<a href="https://www.on3.com/rivals/coach/nick-saban-133646/">Nick Saban</a> would be quite surprised if <a href="https://www.on3.com/rivals/coach/dabo-swinney-131248/">Dabo Swinney</a> decided to leave <a href="https://www.on3.com/sites/tiger-illustrated/">Clemson</a> at the end of the season. With many jobs opening in college football, there’s been speculation Swinney would look for a fresh start elsewhere.



<a href="https://www.on3.com/college/clemson-tigers/news/john-fanta-compares-dabo-swinney-to-john-calipari-amid-down-season-increasing-tension/">NBC Sports’ John Fanta suggested</a> Swinney could go the way of <a href="https://www.on3.com/rivals/coach/john-calipari-131119/">John Calipari</a>, leaving his long time post for a new one after running his course. Calipari went from <a href="https://www.on3.com/teams/kentucky-wildcats/">Kentucky</a> to <a href="https://www.on3.com/sites/hawg-beat/">Arkansas</a> last year and has a renewed sense of coaching energy.



<a href="https://www.on3.com/college/clemson-tigers/news/why-dabo-swinney-avoiding-hot-seat-talk-despite-natural-shelf-life-josh-pate/">Swinney might be able to avoid any sort of hot seat talk</a>, due to his two national titles. But a disappointing 2025 season has certainly gotten Clemson fans restless. Still, a legend like Saban can’t see the Tigers’ coach going anywhere else.



“It would surprise me,” Saban said on <a href="https://x.com/CollegeGameDay">College GameDay.</a> “In my conversation with him, he never mentioned that. I mean, he was totally focused on what his team needs to do.”



When Swinney became Clemson’s full-time head coach in 2009, the program had not won 10 games since 1990. He has achieved that mark 13 times, including 12 seasons in a row from 2011-22. <a href="https://www.on3.com/college/clemson-tigers/news/why-dabo-swinney-avoiding-hot-seat-talk-despite-natural-shelf-life-josh-pate/">College football analyst Josh Pate argued</a> Swinney is well on his way to the College Football Hall of Fame, no matter how – or when – things end in Clemson.



Since 2018, when Clemson went 15-0, Clemson lost one game in 2019 and two in 2020. From there, the Tigers lost three games in 2021 and 2022; four games in 2023 and 2024; and so far, five games in 2025.



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.”

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Nick Saban would be surprised if Dabo Swinney left Clemson for another job

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