The Tigers are in the thick of a summer shakeup, and you can practically hear the ACC rivals lining up to declare the dynasty dead. But if you think Clemson is finished, you haven't been paying attention. At least one national analyst is sounding the alarm: don't count out Dabo Swinney and the Tigers—not now, not ever.
Athlon Sports just dropped its annual preview, and the anonymous coaches wasted no time piling on Clemson. They took aim at everything from the quarterback room to the defensive mindset to the playbook itself, acting like the Tigers are yesterday’s news.
But J.D. PicKell of On3 wasn’t having any of it. He fired right back, reminding everyone that Dabo Swinney has made a career out of proving doubters wrong and turning setbacks into comebacks.
The Anonymous Shade: Ripping the Tigers' Blueprint
Rival coaches let it rip after Clemson’s 7-6 season in 2025, picking apart every flaw they could find on both sides of the ball:
- On the Quarterback & Offense: "Their backup QBs didn’t play much last year, and I didn’t think they were very good," one anonymous coach stated. "I’d be shocked if they were better on offense even if they’re coached better. When Clemson is good, their quarterback is really good."
- On the Defensive Philosophy: Another coach argued that the Tigers are suffocating their own elite talent. "It’s almost like they overcoach their defensive players instead of letting them cut it loose and play... Usually, teams that are really talented do a little less and try to just let those guys cut it loose."
- On the Garrett Riley Era: In a fascinating schematic critique, one coach claimed that former offensive coordinator Garrett Riley was never truly running his own system. "The same concepts that they ran in 2025, you can go back to the beginning when Dabo got there and see the same thing. I don’t think it was Garrett Riley’s offense. It was essentially Chad Morris’ offense being called by Garrett Riley."
PicKell's Counter-Punch: Why Clemson Bounces Back
The rest of the ACC might be ready to bury Clemson, but PicKell laid out exactly why that’s a huge mistake. If you think the Tigers are done, you’re about to get a rude awakening.
1. The Historical Precedent
PicKell hammered home the point: under Dabo, a down year is just fuel for the fire. Clemson doesn’t do back-to-back mediocrity. When the Tigers stumble, they come roaring back.
"Whenever we say Clemson is cooked, usually the year after they bounce back in a pretty big way," PicKell noted. "They go from Cheez-In Bowl to the New Year’s Six... It’s very rare they’ve strung together multiple massively mediocre seasons in the last 10ish or so years."
2. Dabo’s "Toe-Dip" Adaptation
Critics love to say Dabo won’t change, but PicKell pointed out the facts: Clemson brought in a wave of transfers this offseason to shore up key spots. They might not be headline-grabbers, but they’re difference-makers—especially SMU’s lightning-fast Chris Johnson Jr.
"Dabo, say what you want – he is slowly but surely starting to adapt to where college football is trending," PicKell said. "Maybe he’s not doing a cannonball into the new waters of college football, but he is starting to dip his toe."
3. The Return of the Maestro
And for those saying Clemson’s been stuck in the same old offense, PicKell flipped the script: with Chad Morris officially back calling the shots, that’s a huge win for Christopher Vizzina, Tait Reynolds, and the whole offense.
"The good news for Clemson fans – if that’s the case and Dabo is so married to the scheme that he won’t break up with it, now it’s Chad Morris running Chad Morris’ offense," PicKell concluded.
Let the rivals talk all they want in the offseason. If history has taught us anything, it’s that betting against a Dabo Swinney team with something to prove is a recipe for regret.
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