What Dabo Swinney, Deion Sanders are learning from each other as Clemson, Colorado struggle
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CLEMSON — Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney said he received a call from one of his heroes on Nov. 3 amid his worst season as the Tigers’ full-time coach.
Swinney said Colorado coach Deion Sanders reached out to him for a “chit-chat” as Clemson (3-5, 2-4 ACC) and the Buffaloes (3-6, 1-5 Big 12) both are struggling this season.
“Misery loves company. We just cried on each other’s shoulder,” Swinney said, jokingly, on Nov. 4.
Swinney said he only met Sanders once when the former NFL star worked at ESPN, but the two became friends over this summer. Swinney added their conversation was a helpful and professional one.
Clemson plays Florida State (4-4, 1-4 ACC), where Sanders played, on Nov. 8 (7 p.m. ET, ACC Network) at Memorial Stadium. Swinney said he hopes FSU doesn’t call its shot like Sanders did on a punt return at Clemson in 1988.
“He did not wish me well,” Swinney said.
What Dabo Swinney said about midseason Clemson staff changes
Swinney recalled the staff changes he made after the 2010 season when Clemson finished 6-7. He fired running backs/special teams coach Andre Powell and offensive coordinator Billy Napier, then hired Chad Morris as Clemson’s new offensive coordinator and former Tiger receiver Tony Elliot as running backs coach.
Swinney called those moves “critical” and not “very popular” but something he believed in that helped Clemson have 14 years of success, including two national championships and nine ACC titles. Fifteen years later, amid Clemson’s disappointing start, he feels he has not been that same person.
“If I evaluate myself, I’ve probably gotten away a little bit away from my instincts and not trusting some of my instincts,” Swinney said. “That’s one of my things I’ve got to get back to.”
Swinney didn’t expound further on his “instincts” comment but touched on the recruiting side, saying Clemson beat out “the best of the best at their best” to land star recruits like defensive tackle Grady Jarrett, wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins and linebacker Tig Willard during that time. He added he doesn’t believe in firing assistants midseason.
“Sometimes, you can listen to too much, you can listen to too many people and you can get away from what I’m truly convicted with,” Swinney said.
What Dabo Swinney said about playoff expansion, coach firings
Swinney said Duke coach Manny Diaz, who was at Miami, reminded him of a conversation when there were talks of expanding the College Football Playoff from four teams to 16. Diaz told Swinney that he said, “The more we expand these playoffs, more coaches will get fired.”
Years later, Swinney said his theory was proven right.
“We’ve created this system that’s not sustainable,” Swinney said. “We’ve lost our way.”
There are nine power four programs that are looking for a new coach: Stanford, UCLA, Virginia Tech, Oklahoma State, Arkansas, Penn State, Florida, LSU and Auburn. There are also two other notable non-power-conference jobs available: Oregon State and UAB.
“Some of the best coaches that ever coached this game didn’t win a championship, didn’t win their league, didn’t win a national championship, and now it’s harder than it’s ever been when you got 136 teams for 12 spots,” Swinney said. “So, it’s just not feasible.”
Dabo Swinney demands officiating change after controversial call vs Duke
With coaches’ jobs at stake, Swinney said that was part of the reason why he was so frustrated with the defensive pass interference call called against Clemson in the loss vs Duke.
“Coaches get crucified, fined. Players get crucified, held to this unrealistic accountability standard,” Swinney said. “But, refs have zero accountability. Well, they do, but it’s behind a curtain. … (Officials) get on with their life and just leave the carnage left behind that affects a lot of people.”
The ACC publicity reprimanded Swinney and fined Clemson $10,000 for his comments, but that hasn’t stopped him from addressing changes he would like to see come to college football. He wants full-time referees that answer to one officiating entity, the ability to challenge calls and public accountability for referees.
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: Why Deion Sanders called Dabo Swinney ahead of Clemson vs FSU
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