Charlie Harbison turns down Florida, will stay at Clemson

UPDATE: Football Rumor Mill can confirm that Charlie Harbison has removed his name from consideration and is no longer a candidate for the DC job at Florida.

So much for Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney easing back into work following vacation. A day after arriving back from skiing in Colorado, Swinney met with defensive backs coach Charlie Harbison on Wednesday. Harbison has been contacted by Florida, which is interested in him as a candidate to fill its vacant defensive coordinator position. – Charleston Post and Courier

Big Weekend Ahead for Dabo Swinney, James Franklin

It’s a very, very big weekend for Clemson coach Dabo Swinney, whose Tigers can clinch the ACC’s Atlantic Division with a victory over Virginia. Swinney’s in his first full year, and he signed an incentive-laden deal upon his full-time hire last December. But as Paul Strelow of The State newspaper in Columbia, S.C., points out, simply winning the division would more than double his annual compensation from $800,000 to roughly $1.75 million. If the Tigers with the ACC title, Strelow writes “the sum will push above $2 million.” So why bring it up here? Because one of the trickle-down winners of Swinney’s success is one James Franklin. Everyone knows about the $1 million the Maryland coach-in-waiting is guaranteed if he doesn’t get the full-time job after the 2011 season. But how about if he does get the job?… In any case, just focusing on Swinney’s deal and assuming the numbers are dead on, the Clemson coach will get $950,000 more annually if the Tigers win this weekend. And since Clemson presumably accounts for 1/11th of the average of the ACC coaches (the contract language isn’t clear, but Ralph Friedgen’s salary will probably have nothing to do with Franklin’s as a head coach), then the annual value of Franklin’s deal will go up $1 for every $11 extra dollars any other coach in the ACC makes. Which means the annual value of the contract Maryland is obligated to eventually offer Franklin if it doesn’t want to cut a $1 million check to send him on his merry way will go by up by roughly $86,000 if Clemson beats Virginia on Saturday. Over five years, that’s approximately $430,000. – Washington Times

Dabo Swinney’s cash grab

OK, now we know why Dabo Swinney is one excited coach these days. His hot team is on the verge of playing in its first ACC championship game. And then there’s this: If the Tigers win the ACC, his salary jumps from $800,000 a year to $2 million a year. The Post and Courier of Charleston, S.C., reported the specifics of Swinney’s performance-laden contract: • If Clemson wins the Atlantic Division—something the Tigers never did under former coach Tommy Bowden—Swinney’s guaranteed compensation increases from $800,000 to the median of all ACC coaches. That number is $1.7 million. If the Tigers win the ACC, his salary increases to the average of the top seven coaches in the ACC—or $2 million. Swinney currently is the ACC’s lowest-paid coach, and if the Tigers win the ACC, he will join Bobby Bowden ($2.5 million), Paul Johnson ($2.3 million), Frank Beamer ($2.1 million) and Butch Davis ($2 million) in the $2 million-a-year club. This, of course, is assuming Clemson continues to buck a recent history of underachieving. If so, the administration’s hire of a relative unknown assistant coach—who had never been a coordinator—looks brilliant. – Sporting News

Dabo Swinney the Wrong Hire at Clemson?

Sometimes, you get what you pay for. Last fall, Clemson had a chance to completely remake its program following Tommy Bowden’s departure. Starting in mid-October, athletic director Terry Don Phillips traveled the nation, talking with seasoned coordinators and sitting head coaches in search for Bowden’s optimal replacement. In the end, he settled on a choice he had available all along — interim coach Dabo Swinney — who had never been a head coach, much less a coordinator. Five games into Swinney’s first season, that decision threatens to turn the Tigers’ 2009 campaign into a learning experience, but not a winning one. Following Saturday’s disastrous 24-21 loss at Maryland, Clemson is 2-3, 1-2 in the ACC, heading into this week’s much-needed open date. And unless an anemic offense improves soon, even six wins and an Emerald Bowl trip might be a stretch. It’s time to admit the truth: like it or not, Swinney and much of his offensive staff are learning on the job, and that’s no way to win college football games. Right now, the Tigers have a rookie head coach, a 30-year-old, first-time offensive coordinator (Billy Napier) and a rookie quarterback (redshirt freshman Kyle Parker). Their offense has scored two offensive touchdowns in its last 13 quarters. – Independent Mail

The Name Game: Tub in Line 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…

Texas defensive coordinator Will Muschamp will be a main contender for the job at Clemson. Interviews could start at any time in a search that’s being led by Carr Sports Associates, which is headed by former Florida athletic director Bill Carr. Muschamp also likely will be a contender at Auburn if a coaching change is made there. And in a twist, don’t be surprised if Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville becomes a top target if he’s out on the Plains. In addition to Muschamp, expect Clemson – which could pay up to $2.5 million per year to its new coach – also to give hard looks to Tulsa’s Todd Graham, Vanderbilt’s Bobby Johnson and TCU’s Gary Patterson. Interim coach Dabo Swinney could claim the post if he finishes with a flourish. He is a favorite of Clemson athletic director Terry Don Phillips, but there may be too much pressure on Phillips to bring in someone from the outside. It looks as if Lane Kiffin is a remote possibility. – Rivals.com

