Talking about one of the most chilled-out head coaches in college football? Clemson Tigers’ Dabo Swinney surely tops the list. Around March, when there was enough buzz about the SEC, Big Ten playoff auto bid proposal, Swinney did not spend much time worrying about the outcome. Instead, he just said, “I don’t waste time focusing on things I don’t control. Whatever happens.”

If the head coach marks himself safe from overthinking about what is yet to happen, one can guess what the attitude of the rest of the team towards problem-handling is. Along with the playoff bid, college athletics experienced a whirlwind type of transformation, the latest being the acceptance of private equity. But that’s when Swinney’s Athletic Director, Graham Neff, is losing his goodnight’s sleep. 

On August 5, analyst Jon Blau tweeted, “On possible private equity funding, Clemson AD Graham Neff says he’s looked at that ‘significantly’. ‘Really well-read on what those opportunities are,’ Neff said. Adds Clemson hasn’t taken any ‘next steps’ in that regard. But the ‘need to be competitive has never been greater.’” It’s often challenging to adapt to the changing landscape in college football. You name them, the advent of NIL, the introduction of the transfer portal, the implementation of the House Settlement, which now allows schools to pay student athletes directly, and the list continues. And here comes another one.

After the House vs. NCAA settlement, Swinney’s squad is to pay back student-athletes who played from 2016 to 2020 up to $2 million per year for up to 10 years for their inability to access things like NIL. Along with this, it involves the expansion of scholarships. This again involves Swinney’s squad to pay up to $22 million per year to current and future student-athletes. While there have been Collectives to look after these areas, the College Sports Commission has changed its stance. It will now be treated like any other third-party business. 

That’s when Neff is trying his best to protect Swinney and co. from the bumps ahead. As he shared, “Football continues and will be our investment strategy from a business standpoint, but that allocation of additional scholarships, 150, is significant. We previously had 275 scholarships, kind of collectively, but adding 150 to that is significant. From a per capita standpoint, that might be the most, or as big of an increase as any other school in the country.” Clemson already has their collective known as The 110 Society. Yet they came up with Clemson Ventures, which is modeled after the design of a true private-sector business structure and full-service marketing and NIL agency capabilities to boost the revenue-earning process. 

Going by Neff’s tweet, Swinney’s program is now thinking about taking outside investment (from firms or investors) to help fund sports programs. But what’s holding the Athletic Director back? Well, his main concern is staying competitive in an increasingly demanding college sports landscape. However, he knows private equity to be a possible solution to help Clemson keep up in an ever-demanding NIL landscape. After all, the standard is always high for Swinney’s program, and the head coach has proved it again by setting a lofty goal.  

Dabo Swinney’s bold prediction for their 2025 run

Can the $115 million head coach be blamed? After all, wading through changing waters, from the old four-team playoff days right up to this new 12-team era, one name has been constant in the national championship race. That’s Swinney’s Clemson. The Tigers have ticked off seven playoff appearances. So, obviously the head coach will not want his boys to lose that energy or settle for anything less.

Under Swinney, Clemson won the conference title last season for the first time since 2022. Moving into 2025, the head coach strongly believes that they are going to bring back their 2018 era. That year has been too special for the Tigers squad. They went undefeated and captured a national title. In an interview with ESPN, Swinney sounded confident, “I’ve had one undefeated team. In 2018, we were the first 15-0 team in the history of major college football – ever. And I think we’re going to be the first 16-0 team. It’s a race to do that.” Does that mean Josh Pate’s manifestation is going to come true?

On the See Ball Get Ball with David Pollack podcast, the analyst had painted a picture of how he wants to see Dabo Swinney. He shared, “Right on the national championship stage, confetti still raining down. You just say, thank you, good night, and throw that thing, and just walk down a tunnel. And that’s the last we ever see of Dabo Swinney.”

For the ones wondering if fans and analysts are going too far with the Swinney hype, here are some factors that will give them some clarity. Senior quarterback on the roster? Check. Returning production? Check. Special addition to the coaching roster? Swinney added former Penn State defensive coordinator Tom Allen. We can’t really see any harm in Swinney shooting for the stars.