“All In” with Dabo

The official word isn't expected until Monday or Tuesday.

But if reputed sites such as ESPN.com and TigerIllustrated can be trusted (and they can), athletic director Terry Don Phillips has decided to remove the 'interim' tag from Dabo Swinney's coaching status.

Translation: As of now, Dabo Swinney is the new, permanent head football coach of the Clemson Tigers.

Oh, boy.

You knew I'd have some thoughts on this. And I do. Plenty of them.

But honestly, they're so jumbled right now, it's hard to keep them straight.

I don't have a clear-cut mindset on this, least of all a split one. Part of me wants to pump Dabo's fist and welcome him with open arms. Part of me wonders what in Sam Hill TDP was thinking. Part of me is bracing for a Tommy West repeat. Part of me foresees a new, fresh road map to the ACC title. Part of me worries over our recruits. Part of me says the smart ones will stick around and tell their friends to check out the hot-shot new sheriff in town.

I will say this, however.

I want Dabo to succeed here. I really, really want him to.

Let me clarify. I wanted Tommy Bowden to succeed and was bitterly disappointed when he could not. I've met the man and came away impressed. He's a great guy, good morals, loving husband and father, and he seemed to have the right stuff to get the job done. But he didn't. That's the bottom line.

But lest this mutate into a Bash Tommy piece, which I don't want, let me quickly turn the topic back to Dabo, seeing that he's the man of the hour and all that.

I've never met Dabo in person. I can only evaluate him (from a spectator standpoint) based on his output on game days and his pressers.

You know I will never forget Columbus Day Eve of October 13, 2008. Not simply because of Tommy's exit. But because in just a 40-minute press conference, Dabo got me re-energized about Clemson football. Let's not forget, that morning, he was still prepared to coach our wide receivers. And as a member of Tommy's staff, he had to be experiencing the same gloominess and drudgery that Tommy, Brad, Vic, Rob, and the others felt. Twelve hours later, he's facing the press corps as our leader, and he blew me away with his poise, his passion, and his energy. Succeed or fail, you had to feel at least a little refreshed to see that attitude.

There was more. Right off the bat, Dabo set about putting his stamp on our program.

He started Tiger Walk to unite our team and fan base.

He called for an "orange-out" by our fans, arranged a pep rally, and invited the student body to the practice fields to watch the team.

He implemented the "Ring of Death" for mistakes during ball games, demanding accountability both for players and coaches.

He let Brad make a long-overdue switch to a three-point stance for our offensive linemen, who gradually improved with each game.

He made a tough call and fired Rob Spence.

He changed little things, from ordering coats and ties for home and away games to making his players throw water cups in the trash.

He and Billy Napier opened up the playbook, taking risks to get the ball into the hands of our impact guys. It paid off.

He taught life lessons alongside football, taking the team to the Greenville Children's Hospital one afternoon.

He let others see the intensity that defines him, from kissing Howard's Rock to chest-bumping and chastising players on the sidelines.

He re-instilled a spirit of toughness that we lost somewhere along the way.

That last note is key. Watching the South Carolina game on Saturday, it hit me. The Gamecocks looked almost exactly like we did on that dark and miserable night in Atlanta three months ago. And Clemson? Well, we were hardly on par with the Tide. But we looked different. Tougher. Meaner. Nastier.

On Saturday, we were the ones blowing people off the ball on many occasions. We were the ones delivering bone-crushing blows. We were the ones dishing out the punishment instead of taking it. We had more swagger, more purpose, more craggy determination. Wasn't this the way we were supposed to have played all season long, all the way to the ACC championship?

It honestly felt like South Carolina came in hoping to win, and Clemson came in expecting to win. Big difference. I liked that. It gave what's otherwise been a year of monumental disappointment some fitting closure to see us come full circle and play the role of the hunted to near-perfection.

Back to Dabo.

All this was accomplished in just six weeks. Imagine what he could do in six years.

But lest my heart get the better of me, my head is quoting Lee Corso – "Not so fast, my friend!"

Going all in with Dabo is a huge risk (and taking a big-name coach isn't?), one that will no doubt cement TDP's legacy with the school, for better or worse. The man is a fiery motivator, a strong recruiter, a tough-minded drill sergeant, and he's said all the right things. Even left us with some new catch phrases that have already been beaten into the ground (one of which is my headline).

What he doesn't have is the experience. He's never been a head coach before. And he had the fortune of inheriting a program on much more stable footing than ten years ago when a young hotshot named Tommy Bowden stepped into the fray.

Sure, he's got the momentum riding high right now. But that won't last forever. Now he has to maintain it. It's now his full-time job to keep Clemson pumped up and enthusiastic, and that will only happen with wins. High-octane pressers, people skills, and poker chips will only get him so far before he's held accountable to the win-loss column. He knows that, the boosters know it, and TDP knows it too.

And before you bring up Danny Ford, remember this. Ford was occupying his own hot seat in 1980 with a mediocre record before he smashed the rival Gamecocks on the magic of the Orange Pants. The year before he, oh yeah, won the national championship.

Is Dabo another Danny? No. Are we the same program that Ford and Bowden inherited? No.

Is Dabo the right fit for Clemson football?

You know? After writing this whole, long-winded piece, I thought I'd be able to answer that question by the end.

But I have to be honest and admit that I simply don't know.

Please don't judge me or accuse me of not being "all in." I'm not a doubter or a negative Nancy, and I don't question TDP's sanity. Nor do I secretly want Dabo run out of Tiger Town on a rusty pipe to pave the way for a "proven" head coach.

I fully believe Dabo passed his six-week audition for the job. He's done all the right things, said all the right things, represented us with class and enthusiasm, and I will be as happy as the next Tiger fan to see him bring home a trophy. What more could you ask of him? He took over a program in tatters and stitched us back into a unit. He made us play as a team again instead of a bunch of skill players. He went 4-2 and made us bowl eligible. What else could he have done?

Not much, I'd say.

But am I ready to be "all in" with Dabo Swinney?

My heart says yes. My head hesitates.

I'll conclude with this: one of the above was proven dead wrong last Saturday versus the Gamecocks. J