Dabo promises return to his ‘instincts.’ What that means for Clemson football
Good coaching often comes down to gut decisions: Who to hire, who to recruit, how to run your program. And for years, Dabo Swinney thought he was at his best in those moments. But Clemson’s coach made an interesting admission Tuesday.
“That’s honestly something that I’ve not done (recently),” Swinney said. “If I evaluate myself, I’ve probably gotten a little bit away from my instincts and not trusting some of my instincts. And that’s one of the things I’ve gotta get back to.”
The fact Swinney said that at all is notable.
The fact Swinney brought up his failure to follow his own “instincts” unprompted, during a response to a question about fan support in his weekly news conference, in the middle of his worst season at Clemson in 15 years, is even more notable.
And it’s probably the closest Swinney will get to publicly acknowledging the big changes he needs to make and appears set on making to get Clemson back on track this offseason after the 2025 Tigers have come up short on .... everything.
Asked to clarify what getting away from his instincts means, Swinney was coy.
But his answer was telling.
“I’m not going to get into that,” Swinney said Tuesday. “I just think one of my greatest strengths is my instincts, honestly. … I think one of the reasons that we’ve been successful here is I’ve always leaned on that. And I think sometimes you can listen to too much, listen to too many people, and you can get away from what you’re truly convicted in. I’ve gotta be better in that area.”
Dabo Swinney, Clemson football’s struggles
Eight games into the season, the Tigers are 3-5 and 2-4 in the ACC. The preseason No. 4 team has been a failure just about any way you could slice it – inconsistent offense, coverage busts on defense, turnovers in key moments, a lack of talent and depth.
Clemson is 1-4 at home and has not beaten a power conference team at home in over a calendar year. The Tigers must win three of their last four games to avoid snapping the country’s third-longest bowl eligibility streak (26 seasons).
Swinney, 55, initially struck a defiant tone as Clemson’s season started to go off the rails, reminding fans and media members of his excellent track record at the school (183 wins, eight ACC titles, two national titles) and the opportunity still ahead.
In one viral rant after Clemson started 1-3, he criticized fans for not being all in, dared Clemson’s administration to fire him if they were “tired of winning” and said of the 2025 season: “We may lay a freaking egg and go 6-6, but I don’t think so.”
ESPN’s Football Power Index now gives Clemson a 38% chance to reach six wins.
And as the failures of this year’s Clemson team have become more unavoidable, Swinney’s public framing of the issues at play has changed dramatically.
After a Clemson safety room lacking depth and talent had a number of brutal coverage busts Saturday vs. Duke, Swinney partially blamed recruiting decisions, saying Sunday: “That’s coaching and recruiting and all of the above. It’s all of us.”
He’s been noticeably direct in his criticism of offensive coordinator Garrett Riley and other assistants and continued to hint at offseason staff changes Tuesday.
“This house right here is built on rock,” Swinney said. “There’s no cracks in the foundation. Now, we’ve got some people that ain’t put their best stuff in it. ... I’ve gotta make sure we get the right people in the house, in all aspects of it.”
A program reset coming? What Dabo thinks
Swinney’s last losing season at Clemson was in 2010, his second year, when the team went 6-6 and lost to South Florida in its bowl game. Swinney reflected Tuesday on how Clemson underwent a program reset of sorts that offseason.
Heading into 2011, Swinney fired offensive coordinator Billy Napier and replaced him with Chad Morris. Clemson also brought in star freshman receiver Sammy Watkins and reaped the benefits of other elite players (Tajh Boyd, DeAndre Hopkins).
That accumulation of talent – paired with Swinney’s decision to fire defensive coordinator Kevin Steele after the 2011 season and replace him with Brent Venables – positioned Clemson for an impressive run of 14 straight seasons with nine or more wins from 2011-24. (That streak will end comfortably in 2025.)
“I made some decisions that were critical and some that weren’t very popular,” Swinney said. “But it’s what I believed.”
He also brought up instincts in the context of recruiting: How Clemson used to routinely find tough, talented, under-the-radar players who developed into stars and allowed the Tigers to break through and beat “the best of the best.”
“It’s a reminder, again – instincts,” Swinney said.
It’s hard to know exactly what Swinney means by that. It’s easier to read between the lines and see how an insular program could blur or impact his decision-making.
The 2025 season is forcing Clemson and Swinney to take a hard look at the sort of things that didn’t matter as much when they were a College Football Playoff regular: A well paid coaching staff that isn’t getting it done, a large support staff primarily composed of former players, friends and family; and a roster with a lot of recruiting misses and not a lot of transfer portal players to offset them.
Swinney said his primary focus remains on finishing the 2025 season strong – Clemson hosts Florida State on Saturday (7 p.m., ACC Network) and can still make a bowl game. But he’s clearly been reflecting on his decision-making process as a coach, how it’s gotten away from him and how it needs to change.
“Over 17 years, I think I’ve done a decent job,” Swinney said. “But I’ve sucked this year, and I’ll be better. And something good will come from it.”
This story was originally published November 5, 2025 at 2:15 PM.
