By Evan MasseyShareNewsweek is a Trust Project memberDabo Swinney and the Clemson Tigers entered the 2025 college football season with sky-high expectations. Many expected that Clemson would be a national championship favorite. That hasn't been the case.
Unfortunately, the season was doomed right off the bat.
In the season opener, the Tigers lost to LSU at home. That started an unraveling that no one expected from Clemson.
Read more: Ohio State’s Ryan Day’s Michigan Message Sparks Heated Reaction
Thankfully, after the Tigers defeated Furman this week, they became bowl eligible. However, they are just 6-5 on the year and their hopes of a College Football Playoff run have been over for a long time. Now, the question becomes, what does the future hold for Clemson following the end of the season?
...There have been some rumblings about Swinney potentially being on the hot seat. Others have suggested that Swinney should look to carve out a fresh start for himself away from the program he has coached since the 2008 season.
Should Swinney have any interest at all in hearing outside offers, there is one team that would make a ton of sense.
That team is none other than the Florida Gators.
Florida made the decision midseason to move on from head coach Billy Napier. Since that decision, the Gators have been searching for a new head coach. They have been heavily connected to Lane Kiffin, although he appears destined to stay at Ole Miss or become the new head coach at LSU.
Assuming Kiffin is out of the picture for Florida, Swinney would present an intriguing option.
Since taking over at Clemson back in 2008, Swinney has led the program to a 185-52 record. He has also won two national championship games with the Tigers and has made it to two more but come up short.
Read more: Todd McShay Reveals Surprising Heisman Pick Without Hesitation
Joining a powerhouse program like the Gators would have to be an intriguing idea for Swinney. Whether or not it would be intriguing enough to make him consider leaving Clemson is a complete unknown. However, it would be worth a phone call for Florida.
It will be interesting to see what the Gators end up doing and who they land on as their new head coach. Just as interesting will be seeing what the Tigers and Swinney choose to do.
The most likely scenario is that Swinney ends up back with Clemson for at least one more season in 2026. But, if he's open to considering the option of leaving, the Florida job would be exactly the kind of landing spot it would take to lure him away.
For more on the Clemson Tigers, Florida Gators, and college football news, head to Newsweek Sports.
Request Reprint & LicensingSubmit CorrectionView Editorial & AI Guidelines
Add Newsweek as a preferred source on Google to see more of our trusted coverage when you search.Recommended For You
NCAAOhio State Gets Brutal Injury News on Jeremiah Smith, Carnell Tate2 min read
NCAALSU Finalizing $90 Million Contract for Lane Kiffin3 min read
NCAAKalen DeBoer-Penn State Rumors Get Major Update From CFB Insider3 min read
NCAAJames Franklin Reveals What Sold Him on Virginia Tech Job3 min read
Affiliate LinksHow to Watch Hawaii vs UNLV: Live Stream NCAA College Football, TV Channel3 min read
NCAAAlabama, Kalen DeBoer Receive Brutal College Football Playoff Outlook3 min readRelated Podcasts
Top Stories
NewsIsraeli Strikes Kill at Least Two Dozen in Gaza Amid Fragile Ceasefire5 min read
NewsUncommon Knowledge: Mamdani and MTG, Two Sides of the Same Coin5 min read
PoliticsBomb Threats Target Democratic Lawmakers After Trump ‘Traitors’ Posts6 min read
NewsDonald Trump Reacts To Marjorie Taylor Greene’s Resignation4 min read
NewsBolsonaro Arrested in Alleged Plot to Escape Prison Sentence4 min read
PoliticsRepublicans Are Facing a Generational Rift5 min readTrending
Winter StormWinter Storm Warning As 18 Inches of Snow To Hit5 min read
Higher EducationFull List of Degrees Not Classed As ‘Professional’ by Trump Admin8 min read
Product recallAmazon Recall: Threat-To-Life Warning Issued For Items Pulled Nationwide4 min read
Donald TrumpDonald Trump Faces Articles of Impeachment Before Christmas3 min read
Housing MarketHousing Market Reaches Point Not Seen Since Years After 2008 Crash5 min readOpinion
OpinionConventional Wisdom: Price of Culture Edition3 min read
OpinionLatinos Catch the Fish. Why Aren’t They at the Decision-Making Table? | Opinion5 min read
OpinionWhy Is the US Punishing Legal Immigrants? | Opinion5 min read
OpinionWhat Is an American?6 min read
OpinionConventional Wisdom: MAGA Infighting Edition2 min read
