David Pollack is used to wearing red and black as a UGA alum, but the former All-American linebacker and ex-ESPN analyst knows he’ll be sporting more orange now, with his son headed to Tigertown next year.

Pollack’s son, class of 2027 tight end Nicholas Pollack, committed to Clemson on June 1. The elder Pollack, who now hosts his own show called See Ball Get Ball, recently joined The Next Round podcast. 

The fact that Pollack’s son chose Clemson was brought up during the show. Pollack was then asked about Dabo Swinney and whether there’s “still more good chapters left” in the longtime Clemson head coach’s tenure, coming off the 7-6 campaign last year that marked the second-worst record in his 17 full seasons. 

Swinney’s future at Clemson has been the subject of extensive national discussion and speculation, mainly due to his program’s recent struggles and his perceived reluctance to adapt to the modern college football landscape. 

Pollack believes there’s a huge chip on Swinney’s shoulder heading into the upcoming season. 

“Dabo is a guy that’s very clear in what he is and who he is, and he’s not going to compromise that and he’s not going to change that,” Pollack said. “And with that comes what? Ok, if I don’t go into the portal consistently, and people leave consistently, that’s a hard number. We’re just math-ing. Let’s just math. If I lose 10 or 12 and I’m only bringing in guys every year and I’m not replacing those guys that I don’t bring in, obviously it’s not going to work. I do think Dabo’s got a boulder-sized chip on his shoulder.”

Pollack believes Swinney — a former walk-on wideout at Alabama who eventually turned himself into the winningest coach in both Clemson and ACC history — thrives when he has plenty to prove. 

“I think Dabo works best with that chip on his shoulder,” Pollack said. “Because guess what, he’s had it his whole life. Y’all know him in Alabama, but y’all know also he walked on. He wasn’t a guy that was highly recruited, and I think you see the momentum in this recruiting class from him. There’s still a bunch of guys on this roster. They’re still a top-10 team when it comes to playmakers and receivers in the country, and they’ve got defensive linemen that are still elite playmakers. They’ve got to figure out the quarterback. I think bringing back Chad Morris really, really helps them and gives them a more offensive identity.”

Pollack sees better days ahead for Swinney and the Tigers, despite the disappointment last season brought after a very talented Clemson team entered 2025 as a preseason top-four team with massive expectations and championship aspirations. 

“I do think Dabo has more chapters left,” Pollack said. “I think he’s primed for that, and I think he really wants to prove people wrong, and I think he’s gone about it his way, which is kinda cool. Now just continue to make tweaks and changes and adapt to the world a little bit, but I don’t think Dabo’s done.”

Pollack was asked whether it’s tougher as a head coach to be in Kalen DeBoer’s situation at Alabama, where he has to live up to the expectations established by the greatest college football coach of all time, Nick Saban — or if it’s tougher to be in Swinney’s situation, where he has to meet the expectations he’s built for himself as a coach with two national titles, nine ACC titles and seven College Football Playoff appearances on his resume. 

“He has that pressure,” Pollack said of Swinney. “Kalen has that pressure. But I’ll say this about both of them – they kind of handle it pretty well. They’re doing it their way, and I think that’s what’s most important. You can’t lead in a way that’s inauthentic to you. So Kalen has to be Kalen, Dabo has to be Dabo, and you let the chips fall where they may. But guys won’t follow a leader that isn’t authentic and isn’t real.”