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Clemson's Dabo Swinney Has Strange Characterization of His Players
0 Share Newsweek is a Trust Project member See more of our trusted coverage when you search. Prefer Newsweek on Google to see more of our trusted coverage when you search. With just weeks to go until the 2026 college football season begins, most coaches are trying to build excitement and raise expectations for their teams.
Clemson's Dabo Swinney is not one of those coaches.
Speaking with reporters on Tuesday , Swinney was asked if any Tigers had "popped out or suprised you in any way" during the first days of fall camp.
Instead of highlighting some top performers, Swinney took a different tack.
He didn't even let the reporter finish the question before he began shaking his head and saying "no, no."
"Everybody is just working," he said. "Just a bunch of nobodies. We'll see. We'll see if anybody becomes somebody as we play some games."
Maybe the Tigers had a bad day at practice and Swinney was too frustrated to offer any praise.
Maybe it's a motivational tactic to see if he can get more out of his guys.
Or possibly he's just a bit reticent to raise expectations after a disastrous 2025 campaign.
The Tigers began last year ranked No. 4 in the country, then lost three of their first four games.
Quarterback Cade Klubnik, a senior, came in as a popular Heisman Trophy candidate. He instead failed to reach 3,000 passing yards and threw 16 touchdowns, 20 fewer than his 36 of 2024.
He ultimately was drafted in the fourth round by the New York Jets.
The Tigers managed to end the regular season on a four-game win streak to secure a 7-5 record and bowl eligibility, but they lost to the Penn State Nittany Lions in the Pinstripe Bowl to finish 7-6.
Given that disaster of a season, it wouldn't be surprising if Swinney feels a little snakebit, but we'll have to wait until September to see if any of these nobodies are actually somebody.
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