The Name Game: Swinney Make Stick at Clemson

“The Name Game” at Football Rumor Mill focuses on active coaching searches around the country. The latest edition centers on the Clemson Tigers…

As signs go, Phillips’ little exercise was the strongest indication yet that Swinney — Clemson’s interim head coach — will be given every opportunity to win the job permanently. During a 30-minute meeting with state reporters Tuesday, Phillips, Clemson’s athletic director and Swinney’s boss, made it clear that he will conduct — and in fact has already begun — a search for Tommy Bowden’s replacement. At the same time, he made it clear Swinney isn’t just keeping the seat warm for the next coach. “Dabo will not change in a number of weeks from now,” Phillips said. “He’s still going to be a very good, bright young coach after the season, as he is now. The only thing that will change is the win-loss thing. “I believe Dabo will be a good head football coach. Somewhere. Maybe here. Maybe somewhere else. I don’t know.” – Independent Mail

When athletics director Terry Don Phillips installed Dabo Swinney as interim coach last week, he told the coaching staff that choosing the next Clemson coach would be “easy” if things played out as expected. Even though the Tigers lost to Georgia Tech 21-17 in Swinney’s debut, Phillips sounded Tuesday as if the outcome supported that statement. Through an intermediary, Clemson has begun to gauge interest in the job. However, candidates for the Clemson job are not afforded Swinney’s six-game audition with the Tigers. Phillips praised the changes Swinney has made to unite a team and its fans. – The State

Dabo Swinney hasn’t won a game as Clemson’s interim football coach, but he’s already gone a long way toward winning over his boss. Athletic director Terry Don Phillips didn’t come out Tuesday and say Swinney has an excellent shot at securing the position permanently, but he created that impression with profuse praise of Swinney’s first week on the job. “I think Dabo has very special intangibles — leadership intangibles,” Phillips told reporters. “The things he did last week, he did intuitively, he did instinctively, and he did because that’s the foundation of where he’s coming from.” Five days after he promoted Swinney to head coach in the wake of Tommy Bowden’s forced resignation, Phillips saw an inspired team against Georgia Tech. The Tigers overcame a 14-3 halftime deficit and led 17-14 going into the fourth quarter before the Yellow Jackets drove for the go-ahead touchdown and won, 21-17. Phillips was profoundly impressed by how the 38-year-old Swinney drummed up excitement from not only his players, but fans as well. – Post & Courier

Clemson has lost several verbal commitments since Tommy Bowden’s departure, so hiring a coach quickly after the regular season’s conclusion is crucial to rebuilding and holding together the 2009 signing class. Phillips said he hopes to “work with a sense of urgency” and hire a coach “as quick after the regular season as we can possibly do it, and perhaps even before, depending on who’s involved and who’s not involved.” He confirmed that Clemson has retained “an intermediary” who has already begun vetting potential outside replacements, helping Phillips “to gain a broad perspective of the field that’s out there, gain information about contractual issues and expectations and those kinds of things.” – Independent Mail