Can ND measure up to No. 2 Clemson?
DALLAS >> The question was about sustaining high-level success in college football and Dabo Swinney’s answer lasted 3 minutes, 40 seconds. Brevity is not the Clemson coach’s strong suit.
Swinney talked about how people make the program, continuity leads to consistency, and how it can’t just be about the results on the scoreboard.
“It’s a holistic approach. It’s social. It’s spiritual. It’s life skills. It’s career development. It’s every area,” Swinney said Friday during the final Cotton Bowl news conference. “And I think our commitment to that has been a big reason that we’ve been able to sustain our success because I think certain types of young people have bought into that.”
As Swinney talked, Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly listened — a joint news conference with Swinney involves a lot of listening — occasionally nodding his head in agreement. Swinney has built the Tigers into what Notre Dame used to be and what Kelly is trying to recreate in South Bend, Indiana.
The second-ranked Tigers (13-0) face the third-ranked Fighting Irish (12-0) on Saturday in Notre Dame’s first College Football Playoff appearance. It is Clemson’s fourth straight. The winner will play for the national championship on Jan. 7 in Santa Clara, California. Clemson has played for the title twice in the past three seasons.
Kelly marveled at Clemson’s consistency under Swinney.
“It’s easy to get distracted,” Kelly said. “And to keep that within your culture in your program requires just to have an eye on it every single day. So his ability to continue to keep his program year in and year out at the top of college football requires more than just recruiting good players.”