The Clemson Tigers are 1-2, and may already be on the verge of seeing their ambitions for the 2025 season go up in smoke. That has ramped up the pressure on head coach Dabo Swinney, who had already been attracting criticism after a few seasons that had been perceived as underwhelming.
On Tuesday, Swinney came out swinging against his critics.
“What’s so bad about our program? 14 years, how many programs in college football would sign up for nine wins?” Swinney said. “We’ve been (to the College Football Playoff) seven times in ten years. Who can say that? If we stink because we haven’t played for the national championship since January 2020, I guess we stink. But why are we held to a different standard from all of these other teams out there who ain’t ever won nothing We may suck this year. We may lay a freaking egg and go 6-6, but I don’t think so.
“If they want me gone, if they’re tired of winning, they can send me on my way. That’s all we’ve done is win. We’ve won this league eight out of the last ten years. Is that not good? I don’t know if that’s good or not. Yeah, we’re down right now. Take your shots. But I’ve got a long memory, in case y’all don’t know. We’ll bounce back. If Clemson’s tired of winning, they can send me on my way, but I’m going to go somewhere else and coach. I ain’t going to the beach. I’m 55. I got a long way to go. I’m just getting going.”
Dabo Swinney had a lot to say on the criticism about Clemson's 1-2 start to the season:
— The Next Round (@NextRoundLive) September 16, 2025
"If Clemson's tired of winning, they can send me on my way. But I'm gonna go somewhere else and coach. I ain't going to the beach. Hell, I'm 55. I've got a long way to go." pic.twitter.com/yfShqrPhCi
Swinney is correct that Clemson has been one of the most successful programs in college football over the past decade. It is those standards, however, that his program is now being judged by. The Tigers have not finished in the top ten since 2020 after a string of six consecutive campaigns that saw them end the year in the top five.
Despite that success, the criticism of Swinney is not new. He has been accused of being reluctant to embrace the NIL era of college football, particularly when it comes to using the transfer portal. Critics believe that has caused his program to fall behind against schools that are much more aggressive in trying to bring in the top talent that winds up in the portal.
Swinney himself has maintained very high expectations for his Clemson program. He knows a 1-2 start is not good enough and has total faith in his ability to turn things around. He can only rely on his past accomplishments for so long, though.
