There were extremely high expectations for Dabo Swinney and his Clemson Tigers heading into this season as they were ranked No. 4 in the country in the AP preseason poll. They opened the season with a top-10 showdown at home against LSU, but faltered in the second half and fell 17-10 to the Tigers.
In Week 2, the struggles continued as Clemson fell behind 16-3 to Troy before escaping with a narrow win thanks to a second-half comeback.Â
On Saturday, things went from bad to worse as Clemson fell 24-21 to Georgia Tech on a 55-yard field goal as time expired, dropping the Tigers to 1-2, their worst start in more than ten years and a stunning fall for a program once defined by dominance.
As College Sports Wire noted, the loss highlights Swinneyâs struggles to adapt and keep Clemson among the nationâs elite, with pressure on the head coach intensifying after yet another loss.Â
Clemson No Longer the Powerhouse It Once Was
After nearly a decade of dominance, with two national championships and seven College Football Playoff appearances, including six straight from 2015 to 2020, Clemson has now fallen from their past glory. A big part of this is Dabo Swinneyâs inability to adapt to the changing landscape of college football, including his resistance to embracing NIL and the transfer portal.
As College Sports Wire noted, âDabo Swinney has made it a point to not embrace the transfer portal the way other programs have done. Clemson is supposed to be the program which maxes out home-grown players such as Klubnik. That approach simply isn’t cutting it.â
After todayâs loss against Georgia Tech, fans have emphasized their frustrations towards the current state of the Clemson football program. According to Athlon Sports, many fans are calling for the job of Dabo Swinney.âFire Dabo, this team is in the gutter,â one Clemson fan begged. âFire Dabo,â one fan quipped. âForever thankful but heâs past his time!â another stated. The frustration continues to mount for a fan base that once celebrated championships but now sees a program drifting further from the national stage.
Whatâs Next for Dabo Swinney and the Tigers
Despite this being the worst start imaginable for Dabo and the Tigers, their season is not completely over. The Tigers have put themselves into a position where they now must run the table to save their season, make the ACC title game and earn a spot in the College Football Playoff. One more ACC loss would likely push Clemson behind Florida State, Miami and Georgia Tech, making it almost impossible to win the conference and grab the automatic playoff spot.
Looking ahead at the rest of Clemsonâs schedule, the Tigers face just two ranked opponents the rest of the way, facing Florida State in conference play and rival South Carolina to close the regular season.Â
If the Tigers are unable to run the table and fail to make the CFP, questions will certainly be raised about the future of Dabo in Death Valley. Dabo Swinney’s current contract is a 10-year, $115 million deal signed in 2022, which runs through the 2031 season with a current buyout clause of $60 million.
The question now is whether Dabo Swinney and the Tigers can turn things around midseason, or if Clemsonâs longtime coach has passed his prime.
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