.

53:33 So, either way we get better there.

53:35 Uh but I think I think, you know, for us,

53:37 we just got to we just got to be um you know, again, who we are.

53:41 I think we're going to be really uh electric with our skill.

53:45 I think this is as good a receiver

53:46 group in totality uh from an experience standpoint.

53:50 Like Wesco is a dude.

53:52 TJ Moore is a dude.

53:53 Tyler Brown is a dude.

53:55 Cole Turner is a dude.

53:56 We signed three really high-level freshmen uh that hopefully

54:00 we can blend in uh and and grow them up.

54:04 Uh so, I think that's a great thing.

54:05 We I like our backs.

54:07 I love our tight ends.

54:09 I like what we got in the trenches.

54:10 You know, I think we've got a bunch

54:12 of nobodies that really nobody really knows a lot about,

54:15 maybe not kind of the star power names.

54:17 Although we've got a guy like Will

54:19 Heard who's probably going to be a first-rounder.

54:20 We've got Sammy Brown.

54:21 We've got Jahiem Lawson.

54:23 We've got Amari Adams.

54:24 We've got Marcus Strung.

54:25 We've got Berberia.

54:26 We've got We've got some good players.

54:28 We've got Ashton Hampton, probably another first-rounder at corner.

54:32 We've got our kicker back.

54:33 We've got our punter back.

54:35 Uh and we've got a We've got a bunch of guys back

54:37 that are coming off of the the pain that comes from last season.

54:43 And, you know, when you go through stuff together,

54:46 you usually grow stronger from it.

54:48 And so, we have a lot of guys

54:50 that went through a really painful season together.

54:55 And you know what?

54:56 Just like us in our life and things that we've been through,

54:58 they're stronger because of it.

55:01 And then we've brought some guys in that I

55:02 think are really uh good fits and good compliments.

55:05 I think some will help us immediately.

55:07 Some will fill different roles for us.

55:09 Some will help us more in the future, but um I think at the end of the day,

55:13 we got to be able to run the ball.

55:15 Uh and we've got to be able to, you know,

55:18 uh have a pulse in pass defense, which we didn't We didn't do that last year.

55:21 And if we get those two things right,

55:23 we're going to line up cuz we We We It's a miracle we won seven games.

55:28 To be honest with you, as bad as we were running the ball in third

55:31 down and as poor as we were in pass defense,

55:35 the fact that we won seven games and and lost

55:37 three others uh by a total of 11 points,

55:40 I mean, it's it's a miracle uh to be honest with you.

55:44 So, uh but I also think last year was a perfect example of our culture.

55:50 Cuz you never really That's another

55:52 good thing about going through some adversity.

55:55 Cuz you don't really ever know.

55:57 Like you think you know.

55:58 You think it's built right.

56:00 You think you know who everybody is,

56:02 but you don't really know till you till you get challenged.

56:06 Till you till you till you go through some real adversity.

56:11 And, you know, we're sitting there last year, like we had to re-evalu I mean,

56:14 we had to reset go like winning season ain't a goal here.

56:18 Like that ain't a goal.

56:19 Uh and and we've had 15 winning seasons in a row.

56:22 And there's only three power four teams that can say that, by the way.

56:26 So, it it ain't it ain't That's not a like a easy thing to do.

56:30 Uh but we're sitting there three and five.

56:33 And you got Florida State.

56:35 You got to go to Louisville who beat us.

56:37 Got to go to South Carolina who beat us.

56:39 And got a ton of disappointment.

56:44 All right.

56:44 Well, who are we?

56:46 And and all of a sudden for And for me, it's a lot of growth for me, too,

56:49 because I had to I had to coach in a way

56:52 I hadn't I hadn't coached in a long time.

56:55 Long time since I've had [clears throat] to you know, um coach like that.

57:02 And uh so, uh you know, that was a blessing.

57:06 And the to to be in the in the pit with these guys and to see them

57:10 go win four in a row and secure our 15th winning season in a row, which again,

57:16 [laughter] that wasn't our goal, but all of a sudden it became the goal

57:18 cuz most places it would have gotten worse.

57:22 Yeah.

57:21 But you saw our culture.

57:23 You saw our foundation.

57:25 You saw the heart of our kids.

57:26 You saw the fight.

57:28 And that was that was that was an awesome thing to be a part of.

57:32 And, you know, we earned what we got.

57:36 That chapter's written.

57:37 That story's forever there.

57:39 Um just like that 15 and those stories forever there.

57:42 Just like that six-win story's forever there.

57:44 This is a new story.

57:46 This is a new chapter.

57:48 And we've got a group of people in here that that, man, we ain't got no fear.

57:52 We have no doubt.

57:54 I don't know if we'll win the championship this year or not,

57:57 but it won't be for lack of trying.

57:58 But I I do know this, we we will win again.

