Dabo Swinney period at Clemson reaches all-time low
Clemson soccer has been trending within the flawed course for a number of years now. It could have lastly reached the underside for the Dabo Swinney period on Saturday.
The Tigers not solely misplaced, 20-6, at house to Georgia Tech, however they have been bodily dominated and utterly outplayed.
It will get even worse whenever you notice Georgia Tech entered the day with simply two wins and has fired 4 assistant coaches in-season.
Contemplating the opponent, the house sport and this system’s total slide, it is likely to be the worst efficiency by a Clemson group within the Swinney period.
It is also getting tougher and tougher to justify not making a change.
Dabo Swinney period at Clemson could have reached the underside with Georgia Tech loss
Saturday’s loss is already the fourth of the season for Clemson, making it the fourth consecutive season this system has misplaced not less than 4 video games.
That had by no means occurred at every other level within the Swinney period.
They’re additionally only one loss away from shedding not less than 5 video games in consecutive seasons. That has not occurred since his first two years on the job, all the best way again in 2009 and 2010 when he was attempting to rescue this system from the mediocrity of the Tommy Bowden period, and every thing that got here earlier than it.
In between these early years and these more moderen years, Swinney turned Clemson into one in every of faculty soccer’s most dominant powers and a mini-dynasty between 2015 and 2019 when it performed in 4 Nationwide Championship video games in a five-year window, profitable two of them.
It has been steadily downhill since then, and it isn’t onerous to attract the road within the sand for when all of it modified.
All of it started with the introduction of NIL and the switch portal, and Swinney (and Clemson’s) incapacity to adapt to it.
You cannot take away the entire constructive that he has accomplished for this system. His resume speaks for itself. Banners hold endlessly, and Swinney helped give this system two of them. However in some unspecified time in the future issues begin to get stale after 18 years.
Generally the message will get stale.
Generally a program wants a brand new voice.
Generally an individual who has been working a group for practically 20 years doesn’t totally adapt to the altering sport.
Generally it’s the entire above, or a mix of a number of components.
It’s a story as outdated as sports activities. It’s onerous to disregard the truth that it’s occurring at Clemson.
The Tigers entered the 2025 season because the preseason No. 4 group within the nation. Since then, they’re 13-10 total, solely 9-10 in opposition to energy 4 faculties and solely 1-3 in opposition to ranked opponents. The one win over a ranked opponent was a 20-19 win in opposition to then-No. 19-ranked Louisville late within the 2025 season.
Towards ranked opponents this season, they’re 0-2, having misplaced to LSU and Miami by an mixture rating of 92-23.
They haven’t been ranked since Week 3 of the 2025 season.
It’s simply not what Clemson has been below Swinney at its peak.
Annually, they appear to get farther from it. They’ve by no means appeared additional away than they do after Saturday’s sport.
