Ken Ruinard / USA Today Network
Jul 13, 2026 5:44 PM
Once college football’s gold standard, the Clemson Tigers' leader faces a legacy-defining season as resistance to the transfer portal and a mediocre 7-6 finish trigger a precipitous slide.
Clemson Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney enters the 2026 season as the most decorated coach currently in college football.
Swinney has an overall record of 187-53 with two national championships and nine ACC championships. His teams have qualified for the College Football Playoff seven times, including making an appearance in 2024.
However, Clemson has made just one CFP appearance since losing 49-28 to Ohio State in the semifinal for the 2020 season. In the last three seasons, the Tigers have a 26-14 record, including a rough 7-6 season in 2025 despite sending nine players from that roster into the first five rounds of April's NFL draft.
Clemson’s decline could be due to a few factors. Swinney has been reluctant to embrace NIL and the transfer portal like other programs. Maybe the game is passing him by?
USA Today ranked Swinney as the No. 10 college coach in the nation before the 2026 season, noting that Clemson has "fallen off" in recent seasons.
"One of the most historically successful active head coaches in college football, Swinney has two national titles and nine conference championships at Clemson.
"However, the Tigers have fallen off in the era of the transfer portal and had a disappointing 7-6 finish after starting in the top five of the US LBM Coaches Poll. Whether he can find a solution will determine whether he rises or falls in these rankings."
The 2026 season will tell us a lot about where Swinney’s program is going. He made serious changes with his staff in the offseason, bringing back Chad Morris to run the offense and Rich Bisaccia to run special teams.
Still, the roster has questions at quarterback and the offensive line. The defense should be the best part of the team, but there's a clear difference on paper between Clemson and Miami, the new king of the ACC.
If anyone can get the best of the Tigers' roster, it's Swinney. Still, there's no reason to think Clemson will be a legit threat to make the CFP this year, and there is a good probability he could descend the rankings in 2027.
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