AUSTIN, Texas — Following Clemson’s 38-24 loss to Texas on Saturday evening in the first round of the College Football Playoff, Dabo Swinney emerged from his team’s locker room in a noticeably good mood.
Part of that stemmed from who Swinney is — an eternal optimist.
Part of it came from a place of reflection — no one expected Clemson to sneak into the first 12-team Playoff as a 12 seed after the Tigers lost to rival South Carolina, their third loss of the regular season, before they squeezed into the ACC title game and won it. On Saturday, Clemson fought until the end on the road against No. 5 Texas.
And part of it was because Swinney knows what’s coming: The majority of his team will return in 2025, likely including five-star quarterback Cade Klubnik.
But as Swinney smiled and even cracked a few jokes, the 55-year-old was still keenly aware of what many of his supporters surely were thinking.
Clemson’s place in college football is on his mind, too.
“We’ve gotta improve everywhere if we want to get to the top,” Swinney said. “We were good enough to get into the Playoff, good enough to win the league, but not good enough to win it all.
“We’ve got a chance to be a really, really good football team and grow and get better. … It’s my job to make sure we do that.”
That’s the prevailing thought around a Clemson program again at a crossroads. The Tigers made six consecutive appearances in the four-team Playoff from 2015-20 and won two national championships along the way as Swinney built Clemson into one of the sport’s premier programs, alongside Alabama. But the step backward has been notable since. And after Saturday, the Tigers are still looking for answers. Klubnik and the offense did everything they could to keep Clemson in it, but were (again) let down by a defense that couldn’t find a way to stop Texas’ run game.
“It stinks but we’ll build on this. This will be just another step in the direction that we want to go, to get back to the top of the mountain,” Swinney said. “You’ve got to put yourself in position — we did that. And you’ve gotta learn and grow — we’ll do that.”
The Longhorns outclassed the Tigers up front, finishing the night with 292 rushing yards — the most Clemson has relinquished in a single game since 2014 against Georgia and star running back Todd Gurley. Jaydon Blue went for 146 yards and two touchdowns on 14 carries, including a 77-yard touchdown run that all but sealed Clemson’ fate in the fourth quarter. Quintrevion Wisner racked up 110 yards and two touchdowns of his own on 15 carries.
“The edges — they did a really good job,” Clemson defensive tackle Payton Page said. “Props to them.”
Clemson adjusted well in the third quarter, giving up just 3.1 yards per carry after Texas finished the first half averaging 6.7 yards per run. But the fourth quarter created issues again, particularly when Blue took off for the 77-yard run just 50-some seconds after Clemson had made it a one-score game with about 12 minutes to play.
The Tigers entered Saturday having struggled against the run all year, especially considering they gave up 288 yards on the ground to The Citadel (an FCS team) and 267 against rival South Carolina. But Saturday’s defensive woes prompted questions for Swinney about the future of his defensive coordinator, Wes Goodwin, whom he promoted from behind-the-scenes analyst to one of the biggest jobs in college football three years ago when Brent Venables left to take the Oklahoma head coaching job.
The Tigers have plenty of talent defensively with multiple former five-stars, but have looked out of sorts compared with the units Venables fielded.
Swinney brushed off the notion of any impending staff changes, saying he wasn’t “worried about any of that stuff.” After three seasons of sputtering in the post-Trevor Lawrence era, the offense finally found its momentum again this year under second-year coordinator Garrett Riley. The defense may require further review.
Goodwin had no other option than to speak like someone who expects to return, but acknowledged his unit’s shortcomings and said the “little things” hindered the Tigers.
“In January, we’ll do our end-of-the-year self-scout review and just look at all the issues and problems and how teams attacked us. … You can just see the trends and stuff,” Goodwin said.
“Just assess all of that with the staff, (looking at) cut-ups by coverages, fronts, personnel, groupings, so forth and so on and just give a thorough evaluation and then lay out the plan for February and just how we get better and attack that plan.”
As the Tigers head back to Clemson and stare down the offseason instead of a trip to the Peach Bowl in nearby Atlanta, Swinney and the Tigers understand their standard is different because of the program’s recent precedent. For most programs, 10 wins and a Playoff appearance would be enough.
Swinney signed two transfer portal players this week — including Purdue star edge rusher Will Heldt — in a move that showed he’s willing to navigate (at his own pace) the current landscape of college football. But he’ll still need to assess Clemson’s issues and evaluate where his program is headed.
Klubnik — who finished the night 26-of-43 passing for 336 yards and three touchdowns against one interception in his return to his hometown — politely declined to give an answer about his future. If he returns and Clemson figures out its defense, the Tigers should enter the 2025 season with a chance to be competitive again.
How competitive remains to be seen. But the Tigers seem to know the pressure is on.
“I know that times are hard,” star linebacker Barrett Carter said, talking directly to Clemson fans after the final game of his college career. “I know that y’all wanted more from us. But the love has always been there unconditionally, and I just hope that y’all just keep supporting us.”
(Photo: Tim Warner / Getty Images)
