Two-Time National Champion Head Coach Under Pressure With Unproven QB

Chaos reigned supreme during the 2025-2026 college football head coaching carousel. Between September and February, 34 different head coaching positions opened up across the FBS ranks.

The coaching carousel coming to college football next season will be quieter as a result of the one this past season, but multiple programs are growing impatient with their sitting head coaches. Among the impatient programs is Clemson, which is entering its eighteenth full season with Dabo Swinney at the helm.

Swinney has been a part of the Clemson football program since 2003, working his way up as a recruiting coordinator and wide receivers coach before succeeding Tommy Bowden in the midst of the 2008 season. He has cemented himself as a legendary figure in Clemson football history, leading the Tigers to nine ACC Championship victories and a pair of national championship wins in 2016 and 2018.

However, Clemson's waning national prominence over the past seven seasons has created a stale marriage between the fan base and Swinney.

The Tigers' run of quarterbacks from Tajh Boyd, to Deshaun Watson and to Trevor Lawrence was a catalyst for their national success. However, the play of DJ Uiagalelei and Cade Klubnik over the past five seasons was underwhelming to a spoiled fan base.

The 2025 season brought a new low to Clemson following its prosperous run. The Tigers were projected as an eventual ACC champion and College Football Playoff participant heading into the season. Clemson finished the season 7-6 overall, needing to win two of its last three to play in a bowl game.

Robby Kalland of CBS Sports released a piece on what early betting lines tell the college football world about potential College Football Playoff contenders in 2026 on Friday. Clemson's 2026 season opener at LSU was among the games on the list, the back end of a home-and-home that saw LSU win its first leg at Clemson (17-10) a season ago.

"Dabo Swinney, meanwhile, enters 2026 on the hot seat," Kalland wrote. "If this matchup follows the script set by the early line, the pressure surrounding the longtime Clemson coach is only likely to intensify."

With Klubnik now out of the picture, the Tigers will pivot to junior Christopher Vizzina as their starter at this critical juncture of Swinney's tenure. The 6-foot-4, 210-pounder was a top 10 quarterback in the class of 2023 when he signed with Clemson.

Vizzina only appeared in two games his freshman season in order to maintain his redshirt. In total, he has completed 64 of 105 pass attempts for 596 yards, four touchdowns and an interception over the course of 14 games.