By Pete Iacobelli
The Associated Press
CLEMSON, S.C. — Practice plans. Film breakdowns. Travel bookings. Clemson coach Dabo Swinney had his focus split several ways getting ready to face No. 4 Texas in the College Football Playoff.
Still, Swinney had enough time to follow how Super Bowl-winning coach Bill Belichick joined the Atlantic Coast Conference as North Carolina’s new leader.
“It’s incredible,” Swinney said Monday, his face breaking into a huge grin.
Swinney, like Belichick, knows about winning championships with nine ACC titles and two national titles in 16 full seasons with the Tigers.
He’s got nothing but admiration for Belichick, who has 302 wins in the NFL and six Super Bowl victories as a head coach, all the championships with the New England Patriots.
Most figured that the 72-year-old Belichick, whose tenure with New England ended after last season, would wait for his next NFL chance to return to coaching. Yet he accepted the job with the Tar Heels last week and has already begun putting together a program Belichick expects to rival Clemson in terms of time at the top of the ACC.
“I mean, it’s pretty cool,” Swinney said. “It’s going to be something seeing him walk into ACC meetings or things like that.”
Swinney has had his hands full this week prepping for the fifth-seeded Longhorns (11-2) on Friday. The 13th-ranked Tigers (10-3) earned the 12th and final CFP seed with a 34-31 win over SMU on Dec. 7 on a dramatic, 56-yard field goal by freshman Nolan Hauser as time expired.
The Tigers will head to Texas on Thursday.
Swinney took some time, though, to recall his only meeting with Belichick, which came at one of Clemson’s pro days during the Tigers’ run of six straight CFP appearances from 2015-20. Both were complimentary of the other during their visit.
Swinney was present at a pair of Patriot Super Bowls, both coming as Belichick had Clemson tight end Dwayne Allen on his roster. The first came in Atlanta in February 2017 when New England rallied from a 28-3 deficit to beat the Falcons in overtime, 34-28.
The next year, Swinney was in attendance in Minneapolis as Allen and the Patriots fell to Philadelphia 41-33.
Wes Goodwin, Clemson’s defensive coordinator, has studied Belichick’s defensive schemes for years and believes Belichick will elevate the Tar Heels’ defense and that improvement will spread through the ACC.
“I think its going to be huge for this league,” Goodwin said, “in getting that type of coaching and leadership.”
Swinney has had success against the best of the best in the past. Both Clemson national titles in 2016 and 2018 came over Alabama and national championship icon Nick Saban. Swinney won all three matchups in six seasons against Belichick’s Tar Heels predecessor in Mack Brown, who won a national crown at Texas.
Swinney thinks Belichick will make a quick, positive impact on North Carolina. The Tigers go to North Carolina next season, although the date hasn’t yet been set.
“I mean, it’s great for college football,” Swinney said. “There are a lot of great coaches in this league. And again, for him to want to come into that, I think, says a lot.”
Will Belichick rival Swinney’s news conferences, known for being quite lengthy as he willingly answers just about every question asked?
“Don’t know if he’s going to give you any depth chart answer,” Swinney said with a chuckle.
But count on, a “We’re on to Pittsburgh,” response, he said.
Belichick will up the league’s profile for as long as he’s on the North Carolina sidelines, Swinney continued.
“There is nothing in his past, zero, that says he won’t be successful (in college),” Swinney said.