Clemson Hiring Chad Morris As OC Is Dabo's Last Gasp At The 'Good Old Days'
Dabo continues to try and play the hits from a bygone era.
Dabo Swinney's time at Clemson is a complex story, to say the least.
For the majority of his first decade as the Tigers' head coach, Swinney ran roughshod over the ACC, winning seven conference championships throughout the 2010's and tacking on two national championships in the process.
His run of success was seen as the model of program building in college football outside Tuscaloosa, but after generational quarterback Trevor Lawrence went to the NFL at the conclusion of the 2020 season, Dabo's successes have been less frequent than they were the previous decade.
READ: Josh Pate Says Dabo Swinney Model ‘Doesn’t Work Anymore'
Sure, he has two ACC championships and a College Football Playoff appearance to his name since 2021, but his tenure lately has been marred by inconsistency.
I've talked a lot on here about how Dabo's failures as a head coach lately have been due to his inability to adapt, and his latest move might be his most desperate attempt to cling to the past yet.
Chad Morris was once a great offensive coordinator for Dabo and Clemson, helping quarterbacks like Tahj Boyd set all kinds of school records for the Tigers and starting the run of success that would continue at Clemson for the rest of the decade.
But Morris hasn't been coaching for over a year and his last OC job was in 2020 at Auburn, so I'm not sure if this is the home run hire Swinney will try to pass it off as.
All this shows me is that Dabo still hasn't grasped what needs to be done to continue his run of dominance at Clemson.
He has completely neglected the transfer portal, turned his nose up at NIL, and now he is bringing back washed-up assistants that were with him during the glory days to try and hang onto any shred of relevance he has left.
Dabo Swinney was a great coach, and he will always be remembered for pushing Clemson to new heights.
Historically, he is one of the most successful coaches in college football history. But the game has passed him by, and this latest hire is more irrefutable proof that he isn't going to adapt or change anytime soon.
Clemson will be great again some day. The Tigers are too well resourced and too accustomed to winning not to be, but I'm not sure if they will ever get back there as long as Dabo keeps burying his head in the sand and living in the past.