Speaking to the reporters on ACC Media Days, Dabo Swinney acknowledged Clemson’s disappointing 2025 season and pointed to the program’s long list of accomplishments.
“You know, we’ve had 15 winning seasons, 13 10-plus win seasons, 14 nine-plus win seasons,” Swinney said. “We’ve won 11 championships in the last 15 years… This year, ain’t none of y’all going to pick us. Ain’t none of y’all going to say anything good about us.”
However, veteran journalist Paul Finebaum wasn’t interested in hearing about past achievements.
“I am getting so exasperated listening to Dabo tell us how great he used to be. They’re not great anymore,” Finebaum said. “You don’t hear [Tom] Brady talking about his Super Bowls. Dabo is just stuck on stupid right now, trying to convince us that his program is still legitimate. It’s not. It’s slipping and sliding away. It’s good. Maybe they’ll win nine games this year or maybe they won’t. But they lost six games last year with the Heisman favorite (Cade Klubnik). That is downright embarrassing.”
Since its dominant run from 2015-19, Clemson has managed to make it to just one College Football Playoff appearance in the last six seasons.
Dabo Swinney Calls Out Tampering
While Swinney has faced criticism for Clemson’s recent results, he continues to defend the culture inside the program.
Appearing on Greg McElroy’s “Always College Football” podcast, the coach claimed rival schools aggressively pursued several of Clemson’s biggest stars through tampering.
“We lead the nation in graduation and retention,” Dabo Swinney said. “I’m proud of that. So, we do have a culture. We just had 16 guys go to the NFL. …All 16 of those guys, Clemson, their whole career. 15 of them are graduates. And so that’s culture.”
“These kids love this place. …You think our guys are here for free? You don’t think people try to get Peter Woods, and Antonio Williams, and T.J. Parker, and Sammy Brown, and Ashton Hampton, and T.J. Moore? You don’t think they try to get our players? Sure, they do. There’s tampering. It’s insane what’s going on in college football. But our kids stay here because we’ve created value in the place, and there’s value in the people who you’re doing life with every day,” he added.
Swinney argued that Clemson’s culture, relationships, and long-term player development continue to separate the program from its competitors despite the growing influence of NIL.
Whether his approach helps Clemson rebound after its disappointing 2025 season remains to be seen.
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