Nick Saban, Dabo Swinney comment on academic success after making prestigious list

Every single year, the Annual Progress Report (APR) is released, showcasing how well student-athletes are performing in the classroom. With the overall scoring being raised by one point from last season to 964, some of the top college football programs are at the front of the list this season.

The National Football Foundation help set these football players up for success past their playing days and well into their professional careers. They were able to catch up with head coaches Nick Saban and Dabo Swinney, who saw their programs near the top of the prestigious APR list this year.

For the Alabama head coach, he discussed how his main focus is setting players up for success, no matter if it’s football-related or not. Saban spoke on how proud he is of the Crimson Tide players for working hard and thinks how well the program scored on the APR reflects that.

“My number one goal for the football program at the University of Alabama is to create value for our players – both on and off the field – by providing the guidance and necessary tools to help them develop personally and professionally,” Saban said. “As a result, the team of staff we assembled to enhance our graduation rate objectives have enjoyed a consistent rise in the number of student-athletes leaving the University with at least one degree in hand.  These yearly milestones have opened doors for countless student-athletes and dramatically increased the likelihood of a successful and fulfilling career and homelife. 

“I couldn’t be prouder of the emphasis we place on academics as part of our student-athletes’ development and this latest round of APR numbers reflect those efforts.  Even more satisfying, is witnessing first-hand our former players, many of whom were first-generation college students, passing the torch and prepping their own children’s future college experiences in an effort to continue the cycle of higher education.”

Dabo Swinney discusses Clemson’s high APR scores

Ever since he took over before the 2008 season, Swinney has always made education a priority within the Clemson program. He said academic results directly correlate with their success on the football field, where the Tigers have won two national championships under his watch.

Swinney said Clemson’s high APR scores reflect how hard his players have worked over the past year outside the football field.

“From day one, the mission of our program has been to graduate our players and equip them with the tools they need to be successful in life,” Swinney said. “The success the young men in our program have had academically and professionally is a reflection of their hard work and of the commitment of so many people at Clemson to truly empower them beyond the football field.

“We believe that how you do anything is how you do everything, and it is not a coincidence that as our academic success has grown over the last decade and a half, so have our on-field results. The same work ethic, commitment and pride that our players put into football are directly applicable to the work they put into their academic pursuits, and our APR results show how committed our guys have been to our standard in the classroom.”

Over the past few years, Alabama and Clemson have been the two dominant football teams on the field. After being at the top of the prestigious APR score list, they two have done well more than win football games and national championships.