CLEMSON—In his first full year as the head football coach at Clemson University, Dabo Swinney has been named the Atlantic Coast Conference Coach of the Year by The Sporting News.

Swinney led the Tigers to a 6-2 conference record, earning Clemson’s first division championship in the ACC. Clemson lost 39-34 to Georgia Tech in the ACC Championship game Dec. 5, and will play tonight in the Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl game against Kentucky.

He is tired second nationally with Oregon Coach Chip Kelly for most victories this season by a first-year head coach.

Swinney topped an impressive list of coaches, starting with Paul Johnson of Georgia Tech, who led the Yellow Jackets to the ACC title and an appearance in the Orange Bowl next week with an 11-2 record over all, 7-1 in ACC play during the regular season. Miami’s Randy Shannon led his team to a 9-3 record, reaching the top 10 ranks for the first time in years for the Hurricanes. Duke’s David Cutcliffe moved his Duke team from the bottom of the league, closer to having a bowl-eligible team.