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Clemson HC Dabo Swinney Could Have Been Mike Norvell
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- Clemson HC Dabo Swinney Could Have Been Mike Norvell
(Melina Myers-Imagn Images)
The Clemson Tigers hammered the Florida State Seminoles by a score of 36-24 this past Saturday, marking a pivotal moment for a Clemson squad that desperately needed a win.
It also represented a critical juncture for Florida State, which ultimately fired head coach Mike Norvell after the loss.
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Norvell spent six-plus seasons in Tallahassee, going 41-39 with just one bowl victory. In fact, the Seminoles have not even qualified for a bowl game since 2023, when they went 13-1 and fell to Georgia in the Orange Bowl by a score of 63-3.
Norvell never quite recovered after that humiliation, having gone 10-22 ever since. His dismissal was probably even a bit too late.
But what about Dabo Swinney ?
Swinney is obviously not in the same boat as Norvell. The man hasn't posted a losing record since 2010, posted 12 straight double-digit win campaigns between 2011 and 2022, participated in four National Championship Games from 2015 and 2019 and won a pair of national titles.
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However, there is no question that Swinney's reputation has taken a massive hit the past several years, and after going 7-6 last season and having started 4-3 this year before defeating Florida State, his seat was absolutely warm.
And had the Tigers fell to the Noles over the weekend, the temperature underneath Swinney would have increased significantly. That's especially after Clemson lost at home to Virginia Tech the week prior.
Was Swinney coaching for his job this past Saturday? Probably not. I don't think Swinney would have been canned had the Tigers fell to the Seminoles. But would the negative chatter surrounding him have leveled up? Absolutely. Would it have pushed him that much closer to being out the door at the end of this season? Sure.
For now, though, Swinney showed that he still has some oomph left. That was a big win by Clemson, and it showed that the team has not completely abandoned its head coach.
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That doesn't mean Swinney is completely out of the woods. The Tigers are now 5-3, and they have a tough road matchup with Syracuse on tap this weekend. And you know what? Their regular-season finale against South Carolina now looks considerably more challenging.
Swinney once looked invincible. He appeared to be on track for a Nick Saban type of resume. That's how dominant he had been throughout most of his Clemson tenure.
But now, at this point, he seems to have more in common with Norvell than Saban. At least at this current stage in 2026.
