Clemson Tigers Coach Dabo Swinney Predicted to Lose His Job

The Clemson Tigers endured a miserable campaign in 2025, going just 7-6 in spite of entering the season with national championship aspirations.

It represented Clemson's worst finish since going 6-7 back in 2010, which was Dabo Swinney's second full season at the helm.

But while the Tigers fell off a cliff in 2025, there is no question that a decline had been occurring for several years.

Since making four National Championship Game appearances and winning two titles between 2015 and 2019, Clemson has faded more and more and is no longer the dominant program it once was.

Swinney's refusal to utilize the transfer portal (up until this winter, at least) and his archaic recruiting methods have certainly played a big role in the Tigers' demise, and some are even wondering about his job security.

Ralph Russo of The Athletic even thinks that Swinney may be coaching his final days at Clemson, as he is predicting the two sides to part ways after 2026.

"Next season will be Dabo Swinney’s last as Clemson coach," Russo wrote. "He and the school agree to part ways after another mediocre season."

It would be pretty surprising if Swinney lost his job that quickly.

Say what you want about the Tigers' recent dropoff, but they still managed to post 12 straight double-digit win campaigns between 2011 and 2022, and they went 10-4 and made the College Football Playoff as recently as 2024.

You would think Swinney has built up more good will than that throughout his illustrious tenure at Clemson, even if he has lost some of his luster in recent seasons.

Of course, it stands to reason that Swinney himself may want to go in a different direction after next year, but even that seems unlikely.

Now, if the Tigers go something like 4-8 in 2026, perhaps a coaching change will be open for discussion, but even then, it seems a bit too soon to cut the cord with Swinney, who turned Clemson into a powerhouse.

That being said, how the Tigers perform next fall will go a long way in determining just how much oomph Swinney still has left. If they continue to struggle, then serious questions will arise regarding the 56-year-old.

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