As the Tigers face an uncertain future with a new quarterback, Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney’s dismissive excuses and reliance on past glory raise doubts about his ability to adapt.
Clemson Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney appears to be getting tired of answering questions about the 2025 season.
The Tigers entered the year as the preseason No. 4 team before suffering a Week 1 loss at home to LSU (who would fire head coach Brian Kelly midseason).
Clemson showed some fight at the end of the season, but finished with a 7-6 record. Nine Tigers players were taken in the first five rounds of April's draft.
While Swinney has made excuses about NIL budgets affecting Clemson's success, he can't hide behind a roster that sent two players into the first round of the draft. It was an inexcusable result for the sixth-highest-paid coach in the country.
Brett Murphy of On3 published a rant Swinney provided on what went wrong in 2025. He noted the team had notable problems in the running game and passing defense, but thinks the underachievement narrative is beating a dead horse.
“We had a lot of talent in 2010,” Swinney said. “I think we had six or seven guys drafted and we only won six games. It’s pretty well documented. We grossly underachieved last year. That’s not a news flash. We can just keep beating that dead horse to death. I mean, we’re onto a new season. We grossly underachieved and underperformed and did not coach or play to our potential. But it’s over. It is what it is.
“We’ve had other seasons where we didn’t have nobody drafted and we won 10-plus games. That’s football. We didn’t play well. Poor in pass defense and couldn’t run the ball effectively. We somehow won seven. We lost two on the last play."
The "new season" will come with a set of big challenges for Swinney and new offense coordinator Chad Morris. The Tigers still have questions about the running game.
Oh, and the Tigers will have a new quarterback.
Clemson is expected to give the starting job to Christopher Vizzina, who was the backup to Cade Klubnik last season.
While Swinney is eager to change the narrative at Clemson, it feels like the walls are closing in on the program, especially with the ascension of Miami.
Until the Tigers win games this fall, it's easy to question the direction of a program when the head coach is constantly talking about the glory days from nearly a decade ago and blaming changes in college football for Clemson's current problems.