Dabo

[mudhen]

Dabo has lost the team. No matter what else happens this season, if they win it will be because of the players and not the coach. I have a feeling that NIL has something to do with this. Why go work for some ass#### cheapskate coach (find some photos of where Dabo lives) who abuses you, when you can go somewhere else, maybe make a little bit of money, and be treated like a young professional? This probably had a little bit to do with Saban leaving as well. He was a noted screamer, but at least they were paid under the table. A casual look at the sideline of any NFL team and you won't see coaches yelling at their players

 

[#1fulmerite]

Seeing him answer questions last week, he’s ready for his pay day.

 

[Hoosier_Vol]

You simply can't refuse to take part in the NIL or portal Madness these days and expect to compete. I respect Dabo's feelings towards the game today but he better change his ways or retire. Clemson could still be legit Top 10 each season if he'd give in to these new times.

 

[GreveHaller]

 

[RandomUTfan]

Dabo has lost the team. No matter what else happens this season, if they win it will be because of the players and not the coach. I have a feeling that NIL has something to do with this. Why go work for some ass#### cheapskate coach (find some photos of where Dabo lives) who abuses you, when you can go somewhere else, maybe make a little bit of money, and be treated like a young professional? This probably had a little bit to do with Saban leaving as well. He was a noted screamer, but at least they were paid under the table. A casual look at the sideline of any NFL team and you won't see coaches yelling at their players

One reason Saban left Bama was that he couldn't coach those kids the way he was used to coaching kids. When your rivals can pay your players more than you can, you have to treat them with kid gloves to keep them out of the portal. See Kalen Deboer's coaching style currently! Dabo is in a similar situation for the same reason: NIL. More specifically lack of booster $ to fund NIL. There's probably more at Bama than Clemson since Bama is the flagship University, but there isn't a whole lot of money in the state of Alabama to begin with. Notice that this year Dabo had to consent to a current commit visiting another school. He's no longer in a position to dictate terms like that to recruits. What is he going to do? Cut him? Chances are Tennessee is offering more $.

 

[mudhen]

One reason Saban left Bama was that he couldn't coach those kids the way he was used to coaching kids. When your rivals can pay your players more than you can, you have to treat them with kid gloves to keep them out of the portal. See Kalen Deboer's coaching style currently! Dabo is in a similar situation for the same reason: NIL. More specifically lack of booster $ to fund NIL. There's probably more at Bama than Clemson since Bama is the flagship University, but there isn't a whole lot of money in the state of Alabama to begin with. Notice that this year Dabo had to consent to a current commit visiting another school. He's no longer in a position to dictate terms like that to recruits. What is he going to do? Cut him? Chances are Tennessee is offering more $.

Paybacks are a bi###. I still remember Dabo giving some kid the absolute business for blowing a punt, on national television. If that had been my kid, Dabo would be lucky to keep all of his teeth. You simply don't treat young people that way.

 

[RandomUTfan]

Paybacks are a bi###. I still remember Dabo giving some kid the absolute business for blowing a punt, on national television. If that had been my kid, Dabo would be lucky to keep all of his teeth. You simply don't treat young people that way.

Have you heard the rumor why Napier was fired from Clemson? It's said he and Dabo got in a fist fight. It sounds believable to me. Anyway Billy was garbage at Clemson.

 

[mudhen]

I'm not surprised. Dabo is a bully.

 

[adam.vol]

I'm not surprised. Dabo is a bully.

Didn’t he play for Stallings? I suspect that most of the Gen X coaches were brought up in that environment. It’s probably hard to reinvent coaching for anyone who played for bullies, themselves.

 

[Carp]

I really doubt he has lost the team. This isn't Butch Jones we're talking about here. Dabo has been there 15 years as HC. He's just got to make the necessary changes, whatever those may be.

For reference, Mike Norvell and FSU won 2 games last year. And now they are undefeated and ranked in the top 10. Your just have to be willing to make the necessary changes.

