article main image
Dabo Swinney Responds to Never-Ending Rumors About Leaving for Alabama One DayBy 12Up

The Clemson Tigers shocked the college football universe when they steamrolled the Alabama Crimson Tide in the national championship game in January.

Not long after the famous victory, Clemson extended their head coach Dabo Swinney for 10 more years worth a total of $9.2 million. And within his contract, there is an odd clause stating that if he decides to leave to take the head coaching job at Alabama, he would have to pay an increased fee to Clemson to get out of his deal.

Now, he's getting out ahead of all the distracting buzz and reassuring the faithful that he's all Tiger.

This clause has been a very popular topic in the sports world ever since it came out, and Swinney has heard a lot about it as well. He is an Alabama grad, after all, and being that he is one of the best coaches in the nation, it makes sense that he'd be bandied about as one of the only candidates capable of succeeding Nick Saban in Tuscaloosa.

Swinney gave his response to the speculation on Thursday, saying that he does not even think about what people have to say about his hypothetical departure, and that he is going into his 17th season as a Tiger having loved every moment of his tenure.

Along with his very successful run in the ACC, Swinney is one of few coaches to have repeated success against Nick Saban. He has led Clemson to two College Football Playoff championships having beaten Saban and the Crimson Tide each time.

Not only does Swinney have all of the accolades a guy could want, but he has one of the nation's best recruiting classes in place 2020. So, would leaving Clemson for the Alabama job really be an upgrade? It becomes harder and harder to say with each new achievement.