Was Dabo Swinney an assistant for Nick Saban? Looking at Clemson HC's professional career

Dabo Swinney is a proud Alabama alumnus. The Clemson coach played as a wide receiver for the Alabama Crimson Tide between 1990 and 1992. He even started his coaching career at Tuscaloosa, holding different positions between 1993 and 2000, mainly as a wide receiver and tight ends coach.

However, what he never did was work under Nick Saban. After leaving Alabama at the dawn of the millennium, Swinney started at the University of Clemson in 2003 and he's been there ever since.

At some point, he was even considered to be the one who could replace Saban when the legendary coach decided to retire. It was no secret that in the second half of the 2010s, Dabo was gunning for the Alabama gig. His statements at the time certainly said as much:

“I’m humbled by that and certainly appreciate that anybody would even think that way, that they would want me to be a candidate for a job like Alabama, I’ve always said ‘you never say never,’ because you have no idea what the dynamics are going to be," Swinney said seven years ago.

"Ten years from now, Alabama may call me and want me to come to Alabama, and the Clemson people may hate me at that point. I don’t know.” [via Saturday Down South].

Downfall of Dabo Swinney's Clemson from top tier college to 9-4 season last year

The transfer portal has changed the game significantly, and Dabo Swinney's refusal to use it has made him appear out of touch. Many noted that this is how Clemson went from dominating college football in the second part of the 2010s to finishing 9-4 last season. However, Dabo disagrees.

"We've been very consistent, even the last three years," Swinney told CBS Sports in May. "There's a perception, a narrative that gets drummed up that we stink, that we're no good because we haven't made a Final Four.

"We made it six years in a row. It's hard, you know? You gotta have a little luck along the way, and we've had some tough breaks, but in that three-year span, we won 30 games. Honestly, every player is technically a transfer. We just signed a whole class of guys transferring from high school."

What has Dabo Swinney won at Clemson?

Although his dream of coaching the Alabama Crimson Tide didn't materialize, Dabo Swinney's career at Clemson has been legendary in its own right. While coaching the Tigers, the coach has won two national championships (2016, 2018), eight ACC titles, and 10 ACC Atlantic Division titles.

He won three Paul "Bear" Bryant Awards (2015, 2016, 2018) and the AFCA, AP, Sporting News, and Walter Camp Coach of the Year in 2015.