Dabo Swinney and the Clemson Tigers just saw their season end, and they are already receiving brutal predictions for 2026.
The Clemson Tigers fell to the Penn State Nittany Lions by a score of 22-10 in the Pinstripe Bowl on Saturday, a rather fitting end to what was a miserable season for Dabo Swinney and Co.
Clemson entered the year with national championship aspirations but instead went just 7-6, its worst finish since Swinney's second campaign at the helm in 2010.
So, will the Tigers be any better next season? College football analyst Josh Pate doesn't think so.
During a recent episode of Josh Pate's College Football Show, Pate revealed a brutal reality for Clemson heading into 2026.
“You look at 7-6 and your instinct is, ‘Oh we had a down year, next year will be better,'” Pate said. “No. No, on paper next year should be worse for Clemson. … I don’t see any reason to think it’d get better.”
The Tigers are losing a plethora of key players to the NFL Draft this offseason, including — but not limited to — quarterback Cade Klubnik, wide receiver Antonio Williams, defensive tackle Peter Woods, edge rusher T.J. Parker and cornerback Avieon Terrell.
Replacing those players will be exceedingly difficult, and Clemson doesn't currently have a deep roster full of answers like the Ohio States and Alabamas of the world.
Clemson Tigers coach Dabo Swinney. Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images.On top of that, Swinney has historically refused to fully utilize the transfer portal, which is a major reason why the Tigers are in this situation to begin with.
Now, rumor has it that Swinney is planning to alter his strategy a bit this offseason and could be more aggressive in the portal than he has been in years past, but what will that look like? Will Clemson actually be a big player in the portal? Or will the Tigers just add a few auxiliary pieces and call it a day?
With Klubnik departing, there has been speculation that Clemson could potentially pursue a quarterback in the transfer portal, and D.J. Lagway has been pitched as a possibility.
Of course, until something actually happens, this is nothing more than hearsay.
What we do know is that the Tigers just had their worst season in a decade-and-a-half and have put together three straight campaigns of four or more losses after not registering a single four-loss season between 2012 and 2022.
Clemson has fallen on hard times, and it's going to be challenging for the school to re-establish itself as a genuine contender in the near future.