It’s no coincidence that Clemson wins the National Championship behind the arm and legs of the best quarterback in program history, Deshaun Watson. While Watson may seem like an anomaly at Clemson, Dabo Swinney has been grooming successful quarterback’s from day one in Death Valley.
In October of 2008, Swinney became interim head coach after the resignation of Tommy Bowden. Despite taking over in the middle of the season, Swinney was able to guide the Tigers to a 4-2 record finishing the year 7-6. The starting quarterback at the time was senior, Cullen Harper. During the six game stretch with Swinney as head coach, Harper’s quarterback rating dropped under 100.