Dabo Swinney and the Clemson Tigers are off to a disastrous start to the 2025 college football season. Despite entering the year as a preseason national title favorite, Clemson is 1-3 , suffering losses to LSU, Georgia Tech and Syracuse. The Tigers’ lone win of the season came in an unconvincing 27-16 victory over Troy
Clemson had a bye this past weekend, giving Swinney and his team some time to gather themselves and prepare for Saturday’s ACC clash against Bill Belichick and the North Carolina Tar Heels.
Swinney spoke with reporters about the upcoming matchup on Tuesday and sent a clear message to his ACC coaching counterpart. “I wish [Bill Belichick] all the best except for this weekend. We need a win a lot worse than he does,” Swinney said, via team insider Chapel Fowler of The State Newspaper.
Swinney was complementary of Belichick and his passion for the game, stating he’s had frequent communication with him since he took over as the Tar Heels’ head coach. “I’ve talked to him more this year than I have in forever,” Swinney continued.
“… He has a persona that he’s earned, but he’s a nice guy. “[He’s] passionate about what he wants to do in life… Purpose knows no age.” While Swinney claims the Tigers need the win more, Belichick and his North Carolina program are 2-2 and also in need of a solid victory.
The Tar Heels suffered a 34-9 loss at the hands of the UCF Knights this past weekend, marking their second blowout defeat of the year after opening the season with a 48-14 loss to TCU.
“They’re a team that’s improving … they’ve had a lot of change with their staff, guys coming in January and May,” Swinney said of Belichick’s team. “They’re playing some games now and starting to figure out who they are.”
“They’ll be fired up to play. Everybody’s fired up to play Clemson,” he continued. “We’ve won this league 8 of the last 10 years people don’t forget that just ’cause we’re off to a bad start this year. You know you’re gonna get everybody’s best shot.” Saturday’s Clemson-UNC matchup will kickoff at noon ET in Chapel Hill.
