Well, the 2025 college football season is too new to predict the fate of the head coaches. But Paul Finebaum had his crystal ball ready. On his podcast, the ESPN analyst claimed, “Dabo Swinney is not on the hot seat, but he’s got a pretty narrow path to the CFP.” First things first, Swinney is dealing with one struggle that no head coach wishes to have. That’s the quarterback problem. Thanks to Clemson’s starter Cade Klubnik. Turns out that he has lost all his hype and shine. While fan frustrations are growing in leaps and bounds, that is not enough to break Swinney’s morals. That’s when the viral “go somewhere else” dropped in. But the head coach seems to be clueless about his tenure as the Clemson head coach. 

While committed, Swinney made it clear he won’t cling to the job if support at Clemson fades. “If they want me gone, they can send me on my way,” said the head coach. “If they’re tired of winning, they can send me on my way. I won’t stop. I’m 55. I’ll go somewhere else and win. I ain’t going to the beach.” Understandable. Swinney right now has too many things on his plate, Klubnik being the biggest trouble, to think about his “viral” comment. That’s when he closed any further discussion, smiling yet with a blunt remark.

On September 17, Clemson beat writer Chapel Fowler tweeted, “Dabo, laughing: ‘I have no idea if it went viral. I don’t pay attention to that stuff. I don’t have a clue. I just come in here and do what I’m supposed to do and y’all create whatever headlines you want from there.’ Says his focus is solely on Saturday’s game.” Wondering what the context is all about?  

Fowler retweeted his own tweet, where he dropped intel on how Swinney is running away from the Clemson officials. The beat writer wrote, “Clemson coach Dabo Swinney says he hasn’t talked to AD Graham Neff or president Jim Clements after his Tuesday press conference — in which he said he’d ‘go coach somewhere else’ if Clemson was tired of winning — went viral. Says he’s just focused on beating Syracuse.” Keeping all the social media hoopla aside, how hot is Swinney’s head coaching seat?

The Tigers had a sloppy start. Clemson came into the season riding high at No. 6 in the preseason US LBM Coaches Poll. But their happy times did not last long. They have already hit turbulence, dropping to 1-2 after a heartbreaker against Georgia Tech on Saturday, September 13. A 55-yard field goal as the clock hit zero stole the win right from under their paws. The rocky start began with a top-10 loss to LSU, then Clemson showed grit in Week 2, clawing back from a 16-0 deficit to edge unranked Troy 27-16. Momentum, it seems, is still elusive for the Tigers.

Now the question remains, will Clemson be ready to dish out a $60 million check to get rid of Swinney? The head coach has already created a backup as per his contract, which includes clauses that allow Swinney to pursue another college team, or even the NFL. But maybe he must first focus on sharpening his current chapter.

Dabo Swinney’s future at Death Valley threatened by quarterback woes

After the Tiers took a L from Georgia Tech, analyst David Pollack broke down Klubnik’s play on his podcast. He said, “It’s just… it’s got to be frustrating if you’re a Clemson fan to see all those pieces and Clubnik is so hot and cold… Like, he makes some throws that literally made me go, ‘Wow, like holy cow.’” The next moment, Swinney’s quarterback fumbled, leaving fans sighing, ‘God, why?’

Talking about Klubnik’s talents? Swinney’s quarterback flashed his talent, completing 15 of 26 passes for 207 yards and a touchdown, including a massive 73-yard strike to Bryant Wesco Jr. that briefly put Clemson ahead. But he failed to maintain consistency throughout. There came two costly turnovers, a first-quarter fumble and a third-quarter interception. That’s when Pollack jumped to the conclusion, “I don’t think they are in the ACC.” On top of that, Swinney and co.’s upcoming face off will be against Florida State, Louisville, and Miami, making the analyst believe, “there is nothing I have seen from them that makes them think they can win.” If that’s not enough of a wake-up call for Swinney, here comes some more. 

Looks like Todd McShay, too, is not buying into Cade Klubnik’s 2025 season feat. On The Triple Option podcast, he said, “I see a quarterback who comes into games and is like a little too amped up. Pressure–the pressure has been on him. It seems like Klubnik has not gotten into his rhythm.” Dabo Swinney’s quarterback is now burdened under the numbers: 54.3 pass protection grade against LSU, 53.8 for the run block game against Georgia Tech. Swinney’s quarterback troubles are mounting, and a move ‘somewhere else’ could be next. But the question is, who’s willing to take him on?