The 2025 season, when you read between the lines, was a Death Valley dumpster fire. Going into the year with No. 4 aspirations and a “playoff-or-bust” requirement, the Tigers limped to a 7-6 finish — the second-worst performance in the Dabo Swinney era.
Capping it on a Pinstripe Bowl loss to Penn State seemed like a cruel punchline to a season Clemson fans in general would prefer to be written off the record books forever. But don’t exclude Dabo outright.
As the vultures are circling, the ESPN experts believe the orange and purple are on a mission that changes the script. ESPN insider Heather Dinich said it is Clemson’s turn to show off the “greatest improvement” in 2026. Her reasoning is straightforward: Swinney’s floor is typically much higher than a six-loss basement.
“There’s simply no way Dabo Swinney can lose six games again. Can he?" Dinich wrote, mentioning the return of a familiar face, in the coaching booth.
The Chad Morris Gamble.
The greatest wild card in this redemption arc? The resurgence of offensive coordinator Chad Morris. It is an act that feels at once nostalgic and desperate. Morris has not called plays since 2020 and hasn't walked the Clemson sidelines since 2014. But his record in Tiger Town--a 41-11 record that burned through its halls--is quite extraordinary stuff.
If Morris can find the "secret sauce" for first-year starting quarterback Christopher Vizzina, then it’s a pretty good shot for Clemson to emerge from back onto top of the ACC table again. But make no mistake: we’ll know who this team is by dinner time on Sept. 5.
The Tigers begin the season at LSU against Lane Kiffin, who has spent much of the offseason poking around the transfer portal like a Viking.
Trouble Brewing in Columbia?
Clemson isn't the only one making waves in Palmetto State. The Tigers are looking for a comeback meanwhile, and the South Carolina Gamecocks are being hailed as the biggest "off-the-radar" threat. ESPN’s Jake Trotter does not sleep on Shane Beamer’s crew and points out that the likes of Sellers and Stewart allow the Gamecocks to live up to a ceiling most SEC teams ought to dread.
If transfer tackle Jacarrius Peak can save the blindside, that Nov. 28 confrontation in Death Valley could bring huge College Football Playoff repercussions to both ends. The Bottom Line. Clemson saw 2025 as a time to be irrelevant in the national discourse.
Between a big-time opener in Baton Rouge and a revamped coaching staff, the Tigers will either be more evidence that the skeptics are wrong or show the world why they were the gold standard of the ACC for a decade. Dabo Swinney’s “looking in the mirror” phase is over. It’s time to see whether that reflection continues to resemble a champion.