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Dabo Swinney and the Clemson Tigers were expected to be national championship contenders at the beginning of the 2025 season. Unfortunately, the reality of the season has been nothing close to the expectations. Right off the bat in the first game of the year, Clemson came up short against LSU. After that, things continued to snowball. After beating Florida State last week, the Tigers now hold a 4-5 record. They are fighting to even be bowl eligible this season. Needless to say, coming up so short of expectations has caused a lot of unrest at Clemson. Read more: College Football Program Fires Head Coach After 52-Point Loss Some rumors have started popping up about Swinney and the Tigers parting ways. While it seems unlikely that the program would fire Swinney, could he consider stepping away and starting fresh somewhere else? Head Coach Dabo Swinney of the Clemson Tigers at the post game press conference addressing the media after the game against the Florida State Seminoles at Doak Campbell Stadium on Bobby Bowden Field on October 27, 2018 in Tallahassee, Florida. If that was an option for the elite head coach, an intriguing SEC team has been brought up as a possible destination. Steven Godfrey, a college football insider, has suggested that Swinney and the Arkansas Razorbacks could be an interesting match. Of course, the Razorbacks decided to move on from head coach Sam Pittman earlier this season. Dabo to Arkansas? 👀 🐗 @38Godfrey plays rapid fire with potential landing spots for big-name coaches.(via Yahoo Sports Daily) pic.twitter.com/lM1ZlhvkXT— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) November 3, 2025 Since taking over as the head coach at Clemson back in the 2008 campaign, Swinney has compiled an impressive 184-52 overall record. He has also been able to lead the program to two national championship wins in 2016 and 2018. Swinney coaching anywhere other than with the Tigers would seem strange. He has become the face of the program and has been one of the faces of college football head coaching over the years. However, the struggles that Clemson has had this season could force some consideration about the future. Could Swinney decide that he can’t lead the Tigers back to national championship contention? That seems unlikely, but it certainly isn’t impossible. If he were to get to that point, joining an SEC program like Arkansas could make sense. Read more: Former Alabama Star Eddie Jackson Gives Massive Praise to Ty Simpson Obviously, this is pure speculation at this point in time. No one knows what the future has in store, but Swinney seems likely to be back at Clemson when the 2026 college football season arrives. Expect to continue hearing rumors about Swinney moving forward this season. Should the Tigers end up missing a bowl game, the noise will grow much louder. For more on the Clemson Tigers and for more college football news, head to Newsweek Sports.
