Dabo Swinney Says 'If Clemson's Tired of Winning, They Can Send Me on My Way' on Video

Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney said Tuesday he plans to "be around a while," whether it's with the Tigers or with another college football program.

Swinney spoke to reporters three days after Clemson dropped to 1-2, the program's worst season start since 2014.

"If they want me gone, if they're tired of winning, they can send me on the way, because that's all we've done is win," Swinney said Tuesday (h/t The Next Round). "So if they're tired of winning— we've won this league eight out of the last ten years. Is that not good? I'm just asking, is that good?"

Swinney continued, "If Clemson's tired of winning, they can send me on my way. But I'm going to go somewhere else and coach. I ain't going to the beach. Hell, I'm 55, I've got a long way to go. Y'all are gonna have to deal with me for a while."

Clemson, ranked at No. 12 in the AP poll heading into Week 3, dropped out of the Top 25 after losing to Georgia Tech last Saturday.

Swinney has served as Clemson's head coach since midway through the 2008 season.

The Tigers went on to record 14 straight nine-win seasons between 2011 and 2024.

That stretch included national championship wins after the 2016 and 2018 seasons, as well as a championship game appearance after the 2019 campaign.

Since losing the national title game to LSU in January 2020, however, Swinney's program has yet to go on a deep run. The team's only appearance in the playoff since then was in last season's expanded bracket, from which the Tigers bowed out with a first-round loss to Texas.

Swinney pushed back against questions regarding the 2025 start by by bringing up his program's past success.

"If we stink because we haven't played for the national championship since January of '20, then I guess we stink," Swinney told reporters on Tuesday. "We haven't won it since January of '19, we haven't won the national championship, well then I guess we stink. But why are we held to a different standard than all these other teams out there, who ain't never won nothing?

"We're not perfect. And we may suck this year. We may lay a freaking egg, and go 6-6. But I don't think so. And I know that's going to disappoint a lot of people."

Swinney signed a 10-year, $115 million extension with Clemson in 2022 which runs through the 2031 season. The deal includes a $60 million buyout for 2025, per ESPN's Andrea Adelson.

Clemson's remaining schedule includes only one game against a currently ranked team in No. 7 Florida State, raising Swinney's hopes of bouncing back down the stretch but damaging the Tigers' playoff odds.

The Tigers will look to even out their record with a win next Saturday against visiting Syracuse.