Swinney deal just days away

CLEMSON — The "interim" tag will be removed and Dabo Swinney officially will be named Clemson head coach within the next few days. Athletic Director Terry Don Phillips will conduct a formal interview with Swinney this afternoon, and Clemson sources indicate a formal news conference will be held Monday or Tuesday.

"We are still going to go through the process," Phillips said Saturday after the Tigers' 31-14 victory over archrival South Carolina at Death Valley. "I want this day to be about Dabo and the players, and I'm very happy for them. You can draw your own conclusions."

Some Clemson athletic department staffers originally scheduled to leave Monday to accompany the men's basketball team to Illinois for an ACC-Big 10 Challenge game Tuesday night will remain home instead.

Swinney is expected to receive a contract of at least four years, a source said. Clemson does not want to let rival recruiters paint Swinney as a stopgap coach who might not be around long.

Phillips declined extended comment.

"I don't want to have a press conference right now," he said with a smile.

The Tigers are 4-2 under Swinney, with three wins in a row. Clemson (7-5) with its win over South Carolina became bowl eligible.

Swinney, 39, was Clemson's assistant head coach and wide receivers coach when Tommy Bowden resigned under pressure with the Tigers 3-3 overall and 1-2 in the Atlantic Coast Conference following a 12-7 loss at Wake Forest on Oct. 9. Despite never having been a coordinator, the Alabama native was named head coach with a promise from Phillips that if things went well, he had a good chance to keep the job beyond this season.

Swinney has not revealed his plans for a coaching staff. The most likely keeper is recruiting coordinator Billy Napier, promoted from tight ends coach to quarterbacks coach when Swinney took over. Napier has helped Swinney with play-calling.

"If you took the Virginia game out of the equation, it's been pretty obvious how we've improved (on offense) every week and how everyone has bought in," said Napier, a former Furman quarterback. "But we were fortunate to win that Virginia game ugly and maybe that woke us up a little bit."

Offensive line coach Brad Scott, the former South Carolina head coach hired as part of Tommy Bowden's original Clemson staff in 1999, also wants to stay. Jeff Scott, Brad's son, was promoted to wide receivers coach from graduate assistant when Swinney replaced Bowden.

"To see Jeff's love for the game and see how hard he's worked this week, I step back and I say 'I hope this can continue' and if so he really catches a break," Brad Scott said. "For me, you just don't know. You hope things turn out well. You hope coach Swinney is named the head coach here. He certainly deserves to be and maybe I'll be a part of that."

Reach Gene Sapakoff at gsapakoff@postandcourier.com.