Dabo Swinney didn’t dance around it. Clemson’s 2025 campaign didn’t meet the standard - not his, not the program’s, and certainly not the one fans have come to expect. But instead of dwelling on what went wrong, Swinney focused on what could be learned.
“2025 is in the books,” he said. “It was a frustrating season for us. We won’t give that a lot of effort to go over.”
Still, he gave just enough to paint a clear picture: a season defined by thin margins and missed chances.
“We lost three games by 11 points, two of them on the final play of the game. Two other games we lost in the fourth quarter,” Swinney said. “I didn’t get the job done.”
The issues were glaring - and Swinney didn’t shy away from calling them out.
“Biggest problem - scoring, scoring offense,” he said. “That’s rushing offense and third down. We also had the worst pass defense I’ve had since I have been a head coach.”
That’s as blunt as it gets. Clemson struggled to move the ball consistently, couldn’t convert when it mattered, and got burned in the air more than any of Swinney’s previous teams. But even amid the setbacks, Swinney saw something worth holding onto.
“There was also a lot of good,” he said. “The team reacted, and they still stayed together. Some incredible leadership for me was from some awesome young men in our program - championship men, guys who have won championships.”
That resilience showed up late in the year. Clemson closed the season with four straight wins and claimed the state title for the ninth time in 11 years - a late push that Swinney called historic.
“They were the best turnaround team in Clemson Football history,” he said. “I’m proud of how they managed to finish.”
That finish mattered - not just for the record books, but for the culture.
“It wasn’t what I wanted our story to be, that was our story,” Swinney said. “We came together to accomplish our 15th consecutive winning season. We aim to do better than have a winning season but with where we were all you can do was respond - and we did it.”
Now, the focus turns to what’s next. And for Swinney, that starts with a reset - not just in mindset, but across the coaching staff.
“Today is focusing on and resetting,” he said. “We’re better, stronger and wiser because of the lessons of 2025.
God never says oops. I’m not going to say the season was a disappointment.
I think what ended had a reason and what’s beginning is right on time.”
That “beginning” comes with some familiar faces in new (or returning) roles - especially on offense.
“With Chad Morris, I've gone back to the future,” Swinney said.
Morris, who helped engineer Clemson’s offensive rise back in 2011, is back as offensive coordinator. He’ll be in the building full-time, not on the recruiting trail.
Tajh Boyd, one of the most prolific quarterbacks in school history, steps in as QB coach. It’s a reunion of sorts - and a calculated one.
Swinney didn’t stop there. He added Lonnie Galloway as senior offensive assistant, Mike Miller to the staff, and Jacoby Ford - one of the fastest Tigers ever - as coach of player development, speed development, and assistant wide receivers coach. Artavis Scott will work with the running backs, while Brad Glenn takes over tight ends and player development duties.
And in a move that raised some eyebrows, Swinney confirmed that former NFL head coach Freddie Kitchens is around - as an unpaid volunteer analyst.
On the defensive side, the biggest shift comes in the passing game. Thomas Allen will take over as defensive passing game coordinator, a role that puts him in charge of installs and ensuring cohesion across the secondary.
Nolan Turner, another former Tiger standout, will coach safeties, while Corico Wright returns to handle the nickels. And in a move that brought some emotional weight, Swinney announced that Jayron Kearse - now 31 and a long way from his college days - is back on campus as a student-assistant while finishing his degree.
Even the strength and conditioning program is getting a facelift. Anthony Lazard, coming from Stanford, will step in for longtime director Dennis Love. And while Swinney didn’t name a special teams coordinator just yet, he hinted that an announcement is coming soon.
All of it points to a program that’s not content with just staying afloat - it’s retooling with purpose.
“It’s a new team, new season, new journey,” Swinney said. “Sometimes, you have to go back to have a way of moving forward.”
For Clemson, 2025 may not have ended in confetti, but it could prove to be the pivot point. The lessons were hard-earned. Now comes the response.