It's Time For Clemson To Move On From Dabo Swinney

The Tigers need to make a change.

by Andrew Holleran

Sep 6, 2026

Sep 13, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Clemson Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney on the sideline against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in the first quarter at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images

It’s time, Clemson.

The Tigers don’t need to fire Dabo Swinney during the middle of the regular season. But, this should be Swinney’s final season leading the Clemson program. While Swinney has won multiple national championships, bringing the Tigers program to national glory, the school needs to make a change.

Clemson was crushed by LSU, 51-10, on Saturday night. The two Tigers teams looked like they were playing different sports. LSU was playing top-level college football. Clemson, meanwhile…not so much.

LSU head coach Lane Kiffin understood all eyes were on him.

“Because I get it, even if we won close and ugly, the whole story would have been, ‘Man, I screwed the team up by doing this,'” he said postgame. “I’ve been criticized heavily the last two weeks and I get that, I understand that. But my job is not to please you and worry about what you’re going to write. My job is what I believe is right, and I believe we were fighting for what was right for those kids.

“I’m not going to get into all the reasons, but that’s what I believe. Maybe people don’t like that, but they don’t understand that.”

But all eyes should be on Dabo Swinney now.

Clemson hasn’t had a true title contender since 2019. The Tigers won’t have one this year. So, it’ll be seven straight years without a top-level college football contending team for Clemson.

The Tigers aren’t going to fire Swinney, but it’s over, per Sporting News.

Swinney will leave Clemson on his own terms, but this latest flop on the national stage comes off the heels of a 7-6 season in which the Tigers were anything but an ACC or College Football Playoff contender.

This was supposed to be a stand-your-ground moment for “Little Ole Clemson,” and the Tigers were outclassed on all sides. If LSU is who we think they are, then maybe this loss won’t look as bad at the end of the regular season. The Tigers are 47-21 since the start of the NIL era, and Swinney is continuously panned for his usage of the transfer portal. Meanwhile, Tony Elliott – his former offensive coordinator at Clemson – has an ACC and CFP contender working at Virginia. The Tigers can’t afford to go 7-6 again.

Clemson is going to need to make a change – and soon.