Dabo Swinney is the indomitable thing in the constantly changing world of college football — and for almost 20 years, it is. But following one of the worst seasons in 15 years for the program, the radicalization of the transfer portal, which appears to have driven the head coach to the point of breaking point, the clock is maybe reaching end in Death Valley.
Based on an uneven 7-6 campaign in 2025, Swinney has a new 18-year term with the Clemson administration, but the national consensus is quickly falling apart. Predictions from The Athletic show that 2026 will not be a purely rebound year — it will be the finale.
“Next season will be Dabo Swinney’s last as Clemson coach,” wrote Ralph Russo of The Athletic. “He and the school agree to part ways after another mediocre season.”
The skepticism comes against a backdrop of a rare winter of desperation and drama. Swinney was well established for his own “built, not bought” philosophy, and in January he finally bowed to the times with a career-high nine transfers. But the effort to assimilate quickly became a nightmare. The Tigers believed they had captured ACC Player of the Year Luke Ferrelli from California. Instead, they received a front-row seat to the sport’s “broken system.”
Ferrelli had signed on for and practiced with the Tigers but turned to Ole Miss without warning, igniting a firestorm resulting in a searing Jan. 23 press conference rant by Swinney.
“If there are no consequences for tampering, then we have no rules,” Swinney said to reporters.
While the NCAA is now investigating Ole Miss and defensive coordinator Pete Golding, whose presence some analysts expect will carry a multi-game suspension, the emotional impact on Swinney seems to be the greater threat to Clemson’s stability.
The speculation over Swinney’s exit has moved past “if” to a wild “who’s next.”
Should Swinney walk away—tired of the lawlessness of NIL and tampering in general—some insiders have called for a shakeup that would reshape the balance within the sport.
Stewart Mandel of The Athletic offered that would have seemed like fan fiction 5 years ago: Kalen DeBoer stepping onto the Clemson stage as the heir after having been displaced at Alabama by Lane Kiffin.
“DeBoer then goes to Clemson to take over for Dabo Swinney after he gets too distraught over tampering to continue,” Mandel predicted.
The 2026 season is a turning point for a coach who once led the era of dominance but now seems at odds with the game’s mechanics. Swinney has the recruits and the hardware to plead for patience, but in a “what have you done lately” industry, one more seven-win season would make a “mutual parting of ways” seem less shocking than inevitable.
For Swinney, the challenge is simple: to demonstrate that his culture can withstand the havoc of the portal. If he can't, Clemson's most successful era will no longer end with a trophy but with a handshake and a resignation.