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NOTEBOOK: Clemson relies on Alabama ties

TAMPA – When Dabo Swinney was a player on the University of Alabama's 1992 national championship team, Woody McCorvey and Danny Pearman were on the coaching staff.

Now they are part of the football staff and Swinney is the head coach.

Ironically, both came from Clemson, where they had coached under former UA player and assistant Danny Ford.

For the second year in a row, Clemson is playing Alabama for the national title. The College Football Playoff Championship is set for Monday night at Raymond James Stadium here.

Now Pearman, who coached offensive tackles under Gene Stallings at UA from 1991-96 (and in 1997 under Mike DuBose), coaches tackles, tight ends and serves as special teams coordinator under Swinney. McCorvey, who was Swinney's position coach when he was a receiver and later got promoted to offensive coordinator, joined Swinney's staff in 2009 as associate athletics director for football administration.

"You kind of see for me It's gone full-circle," McCorvey said Saturday at team media day at Amalie Arena. "I'm the coach and he's the player, and then now he's the boss but I'm working for him."

McCorvey had a kidney cancer scare in 2008 in his final season as offensive coordinator at Mississippi State. Swinney called him weekly to check up on his former coach. When McCorvey and the rest of Sylvester Croom's staff was let go at the end of that season, Swinney talked him into coming back to Clemson.

McCorvey has seen Swinney transform Clemson football into a program that can contend for titles.

"One thing he did, he brought really the importance of football back to Clemson," McCorvey said. "He relates to everybody, he's not a guy who's afraid to go to the grocery store or go to the gas station. He wants that because he wants all of that community to be a part of him and the football program. That's him."

Pearman notes that Alabama is still winning the same way it did in the 1990s, and in the era of dominance under the late Paul W. "Bear' Bryant: with defense and a strong running game.

"Same blueprint that's always won, really," Pearman said. "They've had an incredible run, just hats off to what they've been able to do.

"What's more important to me is he's done it with multiple staffs. It's hard enough to get players and staff and everybody to gel one time, much less to do it multiple times."

The same, but different

Nobody knows Nick Saban and Dabo Swinney like Billy Napier. Now in his fourth season as Alabama's receivers coach, Napier worked alongside Swinney at Clemson and was his offensive coordiantor there early in Swinney's tenure.

While Swinney seems more rah-rah and Saban seems more process-oriented, Napier seems similarities.

"Probably the way to say it is how are they alike? I think what you would say is they've both got tremendous conviction in terms of their beliefs, how they want things done, and I would say they're themselves," Napier said. "That's Dabo's strength and Coach Saban's strength: They're going to be themselves, they know what they believe in, they're to define the expectations.

"Dabo's got a tremendous vision for what he's been able to establish there, and Coach (Saban) had the same thing when he came to Alabama. So they're a lot alike, more than they're different."

A vote for the Bear

Nick Saban was asked several times Saturday whether he thought about his legacy – and being the "Greatest College Coach of All Time" – particularly if he wins his sixth national title as a head coach against Clemson on Monday night.

"No, and I don't think of that and I don't listen to that, because really in this business it's what did you do on the last play, what did you do in the last game," Saban said. "That's what people evaluate you on. I'm worried about today and I'm worried about tomorrow and I'm worried about the game that's going to happen the day after that. I'm concerned about our players, our team, our organization, giving them the best opportunity to be successful, and that's what we're trying to focus on."

Normally, one of Saban's "task at hand" answers stops the questioning, but at such a large media gathering, there is bound to be repetition. So on the second time around, Saban cast his ballot.

"Well, I think 'Bear' Bryant is probably the greatest coach that ever coached college football, and that would be my vote, and it would stay that way for a long time," Saban said.

"(Bryant) had success over a long, long period of time. The environment of college football changed dramatically during his time. He won championships running the wishbone, he won championships passing the ball. He effectively changed with whatever his players could do and whatever was required at the time.

"He had a great impact on integration of college football in the South, which may be his most significant accomplishment, and I think a lot of those things that he accomplished, I don't know that anyone else could provide the leadership that could match that.

"If you want to talk about the success that he had, that's rivaled by no one, as well. He does loom large, and we're happy for that because the things that he did created our opportunity to be successful."

Favorite son

When former Alabama standout Kevin Turner passed away last year from his complications with ALS, his former teammate Dabo Swinney stepped up for Turner's older son, Nolan Turner.

Besides just being a mentor, Swinney wanted to help facilitate a career in the coaching ranks. But first he made sure he would provide for an education.

Swinney offered a Nolan Turner a scholarship, and the former Vestavia Hills High School player is now a freshman safety for the Tigers.

"You know it's weird. A year ago I was an Alabama fan," Turner said. "Don't tell anybody else that. It's been crazy, this whole experience and the playoffs and everything.

"We're all Clemson fans now."

That Swinney would do that isn't really surprising. He's just a genuinely good person, according to those who know him.

"We're real close," Turner said. "He's just such a father figure to everybody. Just a good leader and mentor for everyone. That's just how he is.

"Just the culture they have here that he's built is awesome."

Turner grew up rooting for the Crimson Tide, but that's in the past. He said his family will be all orange and purple Monday night.

"It's weird growing up an Alabama and now you're here playing Alabama," Turner said. "How did this happen?"

Cecil Hurt and Aaron Suttles contributed to this report.

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