After tabbing a veteran he's had a longstanding relationship with to run his offense in Chad Morris - where absolutely no small detail is going to slide this year on offense - it appears Dabo Swinney has also found a veteran to run his special teams.
Recent indications, based both on what we've heard the last ten days or so coupled with multiple reports that include Tiger Illustrated, point to veteran NFL coordinator Rich Bisaccia as the top target for Dabo's special teams unit.
Tiger Illustrated notes that a contract is expected to go in front of the compensation committee of Clemson's Board of Trustees later this week.
Bisaccia spent the past three seasons as the assistant head coach and special teams coordinator for the Packers, and stepped away from that role, sharing the following statement on his decision:
"After taking some time to reflect over the last few weeks, I have made the decision to step down as the assistant head coach and special teams coordinator of the Green Bay Packers. I am incredibly grateful to Matt LaFleur, Brian Gutekunst, Ed Policy and Mark Murphy for their unwavering trust and support throughout my time in Green Bay. I am also thankful to the players for their consistent work and relentless effort to improve every single day. I would like to thank everyone in the organization for their dedication and commitment. The people in this building make it a special place to work."
"I want to also thank our fans and the people throughout the Green Bay community for their passion and love for this team. Coaching for the Green Bay Packers was truly an honor, and I will always be grateful for my time here. I look forward to whatever is next for me and my family, and I wish nothing but the best for everyone in the organization."
Bisaccia took over the special teams unit in early February of 2022, adding the assistant head coach designation just a year after his arrival in Green Bay.
The opportunity to join Dabo's staff would mark not only Bisaccia's first college stop since 2000, when he was the special teams coordinator, running backs coach and assistant head coach at Ole Miss, but would also mark a full-circle moment for him after coaching at Clemson from 1994-98, mentoring the Tigers running backs and special teams following a few seasons in the same capacity at in-state rival South Carolina.
Bisaccia has spent the past 25 seasons or so at the NFL level, coordinating special teams units with the Bucs, Chargers, Cowboys, and Raiders before joining the Packers staff of Matt LaFleur.
During the 2021 season where the Raiders parted ways with Jon Gruden in-season, Bisaccia stepped into the interim head coach role and lead the franchise to a 7-5 finish to go 10-7 on the year with a loss in the Wild Card Playoffs to the Bengals. Many believed that would be enough to earn him his first nod to run a team, but owner Al Davis ultimately decided to bring in Josh McDaniels who lasted just over a season before being fired during the 2023 season.
Stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.