Dabo Swinney answers how he explains college football's changes to recruits

College football has changed drastically in recent years with unlimited transfers and name, image and likeness reshaping the sport. Clemson coach Dabo Swinney was recently asked about recruiting in this era of college football and what his message is to prospects.

Swinney admitted that there are a lot of unknowns in college football at the moment, which makes it challenging to answer some questions.

“Right now we just focus on what we can control. The answers that you had last year are different than they are this year. I mean we’re just in this crazy time of very, very rapid, unsustainable change,” Dabo Swinney said. “And that’s why it’s not sustainable in certain areas. So then it changes again. And then it changes again. But I think we’re heading into a good place.

“I know it’s complete chaos right now. But I think we’ll come out the other side and we’ll have a good situation for everyone, for all of college football — for the players, for the coaches, for the fans. Everybody. We’re just not quite there yet.”

Swinney added that Clemson is sticking to its fundamental beliefs throughout all of the changes in the sport. He feels that he can continue to prioritize what he always has while still landing elite players.

“Regardless of what’s going on, the purpose hasn’t changed for us. It hasn’t changed one second. Not one word,” Dabo Swinney said. “It’s about graduation. It’s about equipping them as men. It’s about having a good experience and it’s about winning a championship. That’s what it’s been about since ‘09 and in 2024 it’s still about that.

“A lot of other stuff has changed and a lot of other challenges have come with that as far as how you go about doing it. But that purpose is still the same. And my purpose as a man is still the same. So that’s the answer.”

Swinney has been the head coach at Clemson since taking over on an interim basis in 2008. He led the Tigers to the 2016 and 2018 national championships during a run of six straight College Football Playoff berths.

Unfortunately for the Tigers, Clemson has now missed the CFP three straight years, including last season when the Tigers finished 9-4. Swinney’s club will get a tough test to open the 2024 season, facing Georgia in Atlanta. The Bulldogs have won two of the past three national championships as Kirby Smart has built a juggernaut in Athens.