FOX Sports ranks Dabo Swinney, ACC coaches in developing pros

Dabo Swinney and his coaching staff has helped develop both the elite recruits and the under-the-radar prospects into NFL selections.

by TigerNet Staff - Thu Jun 22 14:42:08 GMT-04:00 2023

FOX Sports analyzed the ACC coaches position by position at developing talent for the professional level, and Clemson's head coach scored very well.

Starting on offense, Dabo Swinney and Clemson are tabbed as "The Best" at QB within the league.

"The ACC does not get discussed as often as some of its peer conferences when it comes to producing a plethora of quality quarterbacks, but the past few seasons have had many more NFL scouting trips take place up and down the coast," said FOX's Bryan Fischer. "Clemson's Dabo Swinney, for example, has had a respectable three QBs drafted across his 15 seasons with the Tigers. That's included a No. 1 overall selection in Trevor Lawrence and a fellow first-rounder in Deshaun Watson — both former five-stars who more than lived up to their prep billing. Even more than that, both were consistent threats in the Heisman Trophy voting, delivered national titles to the school, and are among the all-time greats in this era of college football who went on to become NFL stars, too.

"Sixth-rounder Tajh Boyd, a former four-star who played a few years too early to really blossom in a modern NFL offense, also holds a host of school and conference records and was among the first to put Swinney's Clemson on a path to national prominence...That ultimate ceiling with such a trio is hard to ignore and helps balance out a few misses with the two other five-star prospects Swinney signed in DJ Uiagalelei and Hunter Johnson (both of whom transferred)."

Swinney is tabbed in the notable coaches for running back and tight end in the league, where UNC's Mack Brown and Louisville's Jeff Brohm lead respectively, and then he's back in the top tier for wide receivers.

"Clemson's head coach, a former receiver himself and a position coach there, obviously has a keen eye on what to look for and has a quality record when it comes to sending players to the pros. Four of the six wideouts who were ranked five-stars under Swinney wound up drafted, and one of those, Justyn Ross, had a medical concern that was a contributing factor to that," Fischer said. "On the other end of the spectrum, there are success stories like Jacoby Ford going from unranked to a near top-100 pick and ex-walk-on Hunter Renfrow becoming a fifth-round steal for the Las Vegas Raiders.

"In between, a slew of four-stars at Clemson also found plenty of success and heard their name called during the draft."

Swinney is also in the noteworthy section for O-line, where NC State's Dave Doeren is said to lead the way.

On defense, Swinney is ranked at the top in the two defensive line positions.

"One of the biggest reasons why Clemson has been able to ascend into being one of the nation's elite programs under Dabo Swinney has been the strength of its defensive line, and the numbers bear that out when looking at the impressive list of names that have moved to the next level," Fischer said. "Of the 11 defensive ends under Swinney to be drafted, a remarkable seven of them wound up being top-100 picks, with four of them going in the first round. The median selection of the group is in the range of 41st overall — or towards the middle of the second round — despite a plethora of guys taken at the position over the course of 15 years.

"At the high end, every five-star defensive lineman Swinney has recruited through the class of 2020 has wound up being drafted — save one in Xavier (Thomas), who is still playing for the Tigers. There are also a host of quality development stories like former two-star recruit Andre Branch blossoming into an early second-round pick, or Clelin Ferrell going from a lower four-star into an eventual top-five pick.

"While it's true that Swinney has had plenty of raw talent to work with (average star rating among those drafted: 4.1), his ability to maximize it and send guys along their way after three seasons remains impressive and really is only comparable to a handful of peers in the SEC."

UNC's Mack Brown is listed at the top for both linebacker and defensive back, where Swinney in the notable coaches as well.

"The overall quantity is enough to get the nod over Clemson's Swinney," Fischer said of UNC on linebackers, "who also has seen some notable misses with the five-star linebackers he's gotten over the years. Of the five five-stars recruited at the position, two failed to hear their name called in the draft, just one (Stephone Anthony) wound up as a first-rounder, and the other two were mid- to late-round selections.

"That gets balanced out some by other developmental success stories among the nine LBs drafted under Swinney. The prime example is Isaiah Simmons, a lightly recruited late three-star from Kansas who wound up going in the top 10 of the draft, while fellow three-star Tanner Muse wound up in the third round after a productive career with the Tigers."

Clemson looks poised to be at the top at defensive back too soon, says Fischer.

"Swinney is no slouch," Fischer said, "and he'll catch Brown in a few seasons if he keeps churning them out at a tick better than one per draft class on average. While the Clemson coach has a median selection outside the top 100, he's done so with relatively less talent than he has to work with at any other defensive position.

"This results in successful development stories like T.J. Green going from two-star to the second round several years ago, or Cordrea Tankersley arriving on campus as a three-star and exiting as a top-100 pick. On the top end of the scale, every five-star defensive back through the class of 2020 recruited by Swinney has gone inside the first 50 picks."