Clemson had a terrible offseason? Cover 3 Podcast believes so

Clemson football continues to face plenty of outside criticism heading into the 2026 season, and CBS Sports’ Cover 3 podcast added even more fuel to the conversation this week.

During a segment focused on programs that have had disappointing offseasons, analyst Danny Kanell pointed directly at the Tigers as one of the teams dealing with the most concern entering the fall.

“You know a rough one?” Kanell said. “Normally you would say if you had nine players drafted, you’d feel pretty good about yourselves, but Clemson… was one of the most underachieving teams in the entire country.”

Kanell brought up several issues he believes are hanging over the program right now, including offensive staff changes and uncertainty at quarterback. He also referenced the frustration surrounding Clemson coming off its lowest point under Dabo Swinney in more than a decade.

“The frustration of the worst season they’ve seen in the Dabo Swinney era,” Kanell said. “Breaking in a new quarterback that everyone’s kinda just fingers crossed that you hope is going to be good… I think Clemson’s had a rough offseason.”

The discussion later shifted toward what could happen if Clemson struggles again in 2026, especially after missing the standard the program set during its run as a national contender.

Cover 3 analyst Tom Fornelli didn’t hold back with his opinion on where Clemson currently stands.

“I think they had a terrible offseason,” Fornelli said. “All these Clemson players have been going early in the draft, and the team has not been living up to the talent level on the field in recent years.”

Fornelli also questioned whether Clemson still has the same type of roster that helped build the program into one of college football’s elite teams during the peak of the Swinney era. He added that another disappointing season could create serious pressure around the future direction of the program.

“If they struggle to get to a bowl again, you really want to run it back with Dabo?” Fornelli said. “We genuinely appreciate everything you did for this program, but if you’re not going to adapt… we need to find somebody who is.”

Kanell agreed that while Swinney has earned more job security than almost any coach in the country because of what he’s accomplished at Clemson, there would still be frustration if the Tigers put together another seven-win season.

“He’s one of the coaches that kinda has the lifetime deal, but no one has a lifetime deal,” Kanell said. “If they’re a 7-win team again, there are going to be some upset Clemson fans.”