 

[volfanbill]

I really doubt he has lost the team. This isn't Butch Jones we're talking about here. Dabo has been there 15 years as HC. He's just got to make the necessary changes, whatever those may be.

For reference, Mike Norvell and FSU won 2 games last year. And now they are undefeated and ranked in the top 10. Your just have to be willing to make the necessary changes.

He’s purposefully refused to make the changes and claims he never will. But his players think the world of him. They haven’t quit on him and won’t. They just aren’t as good as they used to be. Talent at ClemPson has slipped while other ACC schools have improved

 

[Carp]

He’s purposefully refused to make the changes and claims he never will. But his players think the world of him. They haven’t quit on him and won’t. They just aren’t as good as they used to be. Talent at ClemPson has slipped while other ACC schools have improved

Agreed. Clemson still has a lot of overall talent. Several guys projected as 1st round picks. But yeah, their recruiting rankings have tumbled the last 3-4 years. Their classes have barely been top 15 and last year they were outside the top 25. This past year is the first time they've ever really brought in Portal help and I think it's because Dabo knew his talent pool was getting thin.

 

[volfanbill]

Agreed. Clemson still has a lot of overall talent. Several guys projected as 1st round picks. But yeah, their recruiting rankings have tumbled the last 3-4 years. Their classes have barely been top 15 and last year they were outside the top 25. This past year is the first time they've ever really brought in Portal help and I think it's because Dabo knew his talent pool was getting thin.

Wasn’t it only like 3 players though?

 

[Carp]

Wasn’t it only like 3 players though?

4 players total. But only 1 of them has seen significant playing time so far.

 

[give_him 6]

Dabo doesn’t like the transfer portal or the beach. He sounds like a fun guy.

 

[05_never_again]

Dabo is one of the most FOS coaches out there, and his distaste for NIL and the Portal is certainly hurting him overall, but honestly I don't think that is why they are struggling this year specifically. He brought back a good, experienced QB (in an era when not many teams do that anymore) and a defense with a lot of returning starters from a good unit last year, and it's like nobody on his team has any idea what they're doing. His defiant, "but look at how much we've won here" attitude in the press conferences is a bad look, as is Klubnik blaming at least some of their poor offensive performance on Syracuse's fake injuries. Dabo's stubbornness and tendency to rest on his laurels kind of reminds me of the last few years of Fulmer.

If you think that our defense can't cover slants, woof, watch that Syracuse game from Saturday. That was horrible.

 

[RandomUTfan]

Dabo is one of the most FOS coaches out there, and his distaste for NIL and the Portal is certainly hurting him overall, but honestly I don't think that is why they are struggling this year specifically. He brought back a good, experienced QB (in an era when not many teams do that anymore) and a defense with a lot of returning starters from a good unit last year, and it's like nobody on his team has any idea what they're doing. His defiant, "but look at how much we've won here" attitude in the press conferences is a bad look, as is Klubnik blaming at least some of their poor offensive performance on Syracuse's fake injuries. Dabo's stubbornness and tendency to rest on his laurels kind of reminds me of the last few years of Fulmer.

If you think that our defense can't cover slants, woof, watch that Syracuse game from Saturday. That was horrible.

I think almost anyone would rest on their laurels a bit if they were guaranteed 70 million dollars to fail. But I always suspected Dabo's aversion to NIL and the portal was borne from the fact Clemson can't compete with its rivals in that area.

 

[05_never_again]

I think almost anyone would rest on their laurels a bit if they were guaranteed 70 million dollars to fail. But I always suspected Dabo's aversion to NIL and the portal was borne from the fact Clemson can't compete with its rivals in that area.

I would argue that Dabo's peers in terms of salary (Saban before he retired and Kirby) didn't/don't rest on their laurels, and both of those guys have generational money that was guaranteed. Rightly or wrongly, that's who he is compared to. Dabo has built that program over the years into one that should be able to compete in the NIL and Portal space. Especially in the ACC.

I think his aversion to it is simply because it is a big change to how he runs his program and he doesn't like the transactional nature of recruiting. He likes it where the coach had most of the power.

