Analysts predict that Dabo Swinney's tenure as head coach of the Clemson Tigers may end after the 2026 season. Swinney has led the team to two national championships and is the winningest coach in Clemson history.
Key points
Dabo Swinney's tenure may end after the 2026 season
He is the winningest coach in Clemson history
Swinney led Clemson to two national championships
Clemson faced challenges from the transfer portal and NIL era
Swinney is among four current Power Four coaches with national titles
Mentioned in this story
Dabo SwinneyGeorgiaOhio StateIndiana
Clemson Tigers
When the Clemson Tigers' 2026 college football season kicks off on Sept. 5, it will mark the 19th different season with coach Dabo Swinney at the helm.
Swinney took over as interim coach midway through the 2008 season. After having the interim tag removed, he eventually led the Tigers to the top of the mountain with two national championships in three seasons between 2016-18. Clemson had a stretch of four national title game appearances in five years.
The transfer portal and NIL era haven't been kind to the Tigers, but Swinney has remained the face of the program. He is the winningest coach in Clemson history.
He's also facing the biggest challenges of any of the four current Power Four college football head coaches that have won a national title, a group that includes Kirby Smart at Georgia, Ryan Day at Ohio State, and most recently Curt Cignetti at Indiana.
The Tigers are coming off a dreadful 2025 season that began with them ranked No. 4 in the preseason AP Top 25 poll. By Sept. 20, Clemson had three losses and was effectively eliminated from the ACC's title race and a return trip to the College Football Playoff, even in what turned out to be the wildest of years for the ACC.
Could the 2026 season be Swinney's last at Clemson?
Dabo done? CBS Sports says 2026 will mark 'end of Swinney era'
On Thursday, CBS Sports analyst Cody Nagel unveiled his bold predictions for every ACC football team in 2026. For Clemson, Nagel offered quite the bold prediction, indeed. He says that Swinney's run at Clemson will end this season.
Q&A
When did Dabo Swinney become head coach of Clemson?
Dabo Swinney took over as interim coach during the 2008 season, later becoming the permanent head coach.
What achievements has Dabo Swinney accomplished at Clemson?
Swinney has led Clemson to two national championships and four national title game appearances in five years.
What challenges is Dabo Swinney currently facing at Clemson?
Swinney is facing significant challenges due to the transfer portal and NIL era affecting the program.
Who are the other Power Four college football coaches with national titles?
The other coaches include Kirby Smart at Georgia, Ryan Day at Ohio State, and Curt Cignetti at Indiana.
Related Articles
Sports
Red Sox Triston Casas setback should all but guarantee his future in Boston doesnât exist
Triston Casas's injury raises doubts about his future with the Red Sox.
Yahoo Sports··1 min read
MLB·Preview
Mariners Game #20 Preview and Discussion: SEA at SDP
Mariners face Padres tonight in Game #20 after tough loss.
Yahoo Sports··1 min read
NHL·Feature
Sabres' playoff ticket prices cost by far the most in the NHL
Buffalo Sabres' playoff tickets are the priciest in the NHL, marking their first playoff game since 2011.
Dovlet Yagshimuradov spoils Tyson Pedro's PFL debut with a unanimous decision win!
Yahoo Sports··1 min read
NFL
Browns giving Shedeur Sanders grace after first season didnât go as planned
Shedeur Sanders' first season with the Cleveland Browns was challenging, with limited opportunities affecting his performance. The team is showing understanding of his situation as a rookie quarterback.
Yahoo Sports··1 min read
NFL
Chargers make interesting comment on WR room ahead of NFL Draft
Chargers Discuss WR Room Dynamics Ahead of NFL Draft
See every story in Sports â including breaking news and analysis.
"It might be another uneasy year in Clemson. Last season's 7-6 finish -- the program's worst in 15 years -- already raised questions, and 2026 doesn't exactly feel like a clean reset. The Tigers come into the year with a win total of 7.5 on FanDuel and sit in the ACC's second tier of contenders, not quite in the mix with the league's top group. That alone would've been hard to imagine not long ago. There's still enough talent to keep them competitive, but the consistency just hasn't been the same. This season could feel less like a bounce-back and more like the final chapter of the Dabo Swinney era at Clemson." --Cody Nagel, CBS Sports.
Is time up for Dabo Swinney at Clemson?
Color me skeptical.
If the school fires Swinney, it would owe him $57 million in 2026. Firing Swinney outright seems unlikely, and not just for the actual money Clemson would owe, plus whatever the school would have to pony up for a new coach. And honestly, why not just invest any potential buyout money toward NIL with a proven coach?
Swinney signed a 10-year, $115 million extension in 2022. He earned $11,447,025 in total pay last season, according to USA TODAY Sports' college football Coaches and Salaries Database.
Swinney could retire or walk away, something he referenced last September when the Tigers were in the midst of a 1-3 start. I viewed Swinney's remarks at the time as more of an attempted rallying cry for his struggling football team than any real indication he was serious enough to "go somewhere else and coach."
His words didn't make an impact because Clemson suffered its most inexplicable home loss in years with a 34-21 drubbing at the hands of a Syracuse team that wouldn't win another game and finished 3-9.
There's something to be said for sentimental value here. Swinney is Clemson football. Those national championships and six straight CFP berths may seem ancient to some, but we're not talking about Gene Chizik at Auburn or Ed Orgeron at LSU here.
College football is always a "what-have-you-done-for-me-lately" business, especially in a day and age of exorbitant buyouts, overnight success stories, and increasingly impatient fan bases, donors and media. Sentiment can only carry a coach so far, of course, and there are numerous examples of that throughout college football history.
There are also countless examples of the grass not always being greener when a new coach is tasked with maintaining the proverbial lawn. Just ask Auburn fans about the post-Gus Malzahn era at The Loveliest Village on the Plains.
Swinney has defied the odds before, most recently in 2024 when he led Clemson to a surprise 9-3 regular season that culminated in a berth in the ACC title game and a trip to the College Football Playoff.
Regardless of last season's flop, which Swinney has repeatedly shouldered the blame for including as recently as this week, Clemson would have to reach a point of no return with its coach or a place of rock bottom.
Only the school and its biggest donors -- or perhaps Swinney himself -- can decide what that would look like.