Let’s do a little imagining here. It’s late January 2026. Confetti’s falling, fans are screaming, and that coach who’s been taking more heat in the NIL era is hoisting up another national championship trophy. And of course, we’re not talking about Nick Saban, who’s already cemented his legacy in college football with six National Championships. But suddenly, the conversation is about this underrated HC possibly sitting right behind the GOAT himself. 

Dabo Swinney. Did it even come as a surprise? He’s got Clemson at the top projection for the 2025 season. And that too with folks doubting his old-school strategies and calling him outdated. This $115 million man isn’t just still standing, he’s building and winning. And now the path to immortality is right in front of him. 

Josh Pate made sure everyone knew about it. A new video surfaced on CBS Sports’ Instagram video on May 22 with the caption — “Would a third national championship solidify Dabo Swinney among the all-time greats?” The CBS analyst dropped his stance, saying, “If Dabo Swinney wins a national title this year and you remove Nick Saban, I think he’s in the conversation with any other coach that’s ever coached this game.” That’s legacy talk. 

This isn’t just a resume thing. This is a context thing. Since the CFP era, Clemson has been a regular in the big games — seven playoff trips in ten years! In 2024, Dabo Swinney and the Tigers posted another 10-win season, marking 14 straight years with 9+ wins. And his two National Championship victories in 2016 and 2018? He earned it while going toe-to-toe with the legendary Nick Saban during the peak of the Alabama dynasty. And the potential third title would be the sweetest, considering what has transpired so far since his last title. 

“If he wins a third one this year, he will have done so in the face of everyone, including me, who told him that his ways and his approach to the new era of college football would not yield that kind of fruit anymore,” Josh Pate said. You see, Dabo Swinney hasn’t exactly embraced the transfer portal era or NIL like the rest of the schools. He’s stuck to his script. Only 70 scholarships this cycle, one of the lowest in the country. “We’re never going to outbid anybody for a freshman,” that’s his mindset. And yet here he is still winning, still on top of the national title conversation. And would he stop the show if he got his third win?

Is Dabo Swinney on a sunset ride?

It’s been a long ride for Dabo Swinney, who’s been with Clemson as a WR coach since 2002 before transitioning to the HC role in October 2008. In another show with David Pollack, Josh Pate dropped a wild prediction on his coaching career. “If they were to go on a run in the portal NIL era of college football, I don’t know if he’d retire; he’d coach 30 more years for all I know,” he said. “But that would be the moment if you ever wanted the ultimate ride off into the sunset moment.” Well, he’s only 55. There’s still good years ahead of him. But the way the analyst painted the picture, it’s a scene made for the movies. 

“Right on the national championship stage, confetti still raining down,” Pate described. “You just say, thank you, good night, and throw that thing and just walk down a tunnel. And that’s the last week ever seen of Dabo Swinney.” Talk about a dramatic, unforgettable exit! And yeah, the expectation is high because QB Cade Klubnik is returning for a third season with additional receiving weapons in Bryant Wesco and T.J. Moore. So, the time is now. 

If Dabo Swinney gets that third natty, you’re looking at the second name etched on the Mount Rushmore of modern CFB right behind Nick Saban.