More than a couple of times I've seen it written that when Saban retires their first choice will be to go after Dabo Swinney. Someone please tell me why Dabo would ever leave his current job to take over anywhere else? Why? The promise of more money? When I was younger there were several times other companies called me to try to get me to switch over to them. More money. I respectfully said NO. I stayed put. I have ZERO regrets. I resigned several years later just because. A couple of years passed. The corporation I had worked for and gave my sacrifice to called me and asked me to consider returning... at my terms. I returned but not as an hourly. I chose to do work for them through my own company. That was 6 years ago. I do a lot of government work and they need me. Would I still be at any of those other companies that tried so hard to hire me? Probably not. You see.. I know EXACTLY what I had where I was. Look at good ol' Charley Strong. I'd bet he somewhat regrets leaving Louisville. Sure he made a few extra million dollars he'd otherwise never make but was all of that worth the embarrassment? Maybe he was wise to take the money but did any of you see his last game there at utsux? The camera showed him standing there on the sidelines, beaten down and broken, and with snot running down his face. But... he left town a multi-millionaire. But back to Dabo.. don't you think Clemson would try to match anything Alabama offered to keep him? And even if they couldn't, do you think it's always about who offers you the most? I think Dabo would be dumb to leave what he knows he already has. Clemson made him who he is. Some of us know about loyalty when it goes both ways. ..
Certain jobs are like Moby Dick and all coaches are Captain Ahab, if you know it's out there and have the opportunity, how can you not go after it? If Strong had been successful, he would be a legend. Failing at Texas or Alabama is not the worst thing to happen to a coach. It isn't often a school like Alabama or Texas comes calling and if a hot young coach doesn't answer the phone, it probably won't ring a second time, usually because they don't stay hot at the Group of Five school or wherever they are when they became a commodity (all glory is fleeting). If Dabo turns down the chance to replace Saban, however, it won't have anything to do with money but rather the bar is so high, the odds of being successful (the definition of success there is totally off the chart) are so low as to make it virtually impossible. I think what happens at the elite programs has occurred so many times there is no question as to how things have to play out once a legendary coach leaves. The program must go through a down period, the losses pile up, the fans experience frustration with the coaching staffs (not once but at least two times if not more) before they reach a point at which they have the patience, once the right guy has been hired, to let him turn things around.
A few points: Dabo has been HC at Clemson almost 10 years now... could be the 7-year itch is upon him? Sometimes people just want to try something different Charlie Strong didn't expect to fail when he went to Texas, so that was absolutely the right move for him Dabo was born in Alabama, went to Alabama, played there, was a graduate assistant then position coach there. That's a lot of pull... The main reason he wouldn't want the job would be that it's usually bad to follow a legend. Also, Clemson is at the height of their football history right now, so it's not a great time to leave. It depends,. I think, on how much longer Saban will stay.
No one will be able to match up with Saban's legacy. Not sure why anyone would be willing to try because it rarely works to follow a legend. I hope I am wrong with Lincoln though.
I dont think Dabo would be the first person to replace Saban. If timing works out, he'll replace ___________ who'll replacee Saban and fail
