Things are starting to heat up around an ACC team, and not in a good way. After a 7-6 season and playoff miss, Clemson is expecting a major turnaround, which puts the $57 million head coach right into the hot seat. The worst part is that despite having a solid team and a reliable roster, the team’s performance went flat.

“Nine draft picks all in the first five rounds, by the way,” On3’s Andy Staples said on the College Football Enquirer podcast. “So these weren’t just NFL players. These were people the NFL really liked. This team seriously underachieved. You think Dabo Sweeney, who brought Clemson to national titles, who took Clemson from kind of an also-ran, like a pretty good ACC program, to a national elite program, you’d think he’d be bulletproof.”

“I’m not so sure he is anymore. If I were Graham Neff, their AD, I would have to look around the sport at what happened to James Franklin, what happened to Jimbo Fisher, what happened to Mark Stoops, and go, my peers, seem to think that this is not an absolute situation just because of the buyout,” Andy Staples added.

Dabo Swinney transformed Clemson into a national elite program. You would naturally think that buys him absolute job security. But college football has changed. Just ask James Franklin, Mark Stoops, or Sam Pittman. Athletic directors are no longer afraid to pull the plug, regardless of past championships or massive buyouts. Last time Dabo Swinney made the playoffs was in 2024, and after last year’s miss, the pressure to keep his team consistent is falling right on him and putting him in the hot seat.

The frustration boils down to wasted NFL-level talent. Clemson matched a school record with nine players drafted this year. Having that much pro-ready talent without securing a playoff berth is a massive red flag. It shows the roster isn’t the problem; the coaching execution is.

This becomes even clearer when we compare it with other teams. Schools like Texas A&M and Texas Tech still made it to the playoffs even though they did not have top-level quarterbacks. At the same time, Clemson struggled, and their quarterback Cade Klubnik did not perform well under Dabo Swinney.

Out of the nine teams that had eight or more players selected in the NFL draft, only two teams, Miami and Indiana, were able to go past the quarterfinal stage of the College Football Playoff. This shows top talent does not guarantee a playoff berth, as teams like Ohio State also couldn’t reach the end. But Clemson’s draft picks explain the situation perfectly.

One big reason Clemson cannot easily fire Dabo Swinney is the huge amount of money involved. In 2021, he signed a 10-year contract worth $115 million, which lasts until the end of the 2031 season. Because of this deal, he is one of the highest-paid coaches in college football.

If Clemson decides to remove him after the 2025 season, it would have to pay around $60 million as a buyout. This amount becomes slightly lower, about $57 million, if they wait until 2026. After that, from 2027 onward, the school would still have to pay whatever salary remains in his contract. Clemson also has to choose how to pay this money. They can either pay it slowly in installments until 2031 or pay the full amount within 90 days of firing him. Either way, it’s a loss for the university.

Swinney does have a valid defense regarding the chaos of the transfer portal. The modern game is quite brutal on traditional recruiting. He recently lost star linebacker recruit Luke Ferrelli to Ole Miss amid a blatant $2 million tampering push. For a coach who builds on loyalty, this pay-for-play era is, unfortunately, his worst nightmare. But despite all the chaos, the team is still getting the benefit of the doubt from fans and analysts.

Dabo Swinney gets major backing ahead of the 2026 season

Clemson is starting to regain their position in college football once again. CBS Sports has ranked the team at No. 22 after spring, which means they are back in the Top 25 teams. This is a major win for Dabo Swinney’s program after being left out of January’s rankings.

Analyst Brandon Marcello explained the real deal behind this level of trust, which is team success over the years under Swinney, not their team’s excellence this year. Another reason is that OC Chad Morris’ return to the team also adds to the confidence.

“This ranking is more a credit to Dabo Swinney’s consistency rather than the talent on board,” Marcello said. “Christopher Vizzina steps in as the starting quarterback with coordinator Chad Morris returning after a decade away from Clemson. The defense won the spring game, with the first-teamers combining for nine sacks, but only two offensive starters were on the field. Tom Allen is calling plays for a second year.”

Apart from offense, even their defense looks strong, with Clemson recording nine sacks during the spring game. With Tom Allen’s return for another year, the team also looked prepared for the 2026 season. Now, the only trouble is their tough schedule. Their season starts with a big game against LSU on September 5. At home, they will play important matches against Miami, Virginia Tech, and their rival South Carolina at the end of the season.

With everything at stake, it will be interesting to see how things turn out for Dabo Swinney and his team and if he can actually end the hot-seat warnings against him after the 2026 season.