Dabo Swinney and the Clemson Tigers are facing their toughest stretch in years. After eight games in the 2025 season, Clemson sits at 3-5. The pressure on Swinney has never been higher, and frustration around the fan base continues to grow.
Once a national powerhouse, Clemson now looks like a shadow of its former self. The decline has been steady and visible. From an undefeated 15-0 national title run in 2018 to this year’s losing record, each season has marked a step back.
Clemson went 14-1 in 2019, then 10-2 in 2020. From there, the slide continued, 10-3 in 2021, 11-3 in 2022, 9-4 in 2023, and 10-4 in 2024. Now, at 3-5 and ranked 23rd, the dynasty that once seemed unbreakable is struggling to stay relevant.
Josh Pate addressed this decline directly, saying Clemson’s glory days under Swinney may never return. He argued that Swinney’s run has reached its natural end, describing Clemson’s dominance as part of a cycle, the rise, the peak, and the inevitable fall.
“I don’t think Clemson football will ever be what it was again under Dabo. And that’s okay, because everything has a natural shelf life,” Pate SAID. (from 4:32)
“I think Dabo Swinney at his best moving forward is good enough to have Clemson be pretty good. I just don’t know, unless there’s fundamental change about that place, if they’re ever going to be in the mix to be a championship contender again.”
Pate credited Swinney for building a powerhouse and establishing a legacy that will stand the test of time, but he also pointed out that without fundamental change, Clemson will not reenter the national championship picture.
Paul Finebaum on Dabo Swinney’s Future
Paul Finebaum believes the situation at Clemson has become toxic for Swinney. He doesn’t see firing as the solution but suggests that Swinney himself should consider stepping away. Finebaum’s stance is that sometimes great coaches need a fresh start, and Clemson’s environment has turned stale.
Finebaum believes that Swinney’s recent behavior shows growing frustration and detachment, symptoms of a coach who has reached his limit in one place. Rather than continue to fight uphill battles against changing dynamics like NIL and the transfer portal, Finebaum thinks Swinney should explore other opportunities.
“I don’t have any doubt he can find a job, and sometimes you just have to move on,” Finebaum SAID. “We’ve all been there or known someone who has been there. And I think his agent should look around and say OK, which one of these openings would be fun for me? Where can I go, meaning Dabo Swinney, where I can just hit the restart button?”
In his view, a new setting could reinvigorate both Swinney and Clemson. The Tigers could reset under new leadership, while Swinney could find a program willing to embrace his philosophy without the baggage of past expectations.
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