Dabo Swinney took pride in having his son, Drew, on staff after Drew wrapped up his playing career as a Tigers wide receiver from 2018 to 2022. But after three years coaching in his father’s shadow, Drew is moving on.

The Samford Bulldogs have offered him a job, giving him the chance to build his own path. As per sources, “Coach [John] Grass to add Drew Swinney (WR coach) and Paul Tyson (QB coach) to staff per sources.”

Samford has been through its own whirlwind this season. After a rough 1-9 start, the school fired longtime head coach Chris Hatcher. He spent more than a decade leading the Bulldogs and even delivered an 8-0 SoCon championship run in 2022. After his firing, defensive coordinator Scot Sloan took over as interim coach for the final two games, and then Samford brought in John Grass as the program’s 37th head coach.

Grass isn’t just bringing head-coaching chops and Alabama connections. He also spent a little time at Clemson as a senior offensive assistant and assistant quarterbacks coach. So he knows the Swinney coaching tree pretty well. Once he got the Samford job, he didn’t hesitate to go after Drew. The 25-year-old was wrapping up his third full season on staff, his first working in offensive player development, and as an assistant wide receivers coach, before Grass swooped in.

Before coaching, Drew played in 40 games at Clemson as a wide receiver. He was part of teams that won four ACC titles, made three College Football Playoff runs, and captured the 2018 national championship. Stat-wise, he finished with 14 catches for 96 yards.

Apart from that, he also became the Tigers’ starting holder on placekicks as a senior in 2022. It’s a résumé that shows he’s been right in the middle of winning football his entire career.

However, Grass didn’t stop with Drew. He also targeted Paul Tyson. Tyson is in his first season on Clemson’s support staff and is reportedly set to join Samford as well, likely working with the quarterbacks. This year, he served as an intern in the offensive player development department. It provided him with a solid start on the coaching side of things.

The Swinney dominance is not going away from Clemson anytime soon

Even though Dabo Swinney has lost one of his sons to another program, it doesn’t significantly diminish Swinney’s dominance at Clemson. Other than Drew, Swinney has Will and Clay working for him on the Tigers’ Staff. In a heartfelt August 2025 interview, Swinney gushed, “They’re better than me,” calling Will and Drew “naturals” destined for greatness after their on-field fingerprints graced ACC title heroics like Antonio Williams’ grab from Cade Klubnik.

Eldest son Will Swinney is a Clemson walk-on alum with 35 catches for 195 yards and a TD (2017-21). He transitioned from business gigs to full-time offensive player development and assistant tight ends coach in 2025. “I grew up a coach’s kid, then a player, Will shared, earning his “PhD” in Dabo’s CEO-like program instills that drill core values into every staffer.

The middle child is Drew, who is packing his bags for Homewood. All the best to him! Lastly, the youngest is Clay. He upholds Swinney tradition as a 2025 holder, scoring via a trick two-point conversion vs. Florida State. Walk-on WR like kin, Clay kept the FSU fake “top secret” from mom Kathleen.

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