Dabo Swinney admits NIL changes the way he interacts with players

Clemson coach Dabo Swinney got candid about the way NIL has changed his approach with players. Swinney opened up on the different types of conversations he has with players regarding their finances and how it plays in to building a roster.

Beyond the numbers, though, the coach views it as yet another opportunity to instill life lessons in the young men he has been trusted to teach. But it’s still different than how it used to be.

“(NIL is) a part of the conversation,” Swinney said. “It’s a part of your process. It’s not ‘the’ process, but it’s a part of it. It’s another box that you’ve gotta check when you’re putting everything together. Stuff you didn’t used to have to talk about you’ve gotta talk about and deal with. And you’ve got to help them. You coach them, you teach them. They’re learning.

“To me, it’s a great opportunity to even further equip them for life, which we’ve always done a great job with. So it’s just part of it. There’s more pressure on ’em, more criticism on ’em because people look at them differently too. That just comes with the territory.”

Clemson has certainly been feeling some of that pressure amid a 1-3 start to the season. When you’re making the type of money that some players on the roster are and falling so far short of expectations, the critics are going to be loud.

It can be a lot for some players and part of Swinney’s job is to help them be able to handle it all. He’s been through the pressure situations like this before, but for many of his players, it’s their first time experiencing it at this level.

“It’s still just a game and they’re all learning, because some of these kids are really young and now they’ve got a lot on them at a very young age,” Swinney said. “So it’s definitely a part of what you have to do as a coach. It’s just everything. If you’re gonna be a good coach you have to be a holistic coach. You can’t just be a guy that can teach them a good stance and good start. Not in this world, because they’re not pros. They’re just not. They’re not mature like that. They haven’t lived enough life.

“This is their first time away from home. Pros, they’ve been gone from home. A lot of these guys, it’s their first time away and now all of a sudden you add this in. …But that’s part of it. You’ve gotta learn how to navigate it and that’s what you have to do as coaches to help them.”

Dabo Swinney has enjoyed plenty of success during his 17 years as the Clemson coach, but has made the College Football Playoff only once since NIL was introduced in 2021. He’ll continue to do his best to navigate this new era as the Tigers looked to get back on the right track this week against North Carolina.