Dabo Swinney Lists Four Reasons Behind Clemson’s Disappointing 2025 Season

On Friday afternoon, Clemson Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney held his first media availability of the offseason, joined by new offensive coordinator Chad Morris and athletics director Graham Neff.

The most viral headline from the hour-and-a-half press conference came when Swinney called out Ole Miss head coach Pete Golding for tampering, a situation that led to the poaching of transfer linebacker Luke Ferrelli.

Beyond that, Swinney also reflected on what went wrong during Clemson’s worst season since 2010, outlining four key factors he believes contributed to the Tigers’ disappointing 7-6 finish.

Scoring Offense

The first factor Swinney mentioned in the bunch was the scoring offense.

In 2025, Clemson averaged only 27.2 points per game — ranking No. 72 nationally — a massive drop-off from the previous season, when the Tigers boasted a top-20 scoring offense, averaging nearly 35 points per contest.

It’s also the lowest average since 2021, and the third-worst output in Swinney’s 17-year tenure as head coach.

However, Morris is looking to take Clemson back to the glory days, as he led the Tigers to an average of over 36 points per game during his four-year tenure from 2011 to 2014.

“We’re a two-back, run-oriented play action shot football team that’s going to take great pride in pushing the ball down the field,” Morris said Friday. “We want to push the ball down the field at least three times a quarter, and that means the ball traveling in the air 25 yards or more three times a quarter.”

“In 2011, it was all about tempo, tempo, tempo. Well, defenses have caught up to that. So tempo now is the ability to change the pace of play and do it out of different structures. Play fast, play really fast, be able to huddle at times, get underneath center, and be able to change those things.”

Rushing & Third-Down Offense

We chose to group these two factors, as Swinney noted during his media availability that Clemson’s offensive scoring struggles were a “reflection of” the Tigers’ difficulties in both the rushing game and on third down.

When reflecting on Clemson’s ground game in 2025, it was clear that Swinney was frustrated by the lack of utilization of the Tigers’ backfield playmakers under former offensive coordinator Garrett Riley.

In the season opener against LSU, Clemson handed the ball off to its running backs nine times, a decision that played a significant role in the Tigers’ home-opening loss. After the game, Swinney addressed what he believed was the offense’s biggest concern.

“We just didn’t get the run game going,” he said. “We were one point something per carry and had missed opportunities.”

Unfortunately, that trend persisted throughout the season, as Clemson finished 2025 ranked No. 105 nationally in rushing offense — placing the Tigers in the bottom 30 of all FBS programs — while averaging fewer than four yards per carry.

Clemson’s third-down offense fared similarly, ranking as the 22nd-worst unit in the country in 2025 after converting just 34.3% of its third-down attempts.

Pass Defense

Swinney rounded out the discussion by calling the 2025 passing defense “probably the worst I’ve had since I’ve been a head coach.” While that statement may sound hyperbolic, the numbers largely back it up.

In 2025, Clemson ranked among the worst pass defenses in the country, allowing 251.2 yards per game (No. 118 nationally). They allowed a first down on every completion, as opposing offenses averaged 11.11 yards per reception.

Those struggles were magnified in high-leverage moments, as opposing offenses consistently generated explosive plays in obvious passing situations.

One of the most memorable examples came when Khalil Barnes allowed a go-ahead touchdown against Duke just before halftime, followed by Barnes’ reaction to Swinney scolding him on the sideline. The clip went viral on social media and became emblematic of the unit’s season-long issues.

The complete lack of respect here from Khalil Barnes is something I'd never imagine I'd see at Clemson.

Dismissive, amused, unengaged. Uncoachable pic.twitter.com/MtEMmFCMY1
— Pope Clemson I (@PopeClemson1st) November 1, 2025

For a program built on elite defense throughout its championship era, the 2025 performance represented a steep and uncharacteristic decline, often placing added strain on an offense already fighting to stay afloat.