College football insider sends Dabo Swinney hot seat warning for next year at Clemson

Josh Pate believes the margin for error is gone for Dabo Swinney at Clemson, warning that significant change is required or the program risks being passed by in modern era of college football.

During Sunday night's Josh Pate’s College Football Show, he reacted to Clemson’s 28-20 loss to Penn State Nittany Lions in the Pinstripe Bowl, which dropped the Tigers to 7-6. It marked Clemson’s first six-loss season since 2010 and its most disappointing finish under Swinney.

Clemson entered the season ranked No. 4 in the AP Top 25 and widely expected to contend for the ACC title and the College Football Playoff. Instead, the Tigers fell short despite returning the nation’s top production roster and leaning almost exclusively on internally developed players.

Pate argued the season represented a referendum on Swinney’s long-held approach, particularly Clemson’s reluctance to embrace the transfer portal and NIL-driven roster building. While praising Swinney’s values and long-term impact, Pate said adaptability has become a prerequisite for sustained success.

“You’ve seen what Clemson can be, because Dabo Swinney showed you,” Pate said. “And now you won’t accept anything less. And they’ve become less than what they were. College football has changed all around Dabo Swinney. Dabo has changed minimally to keep up with the changes in college football.”

On paper, Pate added that next season offers little reason for optimism without philosophical shifts. He questioned whether Swinney, now two national titles and multiple playoff runs into his career, is willing to alter his methods.

"I couldn’t think any more highly of him," Tate said of Swinney. "But there’s an end to everything. There’s an end to every run. And if you’re not going to get with the program here, I mean if you’re not going to adjust, if you’re not going to adapt, you will die as it pertains to being a playoff contender. That’s been an age-old concept. Tale as old as time. It’s happened a billion times. This would just be a billion and one.”

Pate stopped short of calling for change at the top but suggested Clemson may be nearing the end of an era if adaptation does not follow." 

Swinney is 180-47 during his time at Clemson. He previously said this season he has no intentions to stop coaching. 

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