CLEMSON — Last year was not a good one for Clemson football.
Despite having two first-round picks, two more in the second round and five more before the end of the fifth round, the Tigers were 7-6 in 2025.
How did that happen?
I have my theories, but I will not get into that at the moment.
The fact is it did happen, and now Dabo Swinney has to fix it. In the off-season, he went out and got Chad Morris to be his new, but old, offensive coordinator. Defensive passing game coordinator Mickey Conn was let go, while former defensive standouts Corico Wright and Nolan Turner were brought in or moved up as full-time assistant coaches to help with the defense.
Swinney, and defensive coordinator Tom Allen, hit the transfer portal, too. The Tigers brought in 12 transfers overall, 10 on the defensive side of the ball.
In all, Clemson returns just eight starters (5 offense, 3 defense) from last season. So, for the first time in a long time, Clemson is rebuilding its program.
What does that mean?
Is the pressure building at Clemson?
Is Dabo Swinney on the hotseat?
Yes, the pressure is building. Though Clemson is not expected to do very much on the national scene this season, the expectations are always high at Clemson when it pertains to football, especially under Swinney.
It is always College Football Playoff or bust for the Tigers.
Swinney, himself, has bragged on his on accolades recently, telling On3’s Chris Low no active coach in college football has accomplished more than he has, which is true.
However, it also puts him and the Clemson program right in the crosshairs of ridicule from the national media should the Tigers fall flat on their face for a second straight year.
Though I do not think a two-time national championship coach will be on the hotseat should Clemson repeat last year’s failure, I do think his seat gets a little warmer.
If the Tigers continue to trend downward, as it has for much of the last five years, then the heat will get turned up on Swinney.
Is the pressure building at Clemson?
Probably.