Dabo Swinney gets candid about past expectations, transfer portal hesitancy
Dabo Swinney is a coaching legend.
His credentials alone should earn him induction into the College Football Hall of Fame as soon as he is eligible: two national championships, nine ACC titles and three Coach of the Year awards to his name.
But if you ask Clemson fans what they think of their current head coach, they probably won’t even mention his past accolades.
College football is a “what have you done for me lately” kind of sport, and Swinney hasn’t done anything particularly noteworthy lately.
CLEMSON’S DABO SWINNEY STILL HOT UNDER A COLLAR FOR HIS OFFICE, SAYS REFS SHOULD BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE
Clemson Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney looks forward to leading his team ahead of their game against Georgia Tech on September 13, 2025 at Bobby Dodd Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia. (Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
No one understands this better than Swinney.
“We didn’t live up to expectations,” Swinney told Greg McElroy on his podcast earlier this week, “So we have to deal with the negativity this year.”
Swinney hopes the Tigers can use 2025 as fuel to rebound, but it won’t be easy.
Clemson begins play right away with a game against LSU in Baton Rouge.
A month from now, the Tigers will welcome the Miami Hurricanes to town and they are now the big dogs of the ACC, a title Clemson uses every year.
Clemson Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney discusses transfer portal activity involving linebacker Luke Ferrelli while sitting next to athletic director Graham Neff during a press conference at the Smart Family Media Center on January 23, 2026 in Clemson, S.C. (Ken Ruinard/USA Today Co/USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
For Swinney, the road map to recovering from the year is clear.
He points to the 2010 season, in which the Tigers lost a series of close games and star QB Kyle Parker was injured, before rebounding in 2011 to win their first ACC Championship.
So why did the Tigers fall so far? Many critics will point to Swinney’s reticence towards the NIL and his use of the transfer portal; That’s something he acknowledged when he was with McElroy.
He calls the portal “the source, not the source” and argues that many portal entries are “pushed in there”.
In NIL, Swinney clarified his position between money and culture.
“To me, it’s always culture,” Swinney explains, “culture trumps all.”
When it comes to a quick fix, Swinney won’t take the easy way out.
“It’s always ‘What’s best in the long run?’ I thought. “I think that’s a mistake people make in life, it’s a mistake people make in business, it’s a mistake I see a lot of football people make.”
Clemson Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney leads his team onto the field before their game against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field on September 13, 2025. (Brett Davis/Imagn Images)
And it won’t sacrifice its culture for a quick solution.
“I’m not going to pay a high school kid more than Sammy Brown,” Swinney exclaimed, “it doesn’t make any sense!”
ZERO BS. JUST DAKICH. GET THE DON’T @ ME PODCAST ON THE ROAD. DOWNLOAD NOW!
He’s aware of the risks and what could be at stake if Clemson gets off to another poor start to the season, and while it’s noble for Swinney not to concede too much of his stance, his rigidity could cost him his job after 2026.
He seems to be at peace with that fact, but that probably won’t calm the frayed nerves of Tigers fans around the world.
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No matter what happens in 2026, Swinney isn’t changing his ways for anyone.
Whether he makes it to 2027 remains to be seen, but in this age of “adapt or die” Swinney is clearly marching to the beat of his own drum.
