Despite a record-breaking draft haul proving his roster’s elite talent, Dabo Swinney admits coaching failures fueled last season’s struggles as he fights to rebuild Clemson’s championship culture.
The Clemson Tigers went into the 2025 season with expectations of competing for the College Football Playoff with a preseason No. 4 ranking.
The Tigers had Cade Klubnik under center, and he was thought to be a potential first-round talent for the 2026 NFL Draft.
Clemson started the 2024 season slowly, but turned things around before ultimately winning the ACC championship and earning a spot in the College Football Playoff.
Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney had received criticism during the 2024 season (and even before) for not adapting to changes with recruiting to make the team more competitive.
Those issues appeared to come to a head last season when the Tigers finished with a 7-6 record.
However, Clemson didn't have a talent problem. The Tigers had nine players taken in the draft within the first 175 picks (which ties a program record). Clemson had another seven players signed as undrafted free agents.
Swinney told ESPN that the 2026 draft class proved that the Tigers can develop players. He accepted responsibility for not getting his talented team to win more last season.
"We've developed well for a long time here, so it's just more confirmation," Swinney said. "We didn't get some of the results that we wanted last year, but that's on us as coaches.
"NFL teams, they don't just pick guys because they like them. They pick them because of what they see on tape."
Swinney was high on the draft class. He thought T.J. Parker and Peter Woods were two of his best players.
“[Parker] and Peter Woods are two big-time D-linemen coming out that I think both should be first-rounders,” Swinney said. “T.J. is a rare combination of size and speed. He’s really powerful. He’s heavy-handed. He is a very smart football player.
"He and Peter Woods are three-year players at Clemson, true juniors, but they’re also graduates. So, that just shows you how they’ve been able to manage all that comes with being great players, but also great students, handling their business on and off the field.”
Now Swinney faces the task of trying to reload a talented roster. That could be a challenge for Clemson in the upcoming season, especially amid all of the coaching changes Swinney made this offseason.
Another 7-6 season, regardless of the talent on the field, would be an issue for the coaching staff.