3 Coaches Clemson Can Hire If Dabo Swinney Is Fired

Is it time for the Dabo Swinney era to end at Clemson?

The Tigers were crushed by LSU, 51-20, during Saturday night’s primetime game on ABC. Clemson once again appears to be without a top-level College Football Playoff contender. It’s been more than five years since Swinney put a legitimate national title contender on the field.

CBS Sports believes Swinney’s future is officially “in doubt.”

“We got our (butts) kicked,” Swinney said. “We gotta go win next week. It’s an embarrassing performance, coaching and playing. We’re going to have to own that. We can’t let that lead to another loss.”

The two-time national title-winning head coach might be done soon.

“Swinney looks out-matched and unable to succeed in this current era of college football. The glory days of Clemson football, which included two national championship wins over Alabama, feel like a lifetime ago. Worse, the path back to that level of success feels impossible now under Swinney,” CBS Sports wrote.

“No one other than Swinney thought hiring Chad Morris as offensive coordinator was a smart decision. It was the ultimate double-down move from Dabo, the defiance that prevents him from evolving as other top coaches have to succeed in the NIL and transfer portal era.”

If Clemson were to fire Swinney, who could replace him?

3 top candidates for the Clemson job

Virginia coach Tony Elliott

Elliott, 46, could be the top name on the list. The former Clemson Tigers offensive coordinator has helped build Virginia into a contender. Elliott took the UVA job in 2022. The Cavaliers won just three games in ’22 and ’23, but improved with five wins in 2024. They then broke out in 2025, going 11-3 and winning the Gator Bowl.

Virginia looks like an ACC frontrunner and College Football Playoff contender in 2026. If UVA has another big year, it could be Elliott’s job to lose – if he wants it.

SMU coach Rhett Lashlee

Lashlee is another up-and-coming head coach who could be perfect for Clemson.

SMU reached the College Football Playoff in 2024, going 11-3. The Mustangs have two 11-win seasons under Lashlee. He’s 38-16 as a head coach and has experience coaching in the ACC.

Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer

Swinney has often been linked to the Alabama job, having played for the Crimson Tide. He won’t be getting that job, of course.

But what if DeBoer ultimately falls short at Alabama and is let go by the Crimson Tide? He could be an ideal replacement for Swinney with the Tigers.

“Lane Kiffin leaves LSU after nine games for Alabama, which fires Kalen DeBoer after eight games. DeBoer then goes to Clemson to take over for Dabo Swinney after he gets too distraught over tampering to continue,” Stewart Mandel predicted in a bombshell.

It’s a bold prediction, of course, but it would be wild to see.