 

[volfanbill]

Clemson is top 20 in revenue yearly and IPTAY was the foundation that other schools copied to lure in donors. Making money at Clemson IS NOT the problem.

 

[GVF]

Dabo is one of the most FOS coaches out there, and his distaste for NIL and the Portal is certainly hurting him overall, but honestly I don't think that is why they are struggling this year specifically. He brought back a good, experienced QB (in an era when not many teams do that anymore) and a defense with a lot of returning starters from a good unit last year, and it's like nobody on his team has any idea what they're doing. His defiant, "but look at how much we've won here" attitude in the press conferences is a bad look, as is Klubnik blaming at least some of their poor offensive performance on Syracuse's fake injuries. Dabo's stubbornness and tendency to rest on his laurels kind of reminds me of the last few years of Fulmer.

If you think that our defense can't cover slants, woof, watch that Syracuse game from Saturday. That was horrible.

Well:

2023 FSU - 10-2 ?
2024 FSU - 2-10
2025 FSU - 4-0 and counting

And Norvell is a committed portal user.

 

[05_never_again]

Well:

2023 FSU - 10-2 ?
2024 FSU - 2-10
2025 FSU - 4-0 and counting

And Norvell is a committed portal user.

There's a balance. Norvell is on one end of the spectrum and Dabo is on the other.

 

[GVF]

There's a balance. Norvell is on one end of the spectrum and Dabo is on the other.

Point being, recruiting heavily in the portal is no guaruntee. On paper, FSU should have been just as good in 2024. Never know how your signees are gonna mesh.

That was one of Saban's things even though he utilized the portal. He has spoke to pointedly. Said if you plant to use hte portal, you better do your due diligence and know what you're getting cause they're in there for a reason. He used it, but he was very selective about who he took out of it.

 

[05_never_again]

Point being, recruiting heavily in the portal is no guaruntee. On paper, FSU should have been just as good in 2024. Never know how your signees are gonna mesh.

That was one of Saban's things even though he utilized the portal. He has spoke to pointedly. Said if you plant to use hte portal, you better do your due diligence and know what you're getting cause they're in there for a reason. He used it, but he was very selective about who he took out of it.

The way to use the Portal is probably to be selective about who you get out of it. Build the core of your roster with HS players and plug holes via the Portal with guys who you've vetted.

Dabo's problem is that he effectively refuses to use it, even at one point saying that "nobody in the Portal is good enough to play at Clemson." I think he's taken 1 or 2 guys out of the Portal since it's been a thing. He also said a several years ago that if players started getting paid he'd quit, and then denied it a few years ago. I wonder to what degree that has hurt his HS recruiting; I could see that being a turn off for recruits if your HC is on record as not being on board with you being able to get paid.

 

[Carp]

I would argue that Dabo's peers in terms of salary (Saban before he retired and Kirby) didn't/don't rest on their laurels, and both of those guys have generational money that was guaranteed. Rightly or wrongly, that's who he is compared to. Dabo has built that program over the years into one that should be able to compete in the NIL and Portal space. Especially in the ACC.

I think his aversion to it is simply because it is a big change to how he runs his program and he doesn't like the transactional nature of recruiting. He likes it where the coach had most of the power.

Agreed.

 

[GVF]

The way to use the Portal is probably to be selective about who you get out of it. Build the core of your roster with HS players and plug holes via the Portal with guys who you've vetted.

Dabo's problem is that he effectively refuses to use it, even at one point saying that "nobody in the Portal is good enough to play at Clemson." I think he's taken 1 or 2 guys out of the Portal since it's been a thing. He also said a several years ago that if players started getting paid he'd quit, and then denied it a few years ago. I wonder to what degree that has hurt his HS recruiting; I could see that being a turn off for recruits if your HC is on record as not being on board with you being able to get paid.

Considering Beamer has SCjr performing atleast as well as clemson, recuits wanting to stay instate have a choice to go to a local SEC school and be competitive. Clemson is not the only choice in town anymore.