Clemson Football

Clemson head football coach Dabo Swinney commented Saturday on his hefty salary, one day after opposing any movement to "professionalize" college sports.

According to ESPN's Chris Low, Swinney said the following when asked about those who bring up high coaching salaries as a reason  college athletes should be paid:

"Well, [Alabama head football coach] Nick Saban is 70 years old. I'm 52 years old. None of us set markets on what we do. We live in a capitalist society. The head of Delta probably makes a lot more than the people who are checking your baggage in, but those people are as vital as anybody. None of us set markets on what we do. It's a free market we live in, in anything. It's just that our jobs are so visible and so public. I can tell you this: None of us got into coaching to make money, but I don't apologize for being successful."

Per Low, Swinney said Friday that while he isn't against the NCAA's name, image and likeness (NIL) rules allowing college athletes to make money, he has concerns about what it could lead to:

"I am against anything that devalues education. That's what I'm against. I am for anything that incentivizes education. People will come after me because I've always said that I'm against the professionalism of college athletics, and I am. Kids don't know what they don't know. That's a slippery slope if you professionalize college athletics, and now you've got salaries and taxes and you can fire kids on the spot and they've got to pay for their tuition and they pay for their housing and everything else. Athletic directors would sign up for that in a heartbeat. They'd save money."

When USA Today released its list of the highest-paid head coaches in college football in November, Swinney was fourth on the list with an average annual salary of over $8.3 million.

Swinney suggested to Low that his greatest concern with regard to the NIL guidelines is they will be used as a recruiting tool, calling the lack of rules "out of control" and "unsustainable," as well as "an absolute mess and a train wreck."

When asked by Low if he felt college football coaches make too much money, Swinney didn't provide a definitive answer, but he brought up the impact that Saban has had on the University of Alabama and expressed his belief that Saban is "probably underpaid" despite being the highest-paid college football coach.

In terms of impact, there is no denying that Swinney has been hugely positive for the Clemson football program during his 14 years at the helm.

The Tigers are a remarkable 150-36 under him, having won seven ACC titles and two national championships.

Clemson has also won 10 or more games in each of the past 11 seasons. Before the start of that streak, the Tigers hadn't won 10 or more games in a season since 1990.

Given that Clemson reached the national title game in four of five seasons from 2015 to 2019, it was considered something of a step back when the team missed the College Football Playoff and went "only" 10-3 in 2021.

That speaks to the winning culture Swinney has created at Clemson, and it underscores why he is one of the most well-compensated coaches in collegiate athletics.

Five-star quarterback Arch Manning has reportedly removed Clemson from his list of prospective schools, according to Steve Wiltfong of 247Sports. 

Manning reportedly has Alabama, Georgia, Ole Miss and Texas toward the top of his list, Wiltfong notes.

The young star isn't taking visits and is currently focused on the basketball season. However, Wiltfong detailed what's next for the most-recruited quarterback in the nation. 

"The next step in his process will be trying to get out and see some of his teams participate in spring practice and get a feel for what that looks like," he wrote. 

Manning is ranked as the top quarterback in the 2023 class, per 247Sports Composite. He is also the No. 1 ranked quarterback out of Louisiana and the No. 1 overall player in the 2023 class, coming in higher than Malachi Nelson. 

Gabe Brooks, a midlands region recruiting analyst for 247Sports, said Manning is a "natural pocket passer with pro-style feel, but good functional athlete with terrific off-schedule instincts and playmaking ability." 

Brooks also says Manning has a first-round NFL Draft ceiling, which certainly doesn't come as a surprise considering who he is related to.

The 6'4", 215-pound quarterback is the son of Cooper Manning, and his uncles are legendary NFL quarterbacks Peyton and Eli Manning. He is also Archie Manning's grandson. Archie was a two-time Pro Bowler over his 13 NFL seasons. 

Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney has never been shy about sharing his feelings, and that was no different while speaking about name, image and likeness deals during an appearance on The Players Club Podcast with Darien Rencher. 

