If you ask most folks around college football, Dabo Swinney’s job at Clemson should be about as secure as it gets heading into 2026.
CBS Sports rolled out its annual hot seat ratings for every FBS head coach on Thursday, and as always, the numbers tell a story. A 5.0 means you’re coaching for your job. Anything under 1.0? You’re basically untouchable. Swinney checked in at 3.1 this year, which CBS labels as 'pressure is mounting.' Just a year ago, he was sitting pretty at 0.2, the most untouchable coach in the ACC.
But after a 7-6 finish last fall, with a roster loaded with talent—nine Tigers heard their names called in the NFL draft, a school record—the critics have come out of the woodwork. The main gripe? Swinney’s stubbornness when it comes to adjusting to the new era.
.From 2015 to 2020, Clemson rattled off six straight ACC titles, made the College Football Playoff every year, won two national championships, and played for two more. The Tigers went 79-7 in that stretch, including a jaw-dropping 49-3 in ACC games.
Since 2021, though, the Tigers have slipped by their own lofty standards, going 47-20 overall. They’ve still grabbed two ACC crowns, but dropped their last two postseason games by double digits.
"We've been to the top many times around here, and we're gonna take Clemson back to the top. That's going to happen," Swinney vowed at Clemson's annual media day on Tuesday. "Whether it happens this year, I don't know. But my main objective is to make sure we get the arrow pointed back where it needs to be, and that we're a tougher football team mentally.
"I don't know if we'll get all the way to the top of the mountain, but we need to get it pointed back in that direction," Swinney added.
Clemson’s rivals aren’t exactly sitting pretty, either, as the 2026 season approaches.
Just across the border, South Carolina’s Shane Beamer is feeling the heat with a 4.3 rating—the only SEC coach CBS put in the 'win or be fired' category.
In the ACC, Florida State’s Mike Norvell landed the dreaded 5.0 after a brutal 5-17 mark over the last two years. North Carolina’s Bill Belichick wasn’t far behind at 4.3 after the Tar Heels’ 2025 collapse. Swinney isn’t alone in the 3.1 club. Alabama’s Kalen DeBoer, Nebraska’s Matt Rhule, Colorado’s Deion Sanders, and NC State’s Dave Doeren are all in that same neighborhood.
Meanwhile, Georgia Tech’s Brent Key (0.1), Virginia Tech’s James Franklin (0.3), and Miami’s Mario Cristobal (0.5) are considered the ACC’s safest bets. SMU’s Rhett Lashlee, Louisville’s Jeff Brohm, and Cal’s Tosh Lupoi all checked in under 1.0 as well.
Clemson kicks off the 2026 campaign on September 5 at LSU’s Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge. For what it’s worth, Lane Kiffin’s CBS hot seat rating sits at 1.0—safe and secure.
Add us as a preferred source on Google