Swinney navigating changes to his staff
Clemson coach Dabo Swinney kept getting calls and texts from friends and colleagues asking how he was doing the past two weeks.
Swinney and his championship football program underwent a shakeup unlike anything he had faced in 13-plus seasons as Tigers coach. Defensive coordinator Brent Venables left to become head coach at Oklahoma. Offensive leader Tony Elliott is now the Virginia head coach and athletic director Dan Radakovich left Clemson to take the same job at Miami.
All trusted confidants, all significant contributors to Clemson’s success the past decade.
“Trust me,” Swinney said. “We’re going to be just fine.” That remains to be seen. Much of the credit for Clemson’s run of six straight Atlantic Coast Conference titles from 2015-2020 and national championships after the 2016 and 2018 seasons has been stability.
Venables was hired from Oklahoma after the 2011 season and created one of the best defenses in the country for a decade. Elliot, a former Clemson player under then-receivers coach Swinney in 2003, rejoined the team as an offensive assistant 10 years ago and rose to coordinator after Chad Morris’ departure in 2014. The Tigers offense averaged better than 500 yards a game in five of seven seasons under Elliott. Radakovich came to Clemson in 2012 and was a driving force behind football’s $55 million headquarters, which at the time of its opening in 2017 was considered state of the art in college football.
Swinney said he will miss working with them but understands their choices to go.
“Continuity is great,” the coach said. “I love continuity, but new opportunity is great, too.” West Virginia RB Brown to skip bowl game: West Virginia running back Leddie Brown says he’ll skip the Mountaineers’ bowl game to focus on preparations for the NFL draft. Brown announced his decision Thursday on Twitter. Brown surpassed 1,000 yards in back-to-back seasons. He was sixth in the Big 12 this season with 1,065 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns.
West Virginia (6-6) will meet Minnesota (8-4) in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl on Dec. 28 in Phoenix. LSU QB Brennan exits transfer portal: Quarterback Myles Brennan will stay at LSU for the 2022 college football season after entering the transfer portal in November, he announced via Twitter on Thursday.
“There’s no place like home. Let’s ride tiger nation!” Brennan tweeted Thursday.
Brennan opened the 2020 season as LSU’s starter, but a torn abdominal muscle ended his campaign three games in. He suffered a broken arm that required surgery before the 2021 season.