It’s true that as recently as the back end of the Charlie Weis era, Notre Dame football wasn’t particularly relevant. However, if Notre Dame falls into a ditch, history has shown that the football program quickly extricates itself from that unfavorable position and — like Touchdown Jesus — rises again in an Easter of the gridiron.
For Clemson University, there was no quick rescue after the 1991 ACC championship season produced by Ken Hatfield. After the brilliance of the 1980s — easily the best calendar decade in the history of the program — the well not only ran dry, but stayed dry. Year after excruciating year, the Tigers would do something (often spectacular) to somehow avoid winning the ACC. From 2005 through 2008, that also included missing the ACC Championship Game in the newly-created Atlantic Division.
Dabo Swinney did break through and win the Atlantic in 2009, but that was with a team which lost five games and then played in the Music City Bowl, the kind of bowl Clemson had been accustomed to playing, instead of a premium January destination. As the 2011 season approached, Swinney knew he had to Yabba-Dabo-do something to kick-start his program.
He recruited a heckuva lot better, yes. That always helps.
However, he also hired Chad Morris as his offensive coordinator.
The Tigers haven’t been the same since.
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