The last decade and a half Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney built the Tigers into a top program in the country. He has won multiple national championships, multiple ACC titles, and is a yearly playoff contender. But as the college football world is changing, Dabo is not changing with the world. The last couple of years Clemson hasn’t been their dominant selves. So far the team is 1-3 to start this season. It’s Clemson’s worst four-game start since 2004.
Photo Cred: The Greenville News
Swinney has long sought out recruiting high school players and building them through the program. Last year Clemson did not bring in any transfer portal players. Only a handful of players transferred out, and two transferred in over several years. He has said, “If we have to use it, we’ll use it … I prefer to be able to get the best high school kids and develop those guys.” In regards to the transfer portal.
Swinney has been steadfast in belief that college is for education and not a business. He defended emphasized values as Clemson has posted a 98% graduation success rate, He is about culture that keeps player retention high, and highlights that he was there to turn young men into adults. The Tigers values have not changed but their on field success has.
Why Dabo doesn’t get high level talent instead of having a freshman that needs to learn has analyst up in arms. Critics argue that the portal has become an essential tool for filling roster gaps quickly. Colorado transformed the program from a 1 win season to 9 wins after two years. The transfer portal was the reason. Clemson’s restrained use of the portal, while principled, may leave depth and talent-level issues unaddressed. Sometimes the old school coaches either need to adapt or leave the sport because the sport is leaving them.
Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) is another area where Clemson’s positioning is being questioned. Swinney has expressed caution over NIL’s effects, once warning that it could ruin college football. But guess what? College football is alive and well. Clemson has made some NIL efforts but they haven’t gone all in. Most athletic departments have NIL departments. The infrastructure and partnerships of the program are lagging behind some SEC and other ACC rivals. NIL is a factor, and Clemson’s comparatively modest involvement is part of why some top-transfer or high school prospects are choosing other programs.
Clemson has lost to two unranked teams this season. The most in the last decade. The recent 34-21 loss to Syracuse at Death Valley wasn’t even that close with the Tigers being down three scores. Syracuse recorded its first ever win at Death Valley. It snapped a six-game losing streak vs. Clemson. After making the playoffs last year, Clemson had been ranked in preseason polls. They returned many key contributors, leading to expectations of playoff contention. Some would say it’s not NIL and portal issues since they won the ACC last year. So we turn to if Dabo is losing his touch actually on the field with the X’s and O’s.
Swinney’s coaching philosophy—both in recruiting and staff structure—is often described as loyal, old-school, and deeply rooted in continuity. Things have been shaky ever since Swinney’s right hand man left the program. Brent Venables served as the associate head coach, defensive coordinator, and linebackers coach at Clemson University from 2012 to 2021 before leaving for Oklahoma. The changing college football environment—with transfer portal, NIL, and more immediate performance expectations—requires adaptability. Clemson needs more young voices in the office and more creativity to succeed.
Fans, donors, and media no longer view seasons without playoff appearances or national contention as acceptable, even if double-digit wins are achieved. The ACC is becoming more competitive. Schools like Florida State, Miami, Louisville and SMU are improving their programs and investing more into NIL, recruiting, and transfers. No longer is just Flordia State and Clemson at the top of the ACC. And with The College Football Playoff expansion to 12 teams, no one could ever see how Clemson could miss the playoffs.
since 2010, Clemson has won 10 or more games in 13 of 14 seasons and captured the ACC multiple times. But the pressure seems to be starting to get to him. “If Clemson is tired of winning, they can send me on my way, but I’ll go somewhere else and coach. I ain’t going to the beach. Hell, I’m 55, I’m just now getting going”
Photo Cred: TigerNet
At this moment, Swinney is not facing an imminent job removal. But what he should do is revamp the culture and start to change with the sport, momentum matters. If he brought is old school ways of doing the same he may have the same problems. The public pressure could build to the point that Clemson’s administration has to seriously consider alternatives. As one longtime Clemson observer put it: “You build a legacy over years, but it can fray in just a few games.” You either die a hero and or coach long enough to become a villain.
