The Clemson Tigers suffered their third loss of the season in Week 4, falling 34-21 to Syracuse. To make matters worse, it marked their second consecutive defeat, both coming in ACC play.
For a program expected to compete for a national championship this year, the start has been a massive disappointment. And at the center of it all once again is Dabo Swinney, who finds himself defending his position as Clemson’s head coach.
Before the loss to Syracuse, Barstool’s Dave Portnoy, now a personality on Fox’s “Big Noon Kickoff,” shared his take on whether Swinney should keep his job.
“You can’t get rid of him. What is Clemson without Dabo Swinney? What were they before him? Nothing,” Portnoy said. “… Sometimes fans don’t realize how good they have it. Clemson is in the national conversation. Now, I don’t think they’re that good this year, but every year people are talking about them. That’s because of the program he built. …
“If you lose him, you’re done. We won’t be talking about you on ‘Big Noon Kickoff.’ We won’t be talking about you anywhere.”
Portnoy might have a point. Then again, maybe after 18 seasons, change could be necessary at Clemson. Dropping to 1-3 and 0-2 in the ACC was hardly what Tigers fans envisioned to start the 2025 campaign given the lofty expectations.
Dabo Swinney Recently Defended His Clemson Accomplishments
Ahead of the Week 4 matchup against Syracuse, Swinney faced questions from reporters after Clemson’s 24-21 upset loss to Georgia Tech. He didn’t hold back, defending his résumé — particularly over the last decade.
“Perspective is important,” Swinney said, according to CBS Sports’ Zachary Pereles. “If they want me gone, they’re tired of winning, they can send me on the way, because that’s all we’ve done is win. So if they’re tired of winning … we’ve won this league eight out of the last 10 years. Is that not good? I’m just asking, ‘Is that good?’ I don’t know if that’s good or not, to win your league eight out of 10 years, to go to the playoff seven out of 10 years, to be in four national championships, win it twice.”
Swinney also insisted the Tigers would bounce back from the loss against the Yellow Jackets.
“This is a program built to last, always has been, always will be,” Swinney said. “And if you don’t believe in us because we’ve lost two games … you didn’t believe in us anyway. So it don’t matter.”
So, what about three games?
Dabo Swinney is The Most Decorated Coach In Clemson History
While the Syracuse loss was another setback, Swinney remains the most decorated coach in Clemson history. His 181-49 record makes him both the program’s and ACC’s winningest coach. He has led the Tigers to nine conference championships and two national titles.
That said, Clemson hasn’t consistently played to that level in recent years. The Tigers have lost three or more games in five straight seasons. Before that, they lost two or fewer in eight of nine years.
“Hey, listen, if Clemson’s tired of winning, they can send me on my way, but I’m going somewhere else … I ain’t going to the beach,” Swinney said.
Is time running out for Swinney?