Swinney said:

I'm not against NIL at all. What I am against is anything that devalues education. That's what I'm against, and I'm against the professionalization of college athletics, and what does that mean? Well, that means, now we're paying you guys your salaries and 18-year-olds have to pay taxes, and, you know, I don't think that's good. I think we should keep the focus on graduation, incentivize graduation and do everything we can to modernize and improve the scholarship in addition to these NIL opportunities. I think it's great, but again, with the NIL, with the transfer portal, there are some things going on that I don't think is sustainable, and I don't think it's good for a lot of young people. 

You're talking 18-19-20 year olds that shouldn't be equipped (yet to handle what's going on), you know? And 98% are not going to the NFL. So let's help them maximize this for sure, but let's not allow some of the craziness that is creeping up.

Swinney said back in 2019 that he might as well quit coaching college football and move to the NFL if players in college were ever paid, per Zach Barnett of NBC Sports:

Who knows what's going to happen down the road? I have no idea. I just try to be great where my feet are. That's my focus every day. Who knows? They may do away with college football in three years. There may be no college football. They may want to professionalize college athletics. Well, then, maybe I’'l go to the pros. If I'm going to coach pro football, I might as well do that. I may get a terrible president or a terrible AD one day. I don't know. I have no idea what's down the road. But I know what we have at Clemson is special, and I wanted to make a commitment to the university. That's what the message of the contract was.

However, Swinney clarified those comments in July 2021, saying they were taken out of context, per Zach Lentz of Sports Illustrated:

I've never had a problem with name, image and likeness. I think it should have been more. If I’d have been the czar, I'd have done it differently, because I don't think everybody's gonna have much opportunity with it. Some will. But not everybody will have opportunity.

I would have liked to have seen it tied to graduation, education. … What I said, whenever that was, I still say. I am against professionalizing college athletics where we get away from the collegiate model and the value of a degree and the value of an education. I've never, ever said I’m against name, image and likeness. I think it's a lot of common sense. I think it could be more. I think it could be tied more to the education process so everybody would have had a little more opportunity. I said that, whenever it was, but people hear what they want to hear.

The NCAA adopted an interim NIL policy in June 2021. It allows college athletes to benefit from their name, image and likeness.

After the Tigers got out to an inconsistent start in 2021, Swinney was asked whether the new NIL policy had created a distraction in the locker room. He shut down the notion, telling reporters there was no correlation between NIL deals and Clemson's on-field struggles. 

The Tigers ended up finishing the 2021 season with a 10-3 record and a 20-13 win over the Iowa State Cyclones in the Cheez-It Bowl. So despite all the noise, Swinney's Tigers were clearly unaffected by NIL deals, finishing the year on a high note. 

The Clemson Tigers ended an otherwise disappointing season, at least by the program's own lofty standards, on a positive note.

Clemson beat Iowa State 20-13 on Wednesday night at the Cheez-It Bowl, ending its season by reaching the 10-win mark (10-3).

Iowa State, meanwhile, closed out the year at 7-6, a disappointment in its own right given that the program was ranked No. 7 to open the season.

This wasn't the prettiest game. The first half featured three field goals and one missed field goal, as both teams struggled to find an offensive rhythm or close out drives. It wasn't until Will Shipley's rushing touchdown with just under five minutes remaining in the third quarter that either team reached paydirt.

One sharp cut & that's Ship in for six!

📺ESPN | #CheezItBowl | @willshipley2021 pic.twitter.com/CiyCvfRuqm

— Clemson Football (@ClemsonFB) December 30, 2021

Clemson's defense extended that lead on Iowa State's next offensive possession, as Mario Goodrich intercepted a batted pass and took it to the house.

Nacho average INT! 🤯

📺ESPN | @_MG3__ pic.twitter.com/S9jUo7ETqJ

— Clemson Football (@ClemsonFB) December 30, 2021

Iowa State had a chance to make things interesting after battling back in the fourth quarter, getting the ball back with just under two minutes remaining and down seven. But Clemson's defense held.

Some of the sloppiness in this game could be attributed to both teams missing players due either to injuries or COVID-19. Iowa State's best offensive player, running back Breece Hall (1,774 yards from scrimmage, 23 touchdowns), opted out of the game to prepare for the NFL draft.

