Dabo Swinney reveals Clemson football strength coach in 2026 when Joey Batson retires
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CLEMSON — Dabo Swinney announced Clemson football‘s current assistant football strength and conditioning coach, Dennis Love, will be the team’s strength and conditioning coach after 2025.
Love, who returned to Clemson in January 2022 after spending 11 years with the Tigers from 2004 to 2014, will replace Joey Batson, who has been the strength coach since 1997.
Swinney said Love turned down working with the Minnesota Vikings to be Clemson’s strength coach after Batson “handpicked” him to be his successor.
“There’s not many people that have down an NFL head strength job, but he turned that job down because his dream has been to be the guy here at Clemson,” Swinney said on his radio show on Nov. 10.
Since 2022, Swinney has hired five assistants: defensive tackles coach Nick Eason (2022); offensive coordinator Garrett Riley (2023); offensive line coach Matt Luke (2024); defensive ends coach Chris Rumph (2024); and defensive coordinator Tom Allen (2025). None were at Clemson prior to joining the staff, but Swinney is promoting Love from within.
Batson has served under three Clemson coaches: Tommy West, Tommy Bowden and Swinney, helping Tigers players win two national championships and nine ACC championships.
Derrian Carter covers Clemson athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email him at dcarter@gannett.com and follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DerrianCarter00
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Dabo Swinney announces Dennis Love as Clemson strength coach in 2026
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