58:02 Uh we will win another championship.

58:05 We'll win multiple.

58:06 We're We're going to Look, this is Clemson, man.

58:08 This is Clemson, and this place is way bigger than me.

58:11 Uh they'll they'll be winning long after

58:13 I'm gone because Clemson is built to last.

58:16 We're not built for a moment.

58:17 We're not built for a season.

58:18 We're built to last.

58:21 And that that's one of the unique qualities about this place.

58:25 I mean, and it's just uh I just last night

58:27 I I spoke at an event up in Rock Hill,

58:30 and and I I didn't I had no idea he was there.

58:32 I'm sitting up on the stage, and I look up,

58:33 and I'm like, "Man, there's Jonathan Meeks." This was my first commit.

58:36 My dad I signed 12 12 guys were brave enough to come

58:40 play for me and sign with me in February of '09.

58:43 I call them the 12 disciples, the Dandy Dozen.

58:45 Like all 12 of those guys are doing great things in life.

58:49 And I looked up, and there's Jonathan Meeks,

58:51 who came in here and and then played five years in the NFL.

58:54 My first guy.

58:55 I got him out of Hargrave that said,

58:57 "I'll come play for you." And this guy's a graduate.

59:00 He's a father.

59:01 He's a businessman.

59:02 He's a husband.

59:03 He's all these things.

59:03 And here he is in this crowd in Rock Hill,

59:05 South Carolina, coming to see his coach.

59:08 And he's probably '09 guy.

59:11 I think I guess he's like 30 four or five or something like that now.

59:16 And, you know, that hug from him, like that's what this is all about.

59:22 That's what it's all about.

59:25 That relationship, that love, and, you know, it's a hard job.

59:30 And uh and and and listen, there's a big old scoreboard.

59:34 And and and I get it.

59:36 Uh but it's how we win.

59:38 That's what drives me.

59:40 And man, we're we're going to win.

59:42 We're going to continue to win.

59:43 And I don't know I don't have any

59:44 predictions of like we're going to go undefeated.

59:47 Hey, all I know is we got a team that's salty.

59:52 We got a team that's got some thick skin, little callous stuff a little bit.

59:56 Uh we got a team that believes in each other.

59:59 We got a tough schedule.

1:00:00 And the scheduling matters, too.

1:00:02 I you know, we don't we don't get to line up

1:00:04 and play Easter Bowl Community College the first couple of games.

1:00:07 Like like we're going to Baton Rouge.

1:00:09 They're pretty good, too.

1:00:11 You know, and and if they win, does that mean we're terrible?

1:00:15 You know, we don't want to give other people credit.

1:00:17 Uh if we win, does that mean they're terrible?

1:00:19 No, how about it's a big-time game early.

1:00:22 And then you go on to the next one.

1:00:23 You just take them one at a time.

1:00:25 Uh just like I take one season at a time.

1:00:27 Just one season at a time.

1:00:29 And uh you know, one of these days uh you know,

1:00:33 it'll be my last season one of these days.

1:00:35 You know, I'm I'm I've been an interim coach for 18 years.

1:00:38 Uh but man, I I I just feel like I'm just getting going.

1:00:41 I feel like I'm just now becoming the type of head coach that I need to be.

1:00:46 And I feel like I'm just now becoming the best version of myself.

1:00:50 And you know, so a lot of problems, a lot of challenges,

1:00:53 but man, I love I love attacking them and and can't wait to see.

1:00:57 I know this, I know God's good all the time.

1:01:00 And man, God has never ever I have failed many times,

1:01:06 but God has never failed me.

1:01:08 And I'm just going to continue to keep my eyes

1:01:10 on him and and let him order my steps.

1:01:13 Uh let him speak to my heart.

1:01:16 I'll trust those instincts.

1:01:17 And just know that hey, it's all good.

1:01:20 It's all good.

1:01:20 You got to hit it Life is short.

1:01:22 Man, I got a good friend of mine who just uh died he's stage four cancer.

1:01:26 He's in chemo right now in Birmingham.

1:01:28 I mean, he's he's he's 54 years old.

1:01:32 And it's just like man, life is short.

1:01:35 Life is short.

1:01:36 None of us are promised I I mean, you you better enjoy the journey.

1:01:40 And man, I I didn't get into coaching to make money.

1:01:43 I got into coaching because of my love.

1:01:44 I love what I do.

1:01:46 And that that has not changed.

1:01:47 There's all kind of challenges, all kind of things that you know,

1:01:50 you got to sort through, but at the end of the day, I love the game.

1:01:54 I love the player.

1:01:56 And uh again, I love Clemson.

1:01:59 And I'm thankful for, you know, all the opportunities that I've had over

1:02:03 the years and look forward to many more.

1:02:05 I'm thankful for the opportunity to be with you, man.

1:02:07 Yeah.

1:02:08 Appreciate it.