Clemson Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney has been hit with some clear disrespect before the 2026 season.
In recent years, Clemson Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney has consistently been one of the top-ranked coaches in college football.
Since taking over the Clemson job back in 2008 season, Swinney has built the program up to being one of the best in the nation. He has also led the Tigers to two National Championship wins.
Unfortunately, in recent years, Clemson has not had the kind of success that had become normal. Last season was a prime example of that fall from elite status.
Heading into the 2025 season, Swinney and the Tigers were widely viewed as a top-tier championship contender. When all was said and done, Clemson suffered a disaster. The team mustered up a 7-6 record and missed the College Football Playoff entirely.
Due to the recent struggles, including last season, Swinney has started losing respect from the national media.
CBS Sports analyst Tom Fornelli has released his top 25 head coach rankings ahead of the 2026 season. Swinney dropped out of the top 10 and ended up being placed No. 11 on the list.
"It seems the respect for Dabo's past accomplishments has begun to wane among our panel. Swinney has won two national titles, so I don't know how one of our voters can truly justify ranking him 28th (nobody else had him lower than 15th), but none of us can ignore recent results, either," Fornelli wrote.
"Swinney has been slow or unwilling to adapt to the sport as it has evolved, and it's having an adverse effect on Clemson's performance on the field."
Many coaches have struggled with the changes college football has been seeing. He has not been very receptive to the transfer portal or NIL. That has left him on the outside looking in.
Not long ago, Andy Staples of On3 Sports suggested that Swinney could be on the hot seat entering the 2026 season.
Only time will tell what the future has in store for Swinney and the Tigers. He has compiled an overall record of 187-53 since taking over the Clemson job. Seeing the two sides part ways would just feel wrong.
However, the reality of the situation is that Swinney and the Tigers have not produced at a high level recently. Things can change quickly when a falloff occurs.
