Clemson, North Carolina look to power teams for guidance

By Lee Roberts  |   Wednesday, April 29, 2009  |  Comments( 0 )

College Football
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Across the country, college football coaches look for anything that will help give them an edge going into the next season. Coaching staffs all over the country have been visiting other schools to see how they operate for years. This season, the Clemson and North Carolina staffs each took trips like those in hopes that they can find something to take their teams to the next level.

The Tigers enter their first full season with Dabo Swinney as the head coach and are looking to reach fulfill the lofty expectations from a year ago. Sure, no one’s putting them in the top 10 this preseason, but this team still has talent and a fan base that wants championships. Those kinds of expectations are usually left for schools like Texas. That's one of the reasons Swinney made a great choice to take his staff down to meet with Mack Brown and examine how the Longhorns operate.

Texas challenges for the Big XII title annually, and 2009 will not be an exception. Swinney, who is entering his first year as a head coach on any level, should be able to take a lifetime of information away from Brown, who has consistently been one of the best coaches in the country for the last two decades. If Swinney can incorporate some of the principles of Brown’s system at Clemson, expect the Tigers to be at the top of the ACC for a long time.

Unlike Swinney, the Tar Heels' Butch Davis isn’t a newcomer to the coaching scene. He’s proven that he can recruit and be successful at the collegiate level. Davis has lofty goals for his North Carolina team; in fact, he wants to put the Tar Heels at the pinnacle of the college football world. So, there’s no better team to study than the Florida Gators. With two championships in three seasons and a probable preseason No. 1 ranking, Urban Meyer’s crew is nearing dynasty levels.

With that in mind, Davis took his staff to Gainesville recently. Even for a veteran coach like Davis, there are always ways to improve. Now, the Tar Heels don’t have anyone even resembling Tim Tebow, but Florida’s principles of speed on both sides of the ball is exactly what Davis wants to bring to Chapel Hill. Don’t be surprised if you see some spread offense from the Tar Heels this fall, as Davis must find ways to open up an 'O' that lost its biggest playmakers in Hakeem Nicks and Brandon Tate.

Clemson and North Carolina will not be the favorites to win the ACC in 2009. However, with coaching staffs eager to learn from the best, don’t be surprised if you see the two schools matching up in Tampa early next December.
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About Lee Roberts

Born in Richmond, Va, I moved south to UNC-Chapel Hill for college and received a degree in Journalism and Mass Communication. I currently live in Charlotte, NC and cover Auburn, LSU and the ...
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