Now, we often know how for the commits the head coach often becomes the role model. Turns out that in Clemson Tigers HC Dabo Swinney’s case, he has taken the wooing work to a whole different level. The Canyon Varsity Football QB Reece Deitrick is all head over heels for the Tigers HC. But what made the non-power conference QB fall into Swinney’s charm? The HC’s speech about faith. For so long the HC had been managing the Tigers’ squad. But as soon as Swinney took to the stage, he was a totally different person.

The 6’1”, 195-pounder signal caller did turn heads after participating in Elite 11 Austin Regional 2024. Deitrick’s numbers say a lot about him. The QB carries a strong resume of 3,387 yards and 34 passes. He is ranked in the top 4 in 6A Region IV District 29 for 1 stat. Belonging to a non-power conference team, he could any day look up to Swinney and his program. But turns out, this time the Clemson HC inspired him not in the athletic field. Rather he helped Deitrick to find a purpose in his life. 

On March 5, the QB tweeted a few snaps of Swinney. Turned out that Deitrick was in the audience as the Clemson HC was busy giving a speech on the stage. The caption revealed, “Had the privilege to listen to Clemson HC Dabo Swinney And @CadeKlubnikQB at my church @austinridge Warrior Night yesterday. Coach Swinney by the end of the night had me ready to run through a brick wall.” The football coach shared how the lord had walked with him and also how to make God the foundation of our lives. According to Swinney, “…the only things that matter are today and ‘that day’. And that we need to be ready for it.”

Swinney has never shied away from emphasizing how his Christian faith guides his life and his work. Remember that particular interview with the HC from 2018? The reporter had asked him to discuss his faith. In reply, he said, that it was the easiest question of the day. The HC then invoked Jeremiah 29:11 (“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future”). He then topped it up on how his meetup with his maker would turn out stating, he “won’t pat me on the back and tell me how many wins I had.” Now preaching faith is something that Swinney does not restrict to his personal life. He tries to instill it in the Ducks’ culture as well.   

How Dabo Swinney created a faith-filled atmosphere in Clemson

Well, a lot of Clemson fans might be remembering the hot, muggy day of August 2012. The Tigers had just wrapped up their practice when Swinney gathered the players. Soon, the Tigers noticed a few Rubbermaid troughs stationed about and figured they were heading for the cold tubs. Then he came with the big announcement that one of their teammates, star receiver DeAndre Hopkins, would be getting baptized on the field. The HC had invited the players to stay and watch. 

The Tigers then gathered around one of the tubs, which was filled with water. It was then time for Hopkins to hop in the tub as he remained dressed in the Clemson jersey and pads. Now this has been indeed a moving scene. One of the assistant coaches snapped a picture of the player in the tub and tweeted it. This culture seemed to have touched another player as well.

That’s none other than Dabo Swinney’s No.1 recruit in the 2020 class, D.J.Uiagalelei. When the QB paid a visit to Clemson, being a devout young man himself, he noticed the deeply religious culture. He immediately picked up the phone and called up his mother and said all excited, “You can feel the presence of God here, he said. He’s here, Mom. He’s here.” Swinney’s message was once for Tigers ears only — it is now stepping out of the Tigers’ boundary.