John Fanta compares Dabo Swinney to John Calipari amid down season, increasing tension

NBC Sports’ John Fanta compared Dabo Swinney to John Calipari and it might be time for the football coach to get a fresh start. He compared it to Calipari going from Kentucky to Arkansas and having a renewed energy as a coach.

He led the Razorbacks to the Sweet 16 this year and suddenly, Arkansas has increased expectations as Calipari tries to win it all with his new squad. For Swinney, Clemson went from perennial title contender, with two victories to boot, to a team that faltered in 2025 after preseason expectations to compete for a national title. As Fanta put it, Swinney’s time at Clemson has run its course. 

“1,000,000%. I think that he is John Calipari going to Arkansas, waiting to happen,” Fanta said on Pardon My Take. “I think things have run their course. You want to end things in a place where, like, it wouldn’t end pretty … This is like a marriage that started out really strong and had some terrific memories, and you even had a couple of kids, and you’re proud of what you produced. But then you get about, you know, 17, 18, years into it, and you wake up one morning and you say,’ Man, is this what I want to do for the rest of my life?’ …

“But the fact is, like, if you’re Dabo … somebody’s got to say to him, I always think about these coaches? Does anyone get through to them? Like some of them? The answer is no, but at some point, even Cal had someone get through to him and be like, ‘Look, there’s still something in there. It’s just not going to happen here,’ And like, when Cal got to the Sweet 16 this past year, remember the energy, remember the feeling?” 

Clemson is 3-5 this year and are coming off a gut wrenching 46-45 to Duke. Overall, Swinney is 183-52 and has won two national titles. Despite winning the ACC last year, Swinney and Clemson are in danger of having their first losing season under his watch since 2010.

“Like, think about Dabo, let’s just say he goes to, I’m just going to throw it out,” Fanta said. “Let’s just say he goes to Virginia Tech. Like, I don’t think that’ll happen because it’s within the ACC, but maybe he goes, maybe he takes Florida State or something, maybe, maybe he takes Florida …  but he takes one of those programs to the playoff all of a sudden, he writes something new that gives a different energy, and sometimes more energy, because that fanbase hasn’t, they haven’t tasted it yet. The Clemson fans have tasted the top. 

“Once you’ve tasted the top, it’s so much harder to stay there, especially in this climate. So for Dabo, your story’s written at Clemson. I think it’s probably best for both parties, for him to be elsewhere, and for Clemson to move forward in some other way, because it’s run its course.”