With the Clemson football program coming off its worst season in 15 years, is there nowhere to go but up?

On ESPN’s Get Up show, ESPN’s Heather Dinich gave her outlook on Dabo Swinney and the Tigers going into the 2026 campaign, after recent years of not fulfilling expectations.

Will Clemson be better this season? Dinich says it has to be.

“My outlook is they will be better because they have to be better,” Dinich said. “And I talked to Dabo this offseason. You know what he told me? He told me that the pass defense last year was the worst he’s ever had as a head coach. That group is going to be better. All around, they’re going to be better defensively, because they’re in the second season of that system [under defensive coordinator Tom Allen]. But also they’ve got Chad Morris as offensive coordinator. I love that hire. And he took ownership. He said he has to be better play-calling in the close games, and that’s going to make a difference. So, with player personnel, with staff personnel, and with Dabo himself – I think that this team is a lot better this season.”

Dinich is giving Swinney the benefit of the doubt, as the winningest coach in both Clemson and ACC history, with nine ACC titles, seven College Football Playoff appearances and two national championships on his resume.

Dinich believes last year’s 7-6 season – the program’s worst record since going 6-7 in 2010 – was an “anomaly.”

“Dabo’s the winningest coach in Clemson. He’s won national titles. I think this season was an anomaly, this past season,” Dinich said. “But I don’t think you can just erase what he’s built there. I understand the ‘what have you done for me lately’ mentality. That is college football. But the man has won far more than he’s lost. And I think this conversation is such a product of the College Football Playoff. And this is why half the SEC coaches, it feels like, were fired last year, because of that mentality. But I think you’ve got to take the whole picture into perspective.”

ESPN’s Harry Douglas then directly asked Dinich if Swinney is being handsomely compensated to be mediocre, or if he’s being compensated to contend for national championships, year in and year out.

Dinich acknowledged the answer to the aforementioned question is the latter, but added that even the best coaches in the sport aren’t going to win it all every year and “need a little bit of grace to fail.”

“No, that’s fair. He’s being paid to contend for national titles, year in and year out,” Dinich said. “He did not do that, obviously, last year. But the way college football is right now with the transfer portal and NIL, there’s so much more parity in there. You can’t have a great season every year. All these leagues are gonna play [nine-game conference schedules]. It’s just more difficult to be perfect. You’re not gonna have Nick Sabans every single year. Kirby Smart is not gonna win the national title every year. College football is different, and I think all of these coaches just need a little bit of grace to fail. But you’re absolutely right – nobody’s crying over the salaries these guys make.”