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Dabo Swinney says Clemson's 1-3 start unexpected, but 'I don't think it caught God by surprise'
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- Dabo Swinney says Clemson's 1-3 start unexpected, but 'I don't think it caught God by surprise'
(This story was updated to add new information.)
CLEMSON — Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney said he is not considering midseason staff changes despite the Tigers starting 1-3.
"I don't anticipate that," Swinney said on his teleconference call on Sept. 22. "My focus is just on trying to have a great open date and try to kind of reset our goals. We've got an eight-game season, that's kind of how we have to look at it."
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Clemson (1-3, 0-2 ACC) is off to its worst start in 21 years after losing 34-21 at home to Syracuse (3-1, 1-0) in Week 4. The Tigers entered the 2025 season as ACC favorites and a popular pick to win the national championship after returning the most production of any Division I program and retaining every coach, including third-year offensive coordinator Garrett Riley.
Clemson 's Achilles' heel last season was its defense, prompting Swinney to hire defensive coordinator Tom Allen from Penn State . Through four weeks though, both units have failed to complement each other, contributing to Clemson having a less than 1% chance to win the conference and make the College Football Playoff, according to ESPN's FPI.
"This isn't what we expected, but I don't think it caught God by surprise," Swinney said. "That's just what I believe, and we'll rally, the open date is coming at a really good time for us."
Will Dabo Swinney bench Cade Klubnik for Christopher Vizzina?
Swinney is confident in senior quarterback Cade Klubnik despite his regression from last season. He is completing 60.1% of his passes for 996 yards, six touchdowns and four interceptions; Klubnik completed 63.4% of his throws for 3,639 yards, 36 touchdowns and six interceptions over 14 games in 2024.
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His play has contributed to Clemson's offense struggling, averaging 19.8 points (114th nationally) in 2025. Swinney said he is confident in backup quarterback Christopher Vizzina , a former four-star recruit, but is sticking with Klubnik.
"I definitely have confidence in CV. Who knows what the future holds, but where we are right now, we feel like Cade is still our starter," Swinney said.
MORE: Is Dabo Swinney on the hot seat? No, but it's been an uncomfortable four weeks at Clemson
Dabo Swinney says Clemson not going to win national championship this season
Swinney admitted Clemson's playoff hopes are over despite being predicted as a lock to make the 12-team tournament for the second straight season.
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"We're not going to win the national championship this year," Swinney said. "We won three in 130 years, but that doesn't mean we can't win this season, doesn't mean we can't finish well and doesn't mean that we can't enjoy the journey."
Clemson will likely play in a non-CFP bowl game for the fourth time and five seasons, but the Tigers can extend their 14-year streak of winning nine or more games, which is tied for the third-longest streak in major college football history, with a strong finish.
What happens if Dabo Swinney is fired by Clemson?
If Clemson were to fire Swinney "without cause," the school would owe him $60 million this season.
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If Swinney were to take another college job, he would owe Clemson $4 million. If he were to take the Alabama job, his alma mater, he would owe Clemson $6 million.
Swinney would not owe any money if he accepted an NFL head coach position as long as he or his agent "notify" Clemson athletic director Graham Neff prior to discussions for other employment.
Derrian Carter covers Clemson athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email him at dcarter@gannett.com and follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DerrianCarter00
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Dabo Swinney: Clemson football coach not considering staff, QB changes
