WATCH: Clemson HC Dabo Swinney gives back to the community with a special visit to Prisma Health Children’s Hospital
Clemson Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney gave back to his local community on Tuesday. Swinney went to Prisma Health Children’s Hospital in Greensville, South Carolina, and spent time with children suffering from cancer and sickle cell disease.
The visit showed what an influential person Dabo Swinney and any college football coach can be to the community. The video shows Swinney handing a child a plushie duck. The duck is known as "My Special Aflac Duck" and is used to help the children through their treatment.
The duck is given out by a company called Aflac. Aflac will be sponsoring the Tigers' season opener against the Georgia Bulldogs in the opening week of the college football season.
Through this, Swinney has not only raised interest in the Tigers' season opener, but he has also provided ill children with something that can help them cope with a tough and scary time for them.
Can Dabo Swinney and the Clemson Tigers win the ACC this season?
The 2023 season for the Clemson Tigers was below par, especially when compared to previous seasons under Swinney.
The season did not start well, with the Tigers suffering a shock loss to the Duke Blue Devils. Things went from bad to worse a week later against Charleston Southern. In what was a conventional win for the Tigers, they lost Walker Parks, a key part of the offensive line.
This led to many offensive struggles for Clemson. While their second half of the season was far better than their first, losses to division rivals Florida State, Miami and NC State were enough to eliminate the Tigers from making the ACC championship game.
Clemson will hope for a better performance in 2024. This may be easier said than done. While Walker Parks will be back this season, the Tigers lost key players like Nate Wiggins and Will Shipley in the NFL draft.
However, the Tigers are not the only team to lose key players. All of their ACC opponents have lost at least one key player from last season, with the Florida State Seminoles (the Tigers' closest rivals for the title) losing their quarterback as well as their star wide receiver.
The Clemson Tigers are always in contention for the ACC championship. This year, they appear strong enough to make a decent challenge for the conference championship and its automatic berth into the 12-team College Football Playoff.
However, their season may be defined by their opening game against the Georgia Bulldogs. If Dabo Swinney's team were to leave Atlanta with a win, a push for the national championship may be more likely than not.
Do you think that the Clemson Tigers will win the ACC this season?