Dabo Swinney has chosen to do things his way in the modern era of college football. It seems the approach is coming back to bite the Clemson Tigers, especially after Saturday night's 51-10 embarrassment at the hands of Lane Kiffin's LSU bunch.
On Tuesday, The State Newspaper's Chapel Fowler asked the Clemson head coach if he had any regrets about how he constructed his roster in the offseason. The question prompted Swinney to chuckle before answering.
Dabo Swinney's condescending reaction isn't helping the Clemson head coach
"I regret being 0-1 right now," Swinney said. "I regret that. ... Can you ask me that at the end of the season? The season ain't over. We've got one game (down). What if we go 11-1? You promise me you'll ask me that then? I'll answer it. But I'm not answering questions like that."
In a tone that blurred the line between genuine and condescending, Swinney said he knows that's the reporter's "role in this environment, to be the guy that wants to create all the controversy and ask the controversial questions. If that's who you are, that's fine." He also asked if Fowler had ever played football.
"We played one game. One game," Swinney said. "They give you 12 games, and at the end of the year, you count them up, alright? That's when those types of questions are fair, to me. Not after one game. To maybe the best team in the country. ... Other people have good teams and coaches and things like that, too."
It's a typical platitude for a coach to count the games ahead of his team and not the record that follows their name. However, Swinney could have answered Fowler's question without first talking down to him, even in a manner that might have at first sounded friendly.
Swinney should have regrets about his roster building
Before last season — one in which Clemson began ranked No. 4 in the nation, then finished 7-6 — Swinney told ESPN that the Tigers were "just sitting back and watching" the transfer portal swirl around them. He's made it a point not to dish out large sums of money in order to import a player from another program.
According to On3, Swinney brought in just five transfers from 2022-25, including none in 2024. By an increase in numbers — the Tigers added 10 transfers in the offseason — the coach softened his stance some. Against Kiffin's Tigers, who onboarded 43 transfers, including five-star quarterback Sam Leavitt and offensive tackle Jordan Seaton, the disparity was obvious.
In Leavitt's case particularly, he went out and combined for three touchdowns in a performance that earned him a selection on the Davey O'Brien Great 8 list. Clemson, meanwhile, trotted out Christopher Vizzina as its starter and watched him have trouble before replacing him with freshman Tait Reynolds, who also couldn't find his footing. Some experience behind center — in one of the most vaunted environments the sport has to offer — surely would've helped.
A handful of former Clemson players — including defensive end Xavier Thomas, tight end Jordan Leggett and defensive tackle DJ Reader — took to social media to vent about seeing their alma mater be so outplayed. During the same press conference, Swinney accepted such criticisms because, well, there's really no running from them. Not after a setback that ugly.
Worth noting, Clemson would owe Swinney $57 million if it was to cut ties with the longtime sideline boss.
Swinney is the winningest coach in ACC history. He's brought Clemson a pair of College Football Playoff national titles. Still, it might be time for the Tigers to cut their losses.
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