Set to begin his 18th different season on the sidelines as Clemson Tigers coach in 2025, Dabo Swinney is far and away the dean of ACC football head coaches.
Swinney’s tenure in Clemson is also among the most impressive in the sport. Among active coaches, only the Georgia Bulldogs’ Kirby Smart has done what Swinney has and led a program to two national championships, though Ohio State’s Ryan Day could soon join Swinney and Smart on that list.
The most successful coach in Clemson history, Swinney has also led the Tigers to nine conference titles. The most recent of those came in last year’s 34-31 upset of SMU in the ACC Championship Game. Nolan Hauser’s 56-yard field goal as time expired sent Clemson back to the College Football Playoff for the first time since 2020.
On Thursday, USA TODAY Sports’ college football analyst Blake Toppmeyer ranked the 17 coaches in the ACC from worst to first. Swinney was the ACC’s best coach, with Toppmeyer saying:
“Frank Sinatra’s “My Way” would be an appropriate soundtrack for Swinney’s career. His sign, develop and retain method still gets results. Clemson won the ACC last season after not adding a single transfer. Clemson did add a few transfers this offseason, but if you’re going to mostly kick it old school, do it with a coach who develops rosters as well as Swinney. At his peak, Swinney won 55 games and two national titles in a four-year span, behind great quarterbacks and wide receivers. He won’t recreate that, but Clemson remains nationally relevant.”
Finishing second in USA TODAY Sports’ ranking was Louisville Cardinals coach Jeff Brohm, whose team defeated Clemson 33-21 a year ago in Death Valley. SMU’s Rhett Lashlee was third with Florida State’s Mike Norvell slipping to fourth after a disastrous 2-10 season in 2024.
As for the biggest name to join the ACC coaching…
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Publish date : 2025-05-01 18:28:00
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