CLEMSON — This week has been an interesting week for Clemson football.

Dabo Swinney hit the national podcast scene this week talking about this coming season, his program’s disadvantages in the NIL world, the state of his program and much more.

Swinney has taken a lot of heat for some of his comments, which has had some national pundits wondering what it means for his future at Clemson.

In year’s past, when Clemson was winning at a high level, Swinney had the luxury to get away with such things. However, this year he is coming off a 7-6 season, despite the fact he had nine players taken in the first round of the NFL Draft.

The 7-6 campaign was Clemson’s worst since 2010, but what is more telling is the recent decline in the program since the NIL and transfer portal era became prominent in college football.

It doesn’t need to be pointed out again, but Clemson’s production has slipped dramatically since the end of the 2020 season.

So, with everything going on, Swinney’s refusal to bring in a transfer portal quarterback in the off-season, and now his statements on Clemson being at a disadvantage when it comes to NIL resources, it really puts the spotlight on the Clemson program.

CBS Sports, Yahoo and ESPN have all put Swinney high on the hot seat talk. National podcast pundit Josh Pate has even suggested Clemson’s longtime head coach might not even survive an 8-4 season this year.

It is crazy to think with all that Swinney has done at Clemson, that this might be the way he goes out. It reminds me of that famous line from The Dark Knight, “You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain.”

Swinney has been at Clemson for 23 years, dating back to his time an assistant coach under Tommy Bowden. He has been the head man since 2008, the second longest tenure in the program’s historic history.

Which brings me back to another quote, this time from legendary Clemson coach Frank Howard, who spoke on why he finally stepped down after 40 years of coaching at Clemson, including 30 as the head coach.

“I stepped down on account of health reasons. I was making the alumni sick,” he once said.

I do not know if Swinney has made the alumni sick, but they are starting to get a little nauseous. But it is nothing that a little winning can fix.

But maybe Swinney is right. Maybe things are about to turn around. Maybe that is why he went out and brought Chad Morris back to be his offensive coordinator. Maybe that is why he gave Tom Allen the keys to the transfer portal and allowed him to bring in whomever he needed.

Maybe we are all wrong and Swinney was right. It has happened before, which reminds me of another famous quote from The Dark Knight, “The night is darkest just before the dawn.”

Maybe the dawn is coming.