Dabo Swinney isn’t interested in preseason hype right now, and Clemson’s 2026 run will open with that mindset front and center.
After a 7-6 finish in 2025, the Tigers are trying to put last season behind them and get back on track. They entered the previous year ranked No. 4 in the preseason AP Top 25, only to have the whole thing wobble immediately with a 17-10 loss to LSU. Since then, the national spotlight has been a lot dimmer on Clemson, and Swinney doesn’t sound bothered by that at all.
During Tuesday’s press conference, he described his team as a group of under-the-radar players and made it clear he’s fine with that label for now.
"Everybody’s just working,” Swinney said. “We’re just a bunch of nobodies. We’ll see if anybody becomes somebody as we play some games.
At ACC Media Days in Charlotte, Swinney pushed the same message: Clemson has to clean up its own business first, and no outside projection matters much.
"We got to fix the football stuff. You get what you earn.
It’s not what people predict," Swinney said. “This year, ain’t none of y’all going to pick us."
The Tigers will get an early chance to show what that looks like when they open against LSU on Saturday, Sept. 5 at 7:30 p.m. ET on ABC. Clemson’s next four games are against Georgia Southern, UNC, Miami, and then a road trip to Cal.
It’s a demanding early stretch, and Swinney knows a bounce-back season would go a long way with Clemson’s fan base. But first, the Tigers have to start turning that “bunch of nobodies” label into something louder once the games begin.
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Now the interesting part is whether this group can turn improvement into something even sturdier in 2026 fall camp. The competition has tightened with several transfers and freshmen pushing for starting jobs, and that kind of depth can change the ceiling for a defense if it translates once the games begin. LSU has already seen Bakers system raise the floor, and the next question is whether this is the roster that lets him take it even higher. [Read more 🡒]