CLEMSON — Clemson closed out the regular season with a big win against rival South Carolina. The Tigers controlled the game from the start and then put it away in the fourth quarter.

There is no doubt, it is always good when Clemson beats the Gamecocks. The win closed out a strong finish to the regular season, as the Tigers won their last four games.

It marks the first time in the history of the Clemson program that the Tigers started a season 1-3 and found away to still win seven games.

And though that needs to be commended, it does not mean it is going to change anything when it comes to likely changes inside the football program. As you know, the Tigers underachieved in 2025, especially for a team that was expected to contend for a national championship and was the ACC’s preseason favorite to win the league.

The Clemson Insider has spent the last several weeks talking to our sources to get a sense of what might go down in the days and weeks to come.

We can tell you that head coach Dabo Swinney will meet with his team and coaches this week and will have individual meetings with his players, as well.

Because national signing day is on Wednesday, we do not expect any changes until that has passed, which makes sense.

As we reported last month, we expect there to be several changes on the coaching staff and with the support staff. We feel confident, unless things change dramatically, that offensive coordinator Garrett Riley will not be back at Clemson next season.

We can tell you that, according to one source, there are players that have told people they will not be back if Riley is still calling plays.

However, Swinney does not want it to hurt Riley’s chances of becoming a head coach somewhere else. Riley still has aspirations to be a head coach, and reports suggest he is a serious candidate for the North Texas job. Giving Riley time to find another job is the likely scenario.

Clemson would also benefit financially if they don’t have to fire Riley. He signed a contract extension last year, and the school would like to not have to pay a buyout if it does not have to.

The way this works, if you know you aren’t bringing someone back, it helps all parties to let them know it might be a good idea for them to look for a new opportunity, which is what has happened here.

The same can be said for some other coaches and support staffers. We can tell you that, as of last month, coaches on Clemson’s staff were reaching out to other schools to feel things out and to let them know they might be looking for work sometime in the future.

As we wrote, changes are expected on both sides. Defensive coordinator Tom Allen already made one change, which he announced last week, as he had his son Thomas Allen, Jr., take over in the secondary, especially when it came to communication.

So you understand, Swinney has good relationships with all of his coaches and he does not want to just throw them out with the bath water. When possible, it is easier for them to find something else first. They all have families, so he will try to make the changes necessary and do it as easy as possible for all parties involved, including Clemson.