I promise ima be the biggest Cheerleader today😂🌪

— Breece Hall (@BreeceH) December 29, 2021

Still, to put this game in perspective, it had an Iowa flea-flicker early in the fourth quarter that was intercepted, only for Clemson to fumble the ball back to Iowa State on the return. And none of it mattered because Clemson was flagged for roughing the passer.

Or how about Iowa State quarterback Brock Purdy rushing for a first down on a fourth-down attempt with under a minute remaining, only to fumble the ball behind the line-to-gain and turning the ball over because of it?

The Cheez-It Bowl, ladies and gentlemen. Regardless, Clemson will take its win as it looks to return to national prominence in the 2022 season.

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Key Stats

DJ Uiagalelei, Clemson: 21-of-32 for 187 yards and an interception

Will Shipley, Clemson: 18 carries for 61 yards and a score; five catches for 53 yards

Kobe Pace, Clemson: 12 rushes for 51 yards; four catches for 38 yards

Brock Purdy, ISU: 23-of-39 for 204 yards, a touchdown, interception and lost fumble

Jirehl Brock, ISU: 14 carries for 42 yards

Charlie Kolar, ISU: Four catches for 33 yards and a touchdown

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Clemson's Defense Bailed Out Its Offense. Again.

Clemson's issues this season weren't on the defensive side of the ball. After all, coming into Wednesday the Tigers were giving up just 15 points per game, the second-best mark in this country, and just 308.4 yards per game (ninth).

This is still the team that opened the season by losing just 10-3 to Georgia, one of four teams left battling for a championship, after all. Even if new Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables is no longer the defensive coordinator, replaced by Wes Goodwin.

See we told y’all Wes would keep the defense right! #Clemson

— DeShawn Williams (@iamDeShawnW) December 30, 2021

Clemson's defense has now allowed just 6 points off turnovers this year, both field goals. Clemson's offense has given up 21 points directly off turnovers | #Clemson

— Will Vandervort (@steelerwill) December 30, 2021

So it wasn't a surprise that the Tigers defense was stingy Wednesday and scored a defensive touchdown, or only gave up a field goal after a Clemson turnover. As Clemson's offense struggled repeatedly to put Iowa State away despite multiple opportunities in the fourth quarter, the defense held firm.

It's just so depressing watching the Clemson offense. I know how it got here, and there's no guarantee it stays here, but ... woof. "We don't trust anyone to do anything, so let's just try another draw play."

— Bill Connelly (@ESPN_BillC) December 30, 2021

It was the story of Clemson's season, neatly packaged in one game. Had the offense showed up more consistently in big games, perhaps the Tigers wouldn't have been in the Cheez-It Bowl in the first place.

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The Cyclones Really Missed Hall

Iowa State came into this game knowing it was going to be difficult to replace Hall's impact on the offense.

"Yeah, I think we have to find out," offensive coordinator Tom Manning told reporters about what the offense would look like in Hall's absence. "Certainly, we feel like we have options, but Jirehl [Brock] is a guy that's played a lot of football for us. Certainly, Breece has carried the football a lot more, as we all know. I think we have to get into the football game and see where we are at in terms of handing the football off and how much we can handle and make some decisions based on that."

The result wasn't pretty. Iowa State rushed for just 66 yards, and in turn the passing game suffered without the ground game as much of a threat.

Iowa State's defense kept things close in the first half before Clemson started to pull away in the third quarter. And the Tigers defense obviously deserves credit. But life after Hall got off to a rocky start for the Cyclones.

Clemson head football coach Dabo Swinney lamented the current state of the NCAA transfer portal given the new name, image and likeness (NIL) rules and suggested a return of the one-year waiting period to become eligible at a new school.

Swinney told reporters Wednesday the current structure takes away from education and puts student-athletes at risk of manipulation:

It's crazy, it's really sad to be honest with you. There's right around 2,000 kids in the portal and most of them don't have anywhere to go. There's so much tampering going on and so many adults manipulating young people. It's sad, but you know, it it what it is from that standpoint. You've got a lot of young people that ... there's a time and a place, but most of the kids are in there when they shouldn't be in there.

