After last year’s disappointing campaign at Clemson, the offseason was full of talk about Dabo Swinney’s future with the program.

After coming in ranked No. 4 in the AP Poll and some predicting a national title run, the Tigers finished just 7-6, the second-worst season in the Swinney era.

Clemson enters the coming season with a much different tone surrounding the program. There haven’t really been any College Football Playoff predictions, much less anyone believing they are capable of making a run at another national championship. The Tigers aren’t even predicted to make it to the ACC Championship Game, with the ACC media picking the Tigers fourth in the league’s preseason poll.

While some are predicting improvement over last season, others are not, including national analyst Nicole Auerbach. On Saturday, the NBC Sports anchor said she believes 2026 will be Swinney’s final season as head coach at Clemson.

“My bold prediction is that this is the final year we see Dabo Swinney at Clemson,” Auerbach said. “We had talked a lot about him in this era, not really embracing the transfer portal and not really embracing NIL. Huge disappointment last season.”

Swinney is one of the highest-paid coaches in the sport and is currently in the midst of a 10-year deal that runs through the 2031 season. His buyout after the coming season is upwards of $60 million.

During his time at Clemson, Swinney has become the most accomplished coach in program history, guiding the Tigers to nine ACC Championships, seven appearances in the playoff and two national titles, while playing for two others. Clemson won the ACC in 2024, earning a spot in the 12-team playoff. The Tigers would lose in the opening round to Texas in Austin.

However, despite all of the success, the Tigers have taken a step back in recent years, despite that playoff appearance in 2024, and Swinney has often been criticized for being slow to adapt to the new landscape.

While the head coach did hit the portal much harder than he ever has over the offseason, one position he did not address was quarterback, as Swinney has remained steadfast regarding his belief in Chris Vizzina, and some of the other quarterbacks on the roster, including freshman Tait Reynolds. The two have been battling for the starting job throughout the spring and fall, with Vizzina expected to be the first one to run out when Clemson opens the season in Baton Rouge on September 5.

With quarterback being the most important position on the field, Swinney has pushed all of his chips in on Vizzina and/or Reynolds, and that is one reason Auerbach believes this could very well be Swinney’s last at the helm.

“They don’t go into the portal for a quarterback,” Auerbach said. “I think if it’s maybe him deciding or maybe there’s a nudge, or maybe it’s just people deciding that Clemson needs to adapt to the times.”