‘We’re Gonna Win More Championships’: Why Dabo Swinney Remains Bullish on Clemson
COLUMBIA — Clemson’s 28–14 win over South Carolina on Saturday afternoon didn’t just secure another rivalry victory—it gave Dabo Swinney a platform to deliver one of his most impassioned defenses of Clemson’s long-term trajectory.
Even after a 7–5 regular season, Swinney, the two-time national championship head coach, made it clear he sees no reason to temper expectations.
When asked postgame why he remains so bullish about the program’s future, Swinney leaned into Clemson’s history, its culture, and what he believes is still ahead as “best” continues to be the standard in Tiger Town.
“I’m incredibly bullish,” he said. “I mean, we are gonna achieve great things, we’re gonna win more championships. Why I can say that is because we’ve done it over and over and over again.”
Swinney’s reminder of context was pointed. Clemson has been to seven College Football Playoffs in ten years, a benchmark few programs nationally can match. And yet, he noted, that type of success can distort perception.
“I mean, we’ve been to seven playoffs in ten years. All of a sudden, we think it’s just easy to do. It’s not, it’s not easy to do. There’s only 12 teams, but we’ll win another national championship. We’ll win more conference championships. We’ll win more big games.”
That message—equal parts reassurance and challenge—came on the heels of a season marked by close calls after the Tigers started in the Top 4. Clemson’s five regular-season losses weren’t blowouts or indicators of structural decline. As Swinney put it, “you ain’t that far.”
He’s right about the margins, especially in three specific contests. Clemson lost by seven to LSU, with several opportunities, including a walkoff field goal at Georgia Tech and a two-point conversion by Duke with just 40 seconds remaining.
The program’s standards are high, and the gap between “good” and “elite” is measured in inches, not yards. In the current era, 10-2 likely gets you into the playoffs or at least a conference championship game, and as far away as that might have seemed this year, it was still there if the Tigers make a few key plays.
“Every 7–5 ain’t the same,” he said. “We’re about three plays away from this being a different story and a different press conference right now. But that’s football, that’s our reality.”
Swinney emphasized that the heart of Clemson football isn’t just numbers or narratives, it’s culture.
“It’s always a part of your journey. The main thing is, do you have a program, do you have a culture? Some years things can hit just right, and some years you can have some craziness. Maybe somebody doesn’t play as good as you want it to, whatever. There are a lot of things that go into football.”
He pointed repeatedly to the 2025 team’s resilience, especially down the stretch. Clemson had multiple road wins to close the regular season—something he wanted recognized.
“What you saw this year with this team is unique. It’s uncommon, it’s special. I mean, it really is. It’s a very big one, four in a row on the road,” Swinney noted of the turnaround.
What Swinney admired most, though, was how the team handled external doubts. Clemson, like every major program, lives under a microscope. Wins are expected, setbacks magnified. This season brought noise, and plenty of it, as the trends around the Tigers aren’t good, but Swinney praised how his players held firm.
In this observer's perspective, he makes a great point considering the era we are watching in college football.
“To see a group of guys, cuz when you’re in a place like Clemson, that’s won so much, and there’s so much noise, especially when expectations are high. And you have a couple of crazy situations, and so much negativity, just really toxic stuff, like nasty. They just blocked it out; that’s not normal. I’m really proud of that.”
He added that what he sees behind closed doors, the leadership, the persistence, the internal buy-in, fuels his optimism.
“I get to witness that every day, behind the doors, when nobody’s watching, I get to see their heart, I get to hear their voice. It’s inspiring to me, as a grown man, to know that, man, we’ve got a future generation of young people that are wired like that group right there.”
Swinney also acknowledged that adversity hits every team, even the elite ones. Not every season ends 12–2 or with a trophy hoist. But the long-term vision, he insisted, hasn’t changed.
“Guess what, we’re gonna lose some too. We just are, I mean, it’s football. I don’t know that there’ll be anybody undefeated this year.”
Regardless of where Clemson lands, its bowl destination will be announced on December 7. Swinney made it clear the Tigers are building foundations for 2026 and beyond.
“For me, that’s all I focus on. I don’t really focus on all the other stuff. I don’t focus on stuff I don’t control. There are a lot of great lessons from this season for all these guys, especially [the ones] that’ll be back. I love the game, and I love the player. That’s what I focus on.”
In typical Swinney fashion, the message after the rivalry win wasn’t just about satisfaction—it was about momentum. The season may not have gone as planned, but the conviction remains unwavering.
“We’ll win another national championship. We’ll win more conference championships. We’ll win more big games.”
At Clemson, belief has always been the starting point, and nobody believes more than the man in charge.
