Clemson's Swinney holds on to stars

CLEMSON, S.C. -- Dabo Swinney is building a program in his second year at Clemson that's hard for players to leave.

Swinney was just 4-3 as a head coach in January 2009 when star tailback C.J. Spiller, a likely NFL first-round pick, passed up the pros and his mother's advice to spend his senior season with the Tigers. This year, it was safety DeAndre McDaniel and quarterback Kyle Parker who gave up lucrative pro careers to hit the field this fall for Clemson.

McDaniel, a 6-foot-1 senior safety, had eight interceptions to tie the school's single season record and had a solid chance to go high had he chosen to go pro.

Parker, a three-year standout for Clemson baseball, was selected No. 26 overall by the Colorado Rockies and even he thought for a while he was done with his college football career.

All talked about the team's potential for wanting to stay.

``The biggest thing I decided was I was going to make this decision because it was in my best interest,'' Parker said. ``Obviously, I listened to some of the things (Swinney) said.''

Swinney's Tigers, complete with Parker and McDaniel, hold their first practice of the summer Tuesday evening.

Swinney is a man filled with a sense he will not fail. It took him several tries to convince the pretty girl in the third grade now wife Kathleen to take notice of him. As a college student 15 years later, Swinney was convinced he'd make the catches Alabama's recruited receivers couldn't and eventually earned a Crimson Tide scholarship and a 1992 national championship ring.

Let go as an Alabama assistant and burnt out on the profession, Swinney went into commercial real estate, brokering deals for shopping malls. ``I found out I could succeed at something else,'' Swinney said. He also discovered that he missed coaching and joined Tommy Bowden's staff at Clemson in 2003.

Swinney became one of the program's best recruiters, helping the Tigers lure Spiller from Lake Butler, Fla., in 2006 when most figured the runner was headed to nearby Florida or Florida State.

Even after he was thrown into Tiger turmoil in October 2008 as Bowden's midseason replacement, Swinney's affable nature and no-nonsense style on the field convinced Clemson fans and athletic director Terry Don Phillips the untested assistant was ready for the full-time job.

Swinney's first big coup was retaining Spiller, who defied conventional logic and his mother's belief he should turn pro. Spiller went on to win the ACC's player of the year and finish sixth in the Heisman Trophy balloting. Spiller ran for 1,212 yards and was the only Division I player to score a touchdown in every game last season.

Swinney figured McDaniel, his standout safety, would be similarly swayed and remembered calling to set up a meeting to discuss the player's NFL prospects. Instead, McDaniel told the coach he'd decided to come back.

``Coach,'' McDaniel told Swinney, ``I ain't going nowhere. I'm coming back. I'm going to graduate.''

In July, Swinney had to hold his breath over Parker's situation.

The sophomore quarterback cemented his status as a baseball prospect, leading the Tigers into the College World Series with 20 homers. When the Rockies used a first-round pick, Parker's choice for baseball seemed clear. However, Parker stuck with a July 20 deadline created because he didn't want to leave Swinney in a lurch and did not sign a baseball-only deal with Colorado. Parker is still expected to sign with the Rockies, but has said several times since that he's committed to football this fall.

Swinney has long felt Parker's NFL potential is as big or bigger than in baseball. But he credits Parker's decision to the school and his Tiger teammates.

``I have never had to deal with a situation like this before,'' Swinney said of Parker's baseball aspirations. Parker's family ``did a good job of keeping me in the loop,'' the coach said.

McDaniel and Parker aren't the first stars to stick with the Tigers. The late defensive end Gaines Adams came back for his senior season in 2007. Star runner James Davis did the same in 2008.

Swinney's salesmanship could be put to the test after this season. Several of Clemson's juniors, including defensive end Da'Quan Bowers and runner Jamie Harper, are considered early round NFL picks in 2011. Swinney hopes those players will see what Spiller, McDaniel and Parker have seen when they consider their futures.

``As I've said, there's something in these hills,'' Swinney said. ``Clemson people know what I mean.''