Clemson HC Dabo Swinney Might Just Have to Resign

I think we can all see where things are headed between Dabo Swinney and the Clemson Tigers.

Clemson went just 7-6 last season and suffered an embarrassing loss to Penn State in the Pinstripe Bowl. Thus far in 2026, they are 4-3 and just lost to Virginia Tech at home.

Dating back to the Tigers' defeat at the hands of Texas in the CFP two years ago, Clemson has gone just 11-10 over its last 21 games.

The Tigers have essentially been a .500 team for two years, which is absolutely unheard of under Swinney. But there is no light at the end of the tunnel.

Unless Swinney adjusts his strategy (and it doesn't look like he will), Clemson is never going to be able to climb out of this hole.

NIL has completely changed the NCAA landscape, and it has made things exceedingly difficult for Swinney and the Tigers.

At this point, Swinney may want to just try to save face and resign.

If Clemson fires the 56-year-old, it would force a $57 million buyout, and the Tigers would be able to spread that money over multiple years.

But if Swinney comes to the Tigers and asks to step down, the two sides would be able to negotiate and have a much more amicable split.

It's looking more and more like we might be headed down that path.

There really is nothing left for Swinney to accomplish at the collegiate level. He's already won two national titles. He has taken Clemson to four National Championship Games.

Why wait around too long and risk damaging your already declining reputation even further?

As a person, no one should ever say a bad word about Swinney. He's honorable, he's ethical and he's forthright. But as a coach? There is no doubt that Swinney has lost a lot of his luster, and anyone who says otherwise is in denial.

There was a time when Swinney was right there with Nick Saban as the best coach in college football. Now, he might not even be a top-five coach the ACC.

Swinney has refused to adapt to the modern nature of the sport, which is all part of it. He isn't properly utilizing the transfer portal. He isn't budging on his obsolete recruiting methods.

All of that has played a role in the rapid fall of Clemson's football program, and it has also served as the impetus for Swinney's demise.

We all love Dabo, but with the way things look right now, the time may finally becoming for Swinney to call it quits.