At one point during the last decade of college football, the Alabama Crimson Tide was led by Nick Saban, while the Clemson Tigers were led by Dabo Swinney. Both coaches enjoyed tremendous success, guiding their programs to multiple College Football Playoff appearances and national championships.
However, Saban is no longer coaching, and Swinney’s Clemson Tigers have not reached the playoff in more than half a decade. Some have begun to question whether Swinney’s firm stance on NIL has backfired.
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Prominent college football analyst Paul Finebaum has not viewed Clemson as a legitimate contender for quite some time. When a caller confronted Finebaum on his show about his repeated criticism of the program, Finebaum responded by trolling the caller.
“I think he believes if he keeps repeating the same lie that Clemson is legitimate and Dabo [Swinney] is a good coach, it will make him at least feel better short term,” Finebaum said.
Clemson is no longer a contender
However, perhaps the harsher reality is that Clemson is no longer a true contender, at least until Swinney acknowledges that the landscape of college football has changed and NIL has become a major factor in recruiting.
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That realization may not come anytime soon. To be clear, Clemson players do receive NIL benefits, and Swinney is not preventing his players from earning money.
However, Swinney has been outspoken about using NIL as a primary factor in recruiting. Additionally, despite Clemson continuing to attract high-caliber talent, the program has not produced enough results since the start of the decade.
Swinney has brought in plenty of four- and five-star recruits through his classes, but the results simply have not matched the talent level.
The 2025 season was particularly difficult for Clemson, and speculation grew about whether Swinney could lose his job. For now, though, he remains the Tigers’ head coach.
