Clemson’s rough night against LSU has already turned into a much bigger conversation about the future of Dabo Swinney. After the Tigers were blasted 51-20 in Saturday night’s primetime game on ABC, the questions around the program got louder, and CBS Sports said Swinney’s future is officially “in doubt.”
Swinney didn’t soften the blow afterward.
“We got our (butts) kicked,” Swinney said. “We gotta go win next week.
It’s an embarrassing performance, coaching and playing. We’re going to have to own that.
We can’t let that lead to another loss.”
That kind of result only adds to the frustration around a program that, by CBS Sports’ telling, has gone more than five years without putting a legitimate national title contender on the field. The outlet also wrote, “Swinney looks out-matched and unable to succeed in this current era of college football.
The glory days of Clemson football, which included two national championship wins over Alabama, feel like a lifetime ago. Worse, the path back to that level of success feels impossible now under Swinney,” and pointed to his hiring of Chad Morris as offensive coordinator as “the ultimate double-down move from Dabo, the defiance that prevents him from evolving as other top coaches have to succeed in the NIL and transfer portal era.”
If Clemson ever does move on, three names stand out as possible replacements.
Tony Elliott is the first. The former Clemson offensive coordinator is now at Virginia, where he has steadily rebuilt the Cavaliers after rough starts.
Virginia won just three games in both 2022 and 2023, then improved to five wins in 2024 before breaking out in 2025 with an 11-3 season and a Gator Bowl win. At 46, Elliott has Virginia looking like an ACC frontrunner and College Football Playoff contender in 2026, which could make him a difficult coach to pry away if the momentum keeps building.
Rhett Lashlee is another strong candidate. The SMU coach has already guided the Mustangs to the College Football Playoff in 2024, when they went 11-3, and he now has two 11-win seasons on his résumé. Lashlee is 38-16 as a head coach and has ACC experience, which only strengthens his appeal if Clemson decides it needs a new direction.
Then there’s Kalen DeBoer. The Alabama coach has long been tied to Swinney’s name because of Swinney’s connection to the Crimson Tide, though the obvious twist here is that DeBoer could be the one available.
If he falls short in Tuscaloosa and gets let go, he would fit as a replacement at Clemson. Stewart Mandel even floated a wild scenario: “Lane Kiffin leaves LSU after nine games for Alabama, which fires Kalen DeBoer after eight games.
DeBoer then goes to Clemson to take over for Dabo Swinney after he gets too distraught over tampering to continue,” Mandel predicted.
It’s a long shot, but after a loss like this, even long shots start getting attention.
In Other News...
UNC Fans Have A Bigger Billy Edwards Jr. Concern Than One Bad Finish
The final throw against Clemson will stick with North Carolina fans for a while, but the bigger question around Billy Edwards Jr. is not one bad finish. The quarterbacks first interception of the year came at the worst possible moment in a game the Tar Heels could not close out, yet he remains the starter as the season moves forward and UNC keeps building around him.
What makes this situation more delicate is Edwards Jr.'s track record and the importance of depth behind him. The Tar Heels have sophomore backup Miles O'Neill available if needed, but the conversation in Chapel Hill is less about one late mistake than it is about whether Edwards Jr. can stay on the field and keep the offense steady over the long haul. [Read more 🡒]
UNC Grades Exposed A Bigger Concern Than The Clemson Collapse
The film grades from UNCs loss to Clemson do offer a few bright spots, even if the final result still stings. Junior safety Greg Smith led the defense with a 90.0 grade after helping force turnovers, while senior running back Benjamin Hall posted a career-best rushing performance and earned a 77.3 offensive grade. Beyond those two, the snap counts and individual grades paint a fuller picture of where the Tar Heels found some resistance and where they were repeatedly put on their heels.
For a team trying to sort out what went wrong, the bigger concern is less about one bad afternoon and more about the uneven stretches that showed up across the roster. The breakdown of who played well, who held up, and who struggled points to a Tar Heels group that still has answers to find on both sides of the ball, even as a few individual performances suggest there is at least something to build on. [Read more 🡒]
UNC Already Has One Debate Fans Cant Ignore
After three games, North Carolina has given its fans a pretty familiar early-season split between hope and concern. The Tar Heels are 2-1 with wins over TCU and East Tennessee State, and Xavier Lewis has already emerged as a bright spot by leading the ACC in sacks, but the offense has not come close to matching that energy.
Billy Edwards Jr. has thrown for 476 yards in three games, and the quarterback play remains the clearest issue hanging over the teams outlook. With Clemson already handing UNC its loss, the Tar Heels look like a group that can flash enough to stay interesting, but one that still has plenty to sort out before the schedule gets any less demanding. [Read more 🡒]