One of the biggest disappointments to begin the 2025 college football season is Clemson. At 1-3, the Tigers have gone from a Top 10 team in the preseason to a team that is struggling to become bowl-eligible.
The Tigers are coming off a bye last weekend, and they’re headed to Chapel Hill, N.C., this weekend for an ACC game against North Carolina. As Clemson gets ready to play their second conference road game, Swinney is pointing the blame for his team’s start through the first month of the season.
Dabo Swinney Points Blame for Clemson’s Early-Season Struggles
Before the season started, the Tigers were an overwhelming favorite to win the ACC. With that comes the conference’s automatic College Football Playoff berth. It wasn’t surprising they were the favorite as they returned 80% of their overall production and 85% of offensive production. Quarterback Cade Klubnik was primed for a huge year. It hasn’t worked out that way so far.
“From a big picture standpoint, it’s just been a coaching failure, honestly,” said Swinney. “I mean, that’s just the best way that I can say it. We have just failed as coaches, and I’m not taking accountability away from the players, they got accountability in this too.
“You got some guys that have got to play better, they’re not just on scholarship anymore, some of these guys are paid a lot of money to perform, and everybody’s got accountability. But, it’s just an absolute coaching failure, I don’t have any other way to say it.”
It’s not surprising to see Swinney take the blame; it’s what coaches do: defend their players. Clemson’s struggles have been noticeable on offense. They rank last in the ACC in points per game with 19.8. That’s worse than Stanford, Virginia Tech, and North Carolina. The Tar Heels are just two spots. ahead of them. UNC averages 21.0 points a game in its first year under Bill Belichick.
Clemson’s Defense Ranks Top 10 ACC in Points Per Game
If there has been a silver lining this year, it’s the Tigers‘ defense. They ranked seventh in the ACC in points per game, allowing 22.8. When your defense allows more points per game than you score, your record is going to be what Clemson’s is.
“That’s our job. That’s what we get paid to do, is to bring out the best in our players, and we haven’t done that,” Swinney said. “Again, that’s pointing the thumb at me because I make the decision on who runs the rooms, and again, we’ve got good people, and we’ve got good coaches.”
There are eight games left in the season for the Tigers. Coming off a bye, a trip to UNC this weekend to play Belichick awaits. North Carolina allows Swinney, his staff, and players to reset and turn things around.
“The good news is, hey, we got to reset and we can coach our way out of it, just like we can coach our way into it,’’ Swinney said.
If they can, the chatter around his job will quiet down for the rest of the season.
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