The time may be right for Bud Foster finally to leave Frank Beamer’s side. Foster has done all he can, forging a rep as the best defensive coordinator in his 22 seasons at Virginia Tech. If you connect the dots, a Foster-Clemson marriage makes perfect sense. Foster is an intense and passionate coach who knows how to build and operate a big-time program. And he is well-connected in ACC recruiting circles. – Rivals.com

Rapid Fire: Focus on Marshall and Clemson

“Rapid Fire” at Football Rumor Mill focuses on multiple coaches around the country who are in serious jeopardy. The latest edition centers on Marshall and Clemson…

Marshall

Saturday, I saw Snyder on a rerun local TV clip talking about the Edwards Stadium “White Out” for Cincinnati’s visit that turned ugly. Now, it’s a “Green Out” against the Cougars? Snyder needs to worry that it isn’t a Wipe Out - because if it is, he may be on the way to a Wash Out. He needs to forget about what goes on in the seats. Win, and you sell tickets. Marshall (3-4, 2-1) has more than given back what it gained with its 2-0 Conference USA divisional start, but what roils the Herdheads who are increasingly hounding Snyder is this: The program just hasn’t improved - or at least shown it - for whatever reason. And the buck stops with the head coach, whether he’s named Stagg, Saban, Schwartzalder or Snyder… If the Herd doesn’t get at least two more to finish 5-7, Snyder might be a former coach at his alma mater. My preseason crystal ball had MU at 6-6, but I always thought that Snyder could hang on at 5-7 because it would be an improvement from last season’s 3-9 finish. Now, the noise is so loud, I’m not sure. The rumors are ugly … Athletic Director Bob Marcum will be booted if he doesn’t can Snyder, 43. High rollers will roll over President Steve Kopp to get a new coach. Jim Donnan is waiting in the wings to return. – Daily Mail

Clemson

By the end of this month, Clemson fans curious about their program’s direction should spout those same words, with a twist: “Are you better off than you were four games ago?” Your answer might decide Dabo Swinney’s future. After a much-hyped debut and a week off, the Tigers’ popular interim coach embarks on a four-game stretch which will largely determine whether he will be packing his bags or getting comfortable in Tommy Bowden’s old office come Dec. 1. – Independent Mail

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

Clemson, Auburn in State of Flux

Was there anything inherently wrong with athletic director Terry Don Phillips standing among the players and coaches during Clemson’s 21-17 loss to Georgia Tech in Death Valley on Saturday, just five days after the dismissal of longtime head coach Tommy Bowden? According to the fans and Phillips himself, no. “I have always come to the sidelines at some point during a game
 my entire career as an athletic director,” he said after the game. “(Interim) Coach (Dabo) Swinney came to the end of the team box where I was
 standing, I did comment about the holding against a Clemson offensive 
lineman on the fourth-and-12 play at the end of the game. That
 frustration was directed at the call, and not towards anything our coaching 
staff or players had done.” Understandable; however, it was a little too much of a Jerry Jones action. And perception, not reality, can hurt Clemson come December, although the reality appears to be nothing but positive. “The biggest thing I wanted to accomplish was unity, embracing some things, creating some pride in doing the little things right,” Swinney said. But what are head coaching prospects thinking? Particularly those who may already be top head coaches looking for a change of scenery? Do they see nothing wrong with their potential boss stalking the sidelines? Or would this situation make them uncomfortable and turn them away from considering Clemson as their new home? Your best head coaches, in all likelihood, want to be the Man on the sidelines. They command total control on game day, and having your boss alongside takes away from that. Who wants to work for a boss who’s right there all the time? Clemson is at a crossroads in its program. If it hires the right guy, Clemson will start collecting ACC titles. If it hires down (which it’s done since 1990), the program will be stuck in mediocrity for a while longer. For now, Phillips, despite his good intentions, should leave the sideline, let the coach do his job and focus on finding a long-term Bowden replacement. – RealFootball365.com

Yes, Auburn (4-3, 2-3 in the Southeastern Conference) is a program in flux. A team picked to win the SEC’s Western Division now has become a haven of uncertainty. Each day brings with it a new speculative tangent about coach Tommy Tuberville’s job status, closed-door arguments among the staff or imminent problems with the team’s recruiting effort. So how did the Tigers get here? The fall of former offensive coordinator Tony Franklin mimicked Auburn’s remarkable fall from prominence. Hired last winter from Troy University to install an aggressive attack, Franklin needed only two weeks to design a scheme good enough to win the 2007 Chick-fil-A Bowl. Coach Tommy Tuberville figured 15 spring practices and a summer of unsupervised-yet-structured workouts would enhance a system that already was a winner. He was wrong. – Montgomery Advertiser