As the Clemson Tigers allow Charleston Southern to hang around for way too long, Dabo Swinney's hot seat is getting a little warm. This is after a Week 1 loss to Duke where they were unable to have a successful passing offense, The pressure is on.
For a while, Swinney has been seen as Nick Saban's replacement when he retires from coaching in the coming years. Saban is 71 years old and not getting anything younger. Looking at Swinney's recent seasons, it is clear that he will most likely not be Alabama's coaching replacement. Rather, his job with Clemson may soon be in danger.
Clemson football: What is Dabo Swinney's buyout with Tigers?
After signing a huge mega-extension in 2022, the Tigers are left with a huge buyout number for Swinney.
According to ESPN, the price tag for a buyout without cause would be $60 million after this season.
Clemson is coming off an 11-win season, but they were non-competitive in their loss against Tennesee in the Orange Bowl. Along with their struggles this season, some fans are calling for Swinney to get fired.
What would it take for Dabo Swinney to end up on the hot seat or even fired by Clemson?
With the amount of expectations that Clemson has for their program, any season that doesn't end up with at least nine wins lands the coach on a very warm seat. With the way that Clemson is playing through their first two games, it is very hard to see them ending up with nine wins.
Despite the solid run game, the passing offense for the Tigers is very bad. With that in mind, it is very hard to see Swinney not ending up on the hot seat this season.
Still, there is plenty of time for the Tigers to improve their passing offense before they end up playing any good teams (like Notre Dame, NC State, North Carolina) or their rival South Carolina. That November game could prevent them from getting to nine wins.
For Swinney's sake, it would be ideal for the passing offense to improve. Otherwise, big changes could be heading for Clemson soon.
