Darien Rencher: Swinney ‘Excited’ About NIL, Says Clemson Has Done ‘Great Job’ Preparing Players

Early on Thursday morning Dabo Swinney’s name was already trending on Twitter.

Thursday marked the first day that college athletes can now profit from their own name, image and likeness (NIL) and people are dredging up Swinney’s old quote from 2014 about quitting coaching if college athletes ever got paid.

However, those same people are leaving out the most important part of that now famous quote. Swinney was actually talking about the “professionalization” of college athletics and schools paying players. He wasn’t talking about NIL and in fact has mentioned NIL as one example of ways the sport could evolve and help athletes start earning.

“We’re going to support our guys with the best possible resources that are out there,” Swinney said last summer. “I’ve always said it’s the modernization of the scholarship. I think there’s a lot of unknown right now, but there are a lot of positives that can come from it for players. We’re well-positioned to not just meet the needs, but to lead in whatever comes down the road.”

Clemson running back Darien Rencher was a guest on The Packer and Durham Show Thursday morning and reiterated how the quote was taken out of context and said the Tigers head coach is actually excited about this new chapter in college athletics.

“He’s excited,” Rencher said. “I know he kinda catches some things (that) gets out of context, but he’s excited for us to make the most of this opportunity. He’s equipping us with as much as they can on their end, to make sure we have as much content and as much connections as we can. And I think Clemson has done a great job up to this point and I’ve been on several internships with several companies that hopefully I’ll get partnerships to work with.”

Rencher said that Swinney has set Clemson up for continued success over the long haul.

“I think Clemson has been set up to win for a long time and now we get released to go be all we can be.”

The veteran running back also talked about some of the opportunities he is interested in exploring.

“I want to start a podcast and I’d love have someone to partner with on those things,” Rencher said. “I’m from the Upstate. I’m from South Carolina. I would love to partner with anybody across the state to add value to the business.”

As of July 1, 2021, College Athletes are now allowed to fully use their personal brands. Looking forward to partnering and helping build something special! 🧡

business inquiries: https://t.co/PNAeTVEqN2 https://t.co/XrEIe6P6wY

— 𝐃𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧 𝐑𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐫 (@D_Rench_) July 1, 2021

At the same time Rencher is remembering all the players that came before him that didn’t have the same resources available to them.

“I think obviously it’s a special moment for me to capitalize on. I think of guys like Ben Boulware who were great ambassadors for our community like this and didn’t get to take in all they could. For me, I would just love to reciprocate for what I’ve invested in this community. I think that’s the same for a lot of guys.”

At the end of the day, Rencher is looking to not only make a little money, but also to help people along the way, in any way he can.

“I would love to partner with as many people. I think I’m a jack of all trades. I want to speak. I want to do fashion. I want to do philanthropy-type stuff…I just want to help people. Obviously there is money to be made, but I do believe I can help people build something special and they can help me make my dreams come true.”