Dabo Swinney does not do subtle. Ahead of Clemson’s Week 1 matchup with LSU on Saturday, the Tigers head coach called the practice of NFL players returning to college football “embarrassing,” then dropped a pun at Lane Kiffin’s expense.
“No pun intended, but we’re just going to stay in our LANE.”
Iconic Dabo behavior. If you know his press conferences, you know he cannot resist a corny line. What is more interesting is the actual position he took.
Swinney’s argument is that college football has lost the plot. Players who were on NFL rosters this offseason are getting brought back to campus in the new NIL and eligibility environment. LSU has already brought back two of them, and the SEC is still deciding whether the moves are allowed under conference policy.
“It’s kind of embarrassing. Honestly, it’s embarrassing that’s where we are,” Swinney said. “I don’t blame the kids, but people trying to take advantage of the system.”
Steve Sarkisian at Texas has said the same thing, calling it “morally wrong” to take a college roster spot from a player who has been grinding for months. That is the coaches’ position, and it is a defensible one.
The counterargument, which Kiffin has made, is that if the rules allow it, why not use it? Football is a bottom-line business at every level. If a former NFL player wants to play college football and is eligible, and the school wants him, then everyone involved is making an economic decision. Kiffin has also said his players are on board with the moves, though it is fair to wonder how much choice they had.
The bigger issue is the state of college football. The transfer portal has created movement that is nearly impossible for programs to plan around. NIL has created a professional-style compensation model that recruits are chasing. The 5-in-5 eligibility rules have added another wrinkle. The line between college and pro is fading fast.
Swinney has been vocal about all of this for years. He was one of the last major coaches to embrace the portal, and he still tries to build through recruiting and development. His argument is that Clemson does not need former NFL players because the program develops young ones just fine.
The Saturday game will be its own referendum. Clemson has a top-10 roster and returns most of the offensive core. LSU is trying to break through under Kiffin, who has been circling this program for years. Both teams have Playoff aspirations. If Clemson wins, Swinney’s old-school approach gets a boost. If LSU wins with an assist from former NFL players, Kiffin’s approach becomes the model.
Off the field, this is about coaching philosophy. Swinney thinks the sport is losing something real. Kiffin thinks the sport is evolving and coaches who cannot adapt will fall behind. There is a version of the truth in both.
What is not in question: the LSU-Clemson game just got another layer of narrative. Kiffin will probably respond at his own press conference this week. Fans will pick sides. Recruits watching from home will decide which type of program they want to play for.
College football has always been a coaches’ league in the sense that the sideline personalities drive the story. Swinney and Kiffin represent two different visions of what the sport is supposed to be. Saturday is the first data point in a long argument.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
