ESPN College Football

Posted by ESPN.com's Heather Dinich

Clemson, in need of a new head coach in mid-season, expectedly turned to its own staff for a replacement. Unexpectedly, though, the administration snubbed the only two assistants with head coaching experience on their resume in favor of wide receivers coach Dabo Swinney.

	Rex Brown/Getty Images
	Dabo Swinney will take over as head coach for Tommy Bowden.

Who?

Swinney, who is 39 years old and in his sixth season at Clemson, has never been a head coach before. He got his start in coaching at Alabama, his alma mater, where he coached the receivers and tight ends until 2000. Swinney took over Clemson's receivers in 2003. Much was written about Swinney this preseason because of his ties to the Tigers' opponent in the season opener.

This story in the Birmingham News covered the ups and downs of his career, including last season when Swinney was almost lured back to Alabama by Nick Saban.

Swinney has earned a reputation as a top-notch recruiter who's a smooth talker and good with boosters and the media. He was chosen over defensive coordinator Vic Koenning, who was head coach at Wyoming and more than capable of taking over the team. Koenning is a good coach whose candor with the media might have been a factor in the decision.

Swinney was also chosen over associate head coach Brad Scott, who was head coach at South Carolina. His 23-32-1 record there from 1994-1998 might have hurt a bit. So might the struggles of the offensive line, the position he coaches.

Then again, it could be as simple as a vote of confidence in Swinney.

"I think that just speaks about how much respect they have for [Swinney]," center Thomas Austin said. "We have a lot of veteran coaches on our staff. I just think the kind of person he is, and I think he can bring a level of intensity and enthusiasm that can really help the team."

Right now, heading into a tough game against Georgia Tech, this team needs all the help it can get.