Some are and some shouldn't. Some of the lessons we're teaching young people I don't think is going to benefit them well as they move through their life. It is something everybody has to manage and deal with. There's no consequences. There's no rules. I'm all for transferring. I personally think we should let them go whenever they want. I just think they should sit a year and then you get that year back upon graduation. What we've done is decentivize and devalue education and I think that's the wrong approach.

Once it became clear college athletes would finally be free to sign NIL deals, a long-awaited outcome accelerated by a Supreme Court ruling in June, the next question was whether there'd be a uniform set of guidelines for all schools or if it'd become the Wild West. So far the answer is the latter.

Although some athletes have signed individual endorsement contracts and other NIL agreements, the biggest use of the ability to pay college athletes has been boosters providing either team-wide or group deals.

One recent agreement that generated headlines was the nonprofit group Horns With Heart offering $50,000 annually to all Texas offensive linemen who worked with local charities.

While Horns With Heart told Jim Vertuno of the Associated Press they will follow all guidelines respective to making sure players who are paid actually contribute in the community, those types of deals have raised questions about whether smaller schools will get lost in a financial bidding war.

Former Iowa State and Auburn head coach Gene Chizik, who currently works as an ESPN analyst, raised that issue Tuesday on Twitter:

Every scholarship offensive lineman at UT will get $50,000/yr with new NIL deal. Not to mention the 200,000 education. Americans struggle finding $50,000 jobs to feed their children. Next it’s 100,000/player with no end in sight. Flawed system!!!! Most $$ wins!#WordsofChizdom

— Gene Chizik (@CoachGeneChizik) December 14, 2021

Part of the counterargument is centered on the endless movement of coaches around the country—leaving a program at a moment's notice for a more lucrative contract elsewhere, something that's already happened several times this year.

High school players are going to face difficult decisions in the years ahead with all the money now being thrown around.

The most common question they'll likely face is whether to take guaranteed money at a high-profile school, where they may end up buried on a depth chart behind other prized prospects, or go to a smaller program that may not have as much NIL backing but could be better for their long-term development as a player.

Swinney predicted Wednesday the overwhelming attention on football and the connected NIL opportunities will decrease the focus on graduation and, over time, create other issues for student-athletes that won't make them "truly equipped" for life after college football:

We're going to have a lot of young people that aren't going to graduate. Mental health is one of the biggest issues in college. There's a lot of kids whose identity is wrapped up in football and all this does is further that. When they get to these other places and they think the grass is greener and they realize the mirror traveled with them, I think a lot of kids are going to suffer. I think graduation rates are going to go down and it'll be interesting to see where that is five years from now, 10 years from now.

So far, the NCAA's interim NIL guidelines posted after the Supreme Court's ruling delegated most of the responsibility to individual schools based on their respective state laws, and there hasn't been a sustained push to centralize the rapidly evolving environment.

Clemson offensive coordinator Tony Elliott has reportedly accepted an offer to become the new head football coach at Virginia.

ESPN's Chris Low reported Friday that Elliott informed the Cavaliers of his decision following "a day of deep thought."

It's the first head coaching opportunity for the 42-year-old California native, who won the Broyles Award in 2017 as college football's top assistant coach.

Elliott joined the Clemson football team as a walk-on freshman in 1999. He appeared in 44 games as a wide receiver and served as a co-captain for the Tigers as a senior in 2003.

His coaching career started as a wide receivers coach at South Carolina State in 2006. He also made a stop at Furman (2008-10) in the same role before returning to the Tigers as a running backs coach in 2011.

Elliott held various roles across his decade on the Clemson staff. Most recently, he'd been serving as the team's assistant head coach and tight ends coach in addition to his work as offensive coordinator.

He was courted by Tennessee during last year's coaching carousel before deciding to remain with the Tigers.

"But at the end of the day, it just wasn't the right time," Elliott told reporters in March. "Man, I'm just so happy to be here, you guys know I love it here. It's a special place."

