As critics slam Dabo Swinney’s stance on NIL and the transfer portal, analyst David Pollack bets on the coach’s championship pedigree to spark a major Clemson rebound.
Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney has faced monumental criticism for his comments, that were basically excuses for the 7-6 season the Tigers had in 2025.
Swinney argued that programs like Notre Dame are better able to budget for elite players in the transfer market and for NIL funding.
"We just have to be good with what we have," Swinney told Action Sports Jax. "We have won here for so long because we have been unique in how we have done things. We just have to continue to be that."
Dan Patrick didn't care for Swinney's argument, noting the Tigers had nine players taken in the first five rounds of the 2026 NFL Draft.
David Pollack is taking a different tune. During a recent episode of the "See Ball Get Ball" show, the college football analyst thinks Swinney will turn things around for the upcoming season.
“Listen, I respect Dabo doing it his way,” Pollack said, via USA Today. “I don’t think next year they’re going to bounce back and win 11 games, but I don’t expect them to be near what they were a year ago. I do think they still have a ton of talent on their roster...
“When you win as much as he has, and when you are the type of leader and the type of man he is, and what you’ve done at Clemson — like, you got two national titles, bro, I’m betting on Dabo. Let’s put it that way.”
Pollack thinks Clemson will get the best out of whoever wins the quarterback battle. (Most likely Christopher Vizzina.) He also suggested the Tigers might not part ways with Swinney if the team has a record like 8-4.
Clemson should expect Swinney to win more than eight games in the upcoming season. The Tigers are paying him $11.5 million per year, the sixth-most in the country, to compete for the College Football Playoff.
Swinney admitted he underachieved with the talent he had last season. In 2026, the Tigers need to show they're capable of being at the top of the ACC.
Otherwise, they're just holding on to the past.