Clemson HC Dabo Swinney Delivers Powerful Message After Louisville Win

The Clemson Tigers aren’t having the season that they wished, but with a close win over a ranked opponent on Friday, the result came from the heart of the team.

Head coach Dabo Swinney described the win as “special”, detailing how close the team has gotten throughout the adversity of the 5-5 season.

“Tonight, you know, it went our way, but the credit belongs to the players because they just never quit,” Swinney said after the game. “I mean, they just hung in there and battled, and it’s special to see, I mean, I can’t even put it into words. I told it to the staff this week, like the tougher this season has gotten, the closer this team has become, the stronger that they’ve gotten, the more pain and the more disappointment, the more they’ve dug in, and it’s just been amazing to witness it.”

Close losses to Georgia Tech, SMU and Duke haven’t caused the team to grow apart and give up this season, the results have done the opposite. Each week, Clemson has gotten closer and closer, and Swinney and the coaching staff are in awe with the fight that the Tigers have shown each day.

Being able to see the team’s first ranked win over a top 25 opponent this season will be a catalyst for the remainder of the season, with the Tigers on the brink of making a bowl game with one more win this season.

“I mean, it’s just, this is why you do it,” Swinney said. “It’s special to be a part of a group of people who really love each other and care about each other, and that locker room was awesome.”

Adversity has defined the team’s season so far, and that was present at L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium on Friday night. Botched snaps and goal line stands put the Tigers on the back foot throughout the contest, but the mentality never wavered.

Using what Clemson has learned throughout the season, the players were able to overcome that adversity for the win, which Swinney commemorates.

“So many people, when they have adversity in their life, it defines you or destroys you, but if you’re made of the right stuff, it’ll develop you, and that’s what happened with this team,” he said. “It’s developed our spirit. It’s developed our toughness. It hasn’t defined or destroyed us. There’s a lot of teams out there that would have been defined or destroyed by a bad start, but not this group.”

Now, it’s a focus on finishing strong. Swinney has said multiple times that it hasn’t been the season that the Tigers desired, but a chance to go down the stretch and win out, including a bowl game, would give the team tremendous momentum going into 2026.

“If we continue to play like we’re playing, you know, just with the toughness and the grit and will to win, we can have a great finish,” Swinney said. “Can’t go back and get a start, but we can dang sure have the type of finish that we want to have. You know, anybody can have a great start, not everybody can finish well, but we got a chance to finish well, and I’m really, really proud of that.”

Clemson will be back in action next Saturday afternoon at home, hosting Furman in the team’s Senior Day game.