Now he'll head to Virginia, where he'll be a direct competitor of Dabo Swinney and Co. in the ACC, though the programs are in opposite divisions.

Meanwhile, the Cavs' search for a head coach began last week when Bronco Mendenhall announced he was stepping down after the team's bowl game. UVA has since been selected to face off with SMU in the Fenway Bowl on Dec. 29.

"I would love to say there's been this buildup and a long amount of epiphanies and thought, but clearly this week there was a sense of clarity to me that I needed to step back from college football and reassess, renew, reframe and reinvent, with my wife as a partner, our future and the next chapter of our lives," Mendenhall said.

Virginia has compiled a 36-38 record across Mendenhall's six-year tenure.

Elliott's first order of business after getting his staff in place will likely be trying to upgrade the Cavaliers' 2022 recruiting class, which currently ranks eighth in the ACC with no 5-star prospects and one 4-star recruit, according to 247Sports.

In the bigger picture, he represents a high-upside hire for the Cavs, but it may take a couple years to get the program back in contention for a conference title.

After Brent Venables left Clemson to become the head coach at Oklahoma, one of the Tigers' top 2022 recruits has decommitted from the program. 

Cornerback Daylen Everette issued a statement to Hayes Fawcett of On3.com about his decision to reopen his recruiting: 

I want to thank the whole Clemson staff for everything they’ve done for my family and I. I am very grateful for Coach Swinney, Coach Reed and the rest of the Clemson staff for believing in my talents and providing me with an opportunity to play football at the next level. After a long talk with my family, I have decided that it is in my best interest to decommit from Clemson University. So as of now, I will be opening my recruitment back up. I wish nothing but the best for Clemson University.

Everette, who attends IMG Academy, is a 5-star recruit, the No. 6 cornerback and 29th-ranked overall player in the 2022 class, per 247Sports' composite rankings. 

Clemson got a verbal commitment from Everette in July. 

"It's a national championship team," Everette said of picking the Tigers during an appearance on CBS Sports HQ (h/t David Cobb and Ben Kercheval of CBS Sports). "It's a very prestigious school athletically and academically."  

Everette has become the third high-profile recruit from IMG Academy to decommit from Clemson since Venables was hired by the Sooners on Dec. 5. 

Defensive end Jihaad Campbell and safety Keon Sabb announced earlier this week they were reopening their recruiting. 

Venables was widely regarded as one of the best recruiters for Dabo Swinney on Clemson's staff. He was responsible for getting players like Christian Wilkins (2015), Isaiah Simmons (2016), Trayvon Mullen (2016) and Bryan Bresee (2020), per Adam Friedman of Rivals.com.

The 50-year-old joined the Tigers coaching staff in 2012. He won the Broyles Award as the nation's top assistant coach in 2016. 

Prior to giving Clemson a verbal commitment, Everette also made official visits to Georgia, Florida State and North Carolina.    

Virginia Cavaliers football head coach Bronco Mendenhall is set to step down after the team's bowl game, and the school has reportedly already identified its top candidate to replace him.

ESPN's Chris Low and Adam Rittenberg report that Clemson offensive coordinator Tony Elliott has emerged as the leading choice to take the helm at Virginia.

Elliott met with Virginia athletic director Carla Williams on Wednesday, according to ESPN's Andrea Adelson. He also reportedly had a meeting with Duke this week to discuss the Blue Devils' opening for a head coach.

Virginia has already dealt with a rejection, as Penn State co-defensive coordinator Anthony Poindexter told ESPN he's no longer a candidate to become the Cavaliers' next head coach. Poindexter, who is a former assistant at Virginia, played for the Cavaliers and was an All-American safety.

Elliott has been a mainstay on Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney's offensive staff since 2011. He's been the Tigers' primary play-caller for the past seven seasons and was co-offensive coordinator for their 2016 and 2018 national championship teams. Elliott won the Broyles Award in 2017 as the nation's top assistant coach.

Clemson's offense is averaging 26.8 points and 362.8 total yards this season, a sharp drop-off from recent seasons. The Tigers averaged 43.5 points and 502.3 yards in 2020.

