Dabo Swinney's Clemson Future Receives Conclusive Update

Dabo Swinney's future with the Clemson Tigers has been a very hot topic for months now, and it reached a boiling point following Clemson's blowout loss to LSU in Week 1.

Things simmered down a bit after the Tigers won three straight games, but then after another lopsided loss to a ranked opponent in Miami last Saturday, the subject has resurfaced.

Is it possible Clemson could part ways with Swinney after the season? ESPN's Pete Thamel doesn't think so.

In a recent piece, Thamel said that the Tigers are not firing Swinney because "the success is too great" and "the roots are too big."

Thamel also added that Swinney's $57 million buyout is a significant deterrent. Plus, Clemson will probably be favored in the rest of its games this season.

The Tigers are currently 3-2 and do not have a single ranked opponent non their schedule the rest of the way. There are a couple of tough matchups, such as Virginia Tech in Week 8 and on the road against Duke on Dec. 20, but Clemson should have a strong finish.

Of course, based on how inconsistent the Tigers have been over the last couple of years, it is within reason to expect Clemson to lose a game or two that it should win down the stretch, but the Tigers also have a very good chance of winning nine games.

Swinney appeared to be on an all-time great trajectory less than a decade ago.

Between 2015 and 2019, Swinney led Clemson to four National Championship Game appearances, winning two titles.

Also, the Tigers posted 11 straight double-digit win campaigns between 2011 and 2022, including an undefeated 15-0 season in 2018.

In fact, between 2018 and 2019, Clemson went 29-1, with its only loss coming to LSU in the National Championship Game during the latter campaign.

Things have obviously changed since then.

The Tigers have not won a playoff game since January 2021, and they went just 7-6 last season, losing to Penn State in the Pinstripe Bowl.

Clemson has lost a bit of its luster on the recruiting trail, and Swinney's archaic roster-building methods have resulted in the Tigers falling behind the 8-ball.

But as Thamel noted, Swinney has accomplished far too much at Clemson to fire this quickly, and again, that expensive buyout is in the way.

The Tigers have a bye here in Week 6. They will face Charleston Southern next Saturday.