How a ‘sense of urgency’ defined 2026 offseason for Dabo Swinney, Clemson football
Players are trying to secure their spot on a mostly open depth chart.
Assistants are well aware of how another bad season could impact their futures.
And Clemson coach Dabo Swinney has taken an extreme level of ownership, conducting more offseason media interviews than usual and telling everyone how much he stunk as a coach in 2025 when the preseason No. 4 Tigers finished 7-6.
“I did a horrible job,” Swinney said in April on The Jim Rome Show.
Those around Clemson’s football building would tell you there’s always a pep in their step around this time of the year. The Tigers have longed wiped the slate clean. Last year’s record doesn’t matter. New team, new mission.
But as Clemson really hits the offseason media circuit this week, there’s no denying the Tigers are moving a little differently. One look at last year’s record tells you why.
“You win seven games at Clemson, you better have some freakin’ urgency,” Swinney said. “Yeah, there’s a definite sense of urgency. And there always has been.”
Looking back at 2025: ‘We grossly underachieved’
Speaking at ACC spring meetings in May, Swinney quipped people keep “beating that dead horse to death” when it comes to his team’s 2025 struggles.
But with talking season upon us — Clemson’s on-campus media day is Tuesday, and the Tigers will be in uptown Charlotte for ACC Kickoff on Thursday — those struggles are worth repeating.
Clemson, a preseason national championship pick by many, lost three of its first four games. In the only game they won during that stretch, the Tigers trailed Troy 16-0 in the second quarter and were booed as they went into the locker room at halftime.
The Tigers didn’t appear in a single Associated Press or College Football Playoff Top 25 ranking after Sept. 7, and they lost six straight home games against power-conference opponents dating back to 2024. The rushing offense and passing defense were dismal, and former players publicly questioned the team’s toughness.
Swinney also made several eye-raising comments about his own future, saying at one point if Clemson was tired of winning games, “they can send me on my way.”
Credit where it’s due: After a 3-5 start, the Tigers ended the regular season on a four-game win streak to avoid missing a bowl game. The streak included gutsy road wins at No. 20 Louisville and rival South Carolina.
But Clemson’s Pinstripe Bowl performance against Penn State was a clunker, and the 2026 NFL Draft only reinforced the “missed opportunity” argument as Clemson tied a modern-era program record with nine players drafted.
“We grossly underachieved,” Swinney said. “I don’t think that’s a news flash.”
Offseason turnover a sign of Dabo’s ‘instincts’ at work
In November, Swinney talked extensively about getting back to his “instincts.”
“You can listen to too much, listen to too many people, and you can get away from what you’re truly convicted in,” he said. “I’ve gotta be better in that area.”
Swinney didn’t go scorched earth after Clemson posted its worst record since 2010, but the program made some notable changes and shifts.
Defensive coordinator Tom Allen made it known publicly he wasn’t impressed with his unit’s competitive depth or speed, so Clemson signed a record 12 scholarship transfers, including 11 on defense and a handful who should start immediately.
Swinney also fired at least one assistant coach for the fifth straight offseason, parting ways with offensive coordinator Garrett Riley and safeties coach Mickey Conn.
Swinney replaced Riley with Chad Morris, who returns to Clemson for his second stint as OC after holding the job from 2011-14. He hired veteran NFL assistant Rich Bisaccia away from the Packers to serve as his new special teams coordinator.
Clemson’s strength and conditioning program also has a new leader: Popular assistant Dennis Love replaced Joey Batson, who retired in a planned transition.
Swinney didn’t make every change some fans hoped for. Most notably, the Tigers declined to pursue a transfer quarterback despite having the money to do so. Clemson also didn’t sign any transfer offensive linemen, and Morris’ status as a retread offensive coordinator hire drew mixed reviews.
Clemson’s offseason moves are examples of Swinney’s instincts at work, he said.
“If I’m gonna be successful, it’s not gonna be because I’m trying to please somebody else or doing something that I don’t believe in,” he said.
How Clemson’s AD handled disappointing season
Clemson athletic director Graham Neff gave a strong public endorsement of Swinney before the Pinstripe Bowl, saying he had “full confidence” in the coach and describing Swinney as an “incredible fit” for Clemson football and the university.
“I expect that to continue for many, many years ahead,” Neff said Dec 9.
But when a preseason national champion pick goes 7-6 and posts its first losing home record in 27 years, there’s going to be some additional scrutiny.
In February, for example, Clemson’s Board of Trustees didn’t give out the raises and contract extensions that it usually rubber-stamps for football assistant coaches.
Neff also publicly acknowledged Clemson football needed a “better balance” between hiring former players and hiring coaches with outside experience to its staff, a contrast that has improved heading into the 2026 season.
As detailed by On3 Sports, Neff also told Swinney that Clemson had the funds to pursue a 2026 transfer quarterback if he wanted one. Swinney didn’t because he was comfortable with a QB room led by Christopher Vizzina and Tait Reynolds.
Neff told The State he was impressed with Clemson football’s offseason. The energy within the program has been “really positive and really exciting,” he said.
“I’m excited about it,” Neff said at ACC spring meetings. “I feel like Coach (Swinney) has been really contrite about looking back at last year and what he’s learned about himself — let alone what his excitement is toward the year ahead.”
Swinney described his 2026 team as a “hungry” group eager to put last season behind them. The Tigers are currently an 11.5-point underdog for their season opener at LSU. They’ll likely be unranked in the preseason AP Top 25. Their over/under win total for the season is 7.5 games. ESPN projects Clemson going 8-4.
It’s nothing like last year’s offseason of love — and that’s OK, Swinney said.
“We’ve all gotta be better,” he said. “And we will be.”
Clemson football 2026 schedule
Listed with known channels and kick times; ESPN Way Too Early Top 25 rankings
- Sept. 5: at No. 11 LSU, 7:30 p.m. (ABC)
- Sept. 12: vs. Georgia Southern, 7:30 p.m. (ACCN)
- Sept. 19: vs. UNC, noon (ESPN)
- Sept. 25 (Friday): at Cal, 10:30 p.m. (ESPN)
- Oct. 3: vs. No. 7 Miami
- Oct. 10: OPEN
- Oct. 17: vs. Charleston Southern
- Oct. 24: vs. Virginia Tech
- Oct. 31: at Florida State
- Nov. 7: at Syracuse
- Nov. 14: vs. Georgia Tech
- Nov. 20 (Friday): at Duke, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN)
- Nov. 28: vs. South Carolina
This story was originally published July 13, 2026 at 12:30 PM.
