Why Josh Pate Calls Dabo Swinney a 'Unique Case' Entering 2026

It’s rare in the era of college football that we are in to say that coaches have immunity in their respective positions. College football analyst Josh Pate might have Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney in the case, though.

Pate was a guest on Bussin’ With The Boys, hosted by Taylor Lewan and Will Compton, and was asked about where the Clemson Tigers stand entering the 2026 season. The analyst spoke on what the program can do with Swinney, especially if Clemson can’t respond following a 7-6 season in 2025.

But Swinney has other plans, and he used an overhaul to help him do so.

“Dabo Swinney is 1,000% resolute that they’ve made the right moves that they’ve needed to make,” Pate said. “They’re not done; they’re just getting started.”

The consensus on Swinney’s responses throughout this adversity is mentioning the past. Swinney says that the Tigers have ruled the ACC since he has been at the helm of the program. Clemson also has two national championships under its name, and there’s only one other coach who can say they’ve done that, too: Georgia’s Kirby Smart.

But that’s where the argument begins for Pate. It begs the question of what type of line is there involving a coach who has been successful in the past, but not now? The changing landscape of college football only amplifies the point.

“I don’t know if history is always the absolute best indicator of what the future holds in the sport,” he said. “That’s where the disconnect is.”

When it comes to coaching changes, there’s a specific formula that ends up happening. However, that recipe is thrown out the window when there’s a resume like two national championships and a handful of ACC Championships, including one that was won in 2024.

It’s why Pate calls it a one-of-a-kind situation with a coach like Swinney. If the Tigers have a strong 2026 year, however, this argument will be completely gone.

“It’s such a unique case because in the normal world, when there’s expectation and you fall flat, you’re on the hot seat next year, and if you don’t deliver the next year, you’re fired,” Pate said. “But this is Dabo Swinney, the face of Clemson football.”

After all, he did take down the best of the best during their peak.

“He won multiple national titles. He did it against the apex predator in the sport while the apex predator was at its best in Alabama,” Pate said. “He’s a legend. He’s an icon. He’s Rushmore-caliber, in my lifetime, of head coaches.”

So the college football analyst understands why Swinney keeps going back to the past to harp on his achievements. In a world where short-term success is looked at more than long-term success, Clemson’s head coach wants to put it in perspective first.

“He’s proven people wrong before, and he will bottle that up this year,” Pate said. “He will bottle up the whole, ‘Well, they’re doubting us again. You know what we’ve done historically when people doubt us.’”

The Tigers will need to get back to winning ways, which is possible with the coaching changes and the largest number of incoming transfers that the program has had. If that doesn’t happen, perhaps there could be an interesting conversation that would end up occurring.

Pate doesn’t expect the program to take away the person who built it, though.

“So, are you really going to tell me they’re going to tell that guy, ‘Thanks, but no thanks. You’re done here.’”

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