Andrea Adelson
David Hale
David Hale
ESPN Staff Writer
College football reporter.Joined ESPN in 2012.Graduate of the University of Delaware.
Multiple Authors
Clemson coach Dabo Swinney took the blame for a disappointing 7-6 season a year ago, saying “it’s nobody’s fault but mine,” that the Tigers had their worst record in 15 years.
The Tigers went into 2025 ranked No. 4 in the preseason AP poll and were the media choice to repeat as ACC champions. But Clemson opened 1-3 with a veteran team that featured future NFL draft picks across its roster and quickly found itself out of CFP and conference championship contention.
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“We didn’t win the close games,” Swinney said during a wide-ranging interview that aired on ACC Network. “We didn’t finish in the fourth quarter like we needed to, and to me that’s nobody’s fault but mine. That’s where coaching has to make the difference, and I didn’t make the difference. I’ve got to be better. … whether it’s a decision, personnel, player, staff that’s all my responsibility.”
Swinney also discussed the continuing narrative that Clemson is no longer a program equipped to compete for national championships, defended the culture within the locker room and said he remains optimistic about embracing the challenges the transfer portal, revenue sharing and NIL have brought to the sport.
After last season ended, Swinney made staff changes — most notably firing offensive coordinator Garrett Riley and hiring Chad Morris, who previously worked at Clemson from 2011-14 and helped set the foundation for the best run in Clemson history.
From 2015-2020, the Tigers made the Playoffs every single season, winning two national championships and six ACC titles over that span. Since then, Clemson has two ACC titles and one CFP appearance (2024). In two of the last three years, Clemson has failed to win 10 games, after winning 10 or more between 2011-22.
Those more recent results have led pundits to question whether Clemson remains relevant and in position to win championships. Swinney counters with this: This decade, Clemson has 57 wins, which still ranks No. 7 among all college football teams. In his 18 seasons as head coach, Clemson has won nine ACC titles. Before his arrival, Clemson last won the ACC in 1991.
“There’s a lot of people that they talk a lot, and they get talked about a lot, but they ain’t won nothing,” Swinney said. “The fact is, I thought we really failed as coaches last year. Those players were awesome, a talented team, and just a bad job by me. We all need to feel the sting of defeat. We all need to feel the pain that comes from not getting it done because it makes you better.”
Swinney also has been criticized for his stance on the transfer portal, though he used it more than he ever has this past offseason, signing 10 players — the majority to fill holes on the defensive side of the ball. One of those players, Luke Ferrelli, decided to leave Clemson after enrolling in school and transfer to Ole Miss, which led Swinney to publicly accuse the Rebels of tampering.
“Coaches are afraid to say what they really think because they’re worried about criticism. I’m way past that,” Swinney said. “It’s exactly kind of what I thought. Chaotic. It’s hard to manage your roster. There’s no real rules. But I’m also optimistic. I think it’s a great time to lead. I don’t run from challenges. I think it’s a challenge for everybody, but I’d rather be slow and right than fast and wrong. I’m very measured in how I go about my business, and I’m not reactive. I believe what I believe. I won’t apologize for that.”
He also noted revenue sharing with players has helped “even the playing field” for Clemson.
“NIL was really hard for us. That was a challenge,” Swinney said. “Rev share makes it a little bit more equitable there, but then you’ve still got NIL. It’s almost like rev share has become the floor and then you go from there, but that’s OK. We’ve won a lot of games around here if you took the rosters and went out there and said OK how many 5 stars, 4 stars and compare them, we wouldn’t win very often. But we have. So we’re in a good spot. We’ve just got to do a great job from a program standpoint — evaluation, development and retention like we always have.”
As for the team culture, which several former players criticized last season, Swinney said, “We’re in a great place. Football stuff can be fixed. That’s what our focus is right now. Sometimes you’ve got to go back to go forward. But culture wise, I don’t think we’ve ever been better. We’re built to last.”