Swinney already lost one of his coordinators recently, as former Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables was hired as Oklahoma's head coach this week. Swinney is reportedly looking to promote from within to replace Venables, and would likely do the same if Elliott were to leave as well.

The Clemson Tigers scored their biggest victory of the season Saturday, beating the 10th-ranked Wake Forest Demon Deacons 48-27 at Memorial Stadium in Clemson, South Carolina.

Clemson was a slight favorite despite being unranked, and it essentially led from wire to wire in handing Wake Forest its second loss of the season.

The Tigers dominated Wake Forest on the ground with 333 rushing yards and four touchdowns as a team, while quarterback DJ Uiagalelei went 11-of-19 for 208 yards, one touchdown and one interception in the victory.

Running back Kobe Pace was the primary star for Clemson, rushing for 191 yards and two scores on 24 carries, while Will Shipley contributed 112 yards and two touchdowns on the ground.

The Clemson defense also turned in an impressive performance, holding Wake to a season-low 27 points and especially shutting down the Demon Deacons in the first half:

Clemson becomes the first team this season to hold Wake Forest to 10 or fewer points in the first half. pic.twitter.com/BdRmDmvL7Z

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) November 20, 2021

Wake Forest managed only 36 rushing yards on 31 carries in the game, and quarterback Sam Hartman threw for 312 yards with one touchdown and one pick.

The 2021 season has been a disappointing one for Clemson, as it entered the year expected to contend for a spot in the College Football Playoff and a national championship despite losing several key players to the NFL draft, including quarterback Trevor Lawrence and running back Travis Etienne.

Clemson found itself unranked after losses to Georgia, NC State and Pittsburgh, but thanks to Saturday's win, the Tigers are 8-3 on the season and likely to find themselves back in the Top 25.

Meanwhile, the Demon Deacons are now 9-2 overall and 6-1 in the ACC, although they control their own destiny, as a win over Boston College next week will still land them in the ACC Championship Game.

Clemson now owns 13 consecutive wins over Wake Forest dating back to 2008. The Demon Deacons' last win over the Tigers came in October 2008 by a 12-7 score.

It was after that game that Tommy Bowden was fired as head coach at Clemson and replaced by Dabo Swinney, who is now one of the top coaches in the nation.

Clemson will look to close its regular season in strong fashion next week in a rivalry game against South Carolina, while Wake Forest will attempt to bounce back and clinch an ACC Championship Game berth against Boston College.

The Clemson Tigers football team could be without its best playmaker for the rest of the season.

Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney said Wednesday that wide receiver Justyn Ross will undergo surgery on his foot that is likely to keep him out for the final two games of the year. Swinney said he's unsure of Ross' availability for a potential bowl game, so the focus will be on getting him ready for the NFL Scouting Combine.

"That's the plan. Get him well," Swinney said, per The Athletic. "It's not going to take long for him to get back well. We'll see where he is."

Ross, a redshirt junior, has been playing with a stress fracture in his foot this season but he re-aggravated the injury in Saturday's win over UConn. He went down in the first quarter and was later seen wearing a walking boot and using crutches. Ross leads the team with 46 receptions, 514 receiving yards and three touchdowns.

"It's amazing what he's been able to do," Swinney said. "His toughness is second to none. His last play of his career is the epitome of Justyn Ross. Just tough and fighting every ounce."

Ross missed the entire 2020 season after being diagnosed with a congenital fusion in his spine. The condition could have ended his playing career, but he underwent surgery and received medical clearance to play this year.

"One of the greatest blessings of my life was being able to watch Justyn Ross play football for the last 10 games," Swinney said. "If that's his last play [for Clemson], I'm thankful."

Ross made an immediate splash when he arrived at Clemson in 2018. As a freshman, he had 46 catches for 1,000 yards and nine touchdowns. He followed that up with 66 catches for 865 yards and eight touchdowns as a sophomore. If his college career is indeed over, Ross finishes with 158 receptions, 2,379 yards and 20 touchdowns in less than three full seasons.

Clemson (7-3) will go for its fourth straight win in a home game against No. 10 Wake Forest (9-1) on Saturday.