Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney hears the noise but responds like a coach who has been in the same place for 22 years. The Tigers are off to their worst start to a season under Swinney during his time as the head coach. Swinney recently spoke about Clemson’s loyalty and commitment, despite “random people” who want him gone.
If Clemson is in fact as committed to Swinney as he suggested in the Wednesday press conference, it would be dramatically different than the current trend. Presently, there are eight Power 4 head coaching vacancies. The most talked about being Penn State, Florida and LSU. If Clemson were to part ways with Swinney, Clemson would find itself in that top tier of desirably college football coaching job openings.
According to the Greenville News, Coach Swinney addressed local media and commented on the state of college football and the recent trend of firing noteworthy head coaches. Following the firing of Brian Kelly at LSU, Swinney steps into the No. 2 spot on the winningest active coach in college football list, second only to Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz. Swinney referred to the notion that college coaches have to win quick, make a playoff or risk being fired, a “season of chaos”. The inevitable turnover beyond just the head coach, makes it more difficult to find success in the years after, not easier.
Swinney referenced Clemson’s previous offensive coordinator Tony Elliott as a great example. Elliott had three losing seasons in a row to start his head coaching career. Yet, Virginia did not waver and continued their commitment to Elliott. In 2025 his Virginia Cavaliers are the No. 15 team in the nation with a 7-1 record.
"I do think it's unrealistic if you fire your coach every year because they don't make the playoff," Swinney said. "There are 136 teams for 12 (CFP) spots. It's hard."
The Clemson head coach is not shying away from his team’s current situation. Swinney is confident in his position at Clemson today as much as he would be in 2026 if Clemson was to repeat their worst season in over a decade. He cited his faith as well as recanting Clemson’s success under his watch. Including two national championships and eight of the last 10 ACC conference titles.
"I'm very fortunate here because I've been the head coach 17 years," Swinney said. "Not two years. Not four years."
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