Clemson's Dabo Swinney Receives Prove-It Preseason Coaching Ranking

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If Dabo Swinney retired today, he'd leave Clemson not only as the best head coach in program history but also as one of the all-time greats in college football. 

Swinney has won nine ACC championships, two national championships, and owns a 187-53 record since taking over as head coach in 2008. 

The Tigers were a legitimate threat from 2015 to 2020 but have fallen off after losing quarterback Trevor Lawrence to the NFL. Clemson's decline doesn't have as much to do with losing elite players from the 2020 team as much as Swinney's inability to adjust to changes in college football.

Swinney has been reluctant to build through the transfer portal, and Clemson has been somewhat shy in NIL spending. Still, the Tigers had plenty of talent last season, sending nine players in the first five rounds of the 2026 NFL Draft despite finishing with a 7-6 record in 2025. 

A few seasons ago, it would have been laughable to rank any coach in the ACC above Swinney. After making the College Football Playoff national championship last season, Miami head coach Mario Cristobal has taken that place.

Austin Curtright of USA Today ranked Swinney as the No. 2 coach in the ACC, suggesting he has to prove it this year to stay near the top of the list.

"One of the most historically successful active head coaches in college football, Swinney has two national titles and nine conference championships at Clemson, but has fallen off in recent years," Curtright wrote. "The Tigers had a disappointing 7-6 finish last season despite having loads of NFL talent and being a trendy preseason national championship pick. 

"Swinney and Clemson are 26-14 the last three seasons, which is a step down from their dominance of the 2010s. The 18th-year head coach is still one of the best coaches in the conference, but he has to prove he’s still got it."

Given the state of the roster, especially on offense, Swinney will have to do one of his better coaching jobs to stay in the CFP conversation this season. 

More than likely, the Tigers will finish with eight or nine wins, leaving questions about the future of the program heading into 2027.

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