Clemson football’s Dabo Swinney gives unlikely props to Shane Beamer after win

After beating South Carolina for the ninth time in 11 years, Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney gave some perspective about the embattled head coach he faced today.

Swinney is no stranger to criticism, especially in the last few seasons, and he gave a reasonable, level-headed response to a question about what his message to Gamecock fans would be, considering the amount of criticism they continue to levy against South Carolina coach Shane Beamer amid his worst season in Columbia.

“I mean, listen, they don’t want to hear me talk about their program. I’m like the last person they’re gonna want to hear it. I got a lot of the ‘F yous’ walking in, they ain’t gonna want my opinion,” Swinney said before giving his opinion. “But all I can tell you, Shane’s a good football coach, he’s a better person, he cares. Again, I think these are reactionary games, where you can really overreact. All I can tell you, I lost five in a row. And we were really good teams. We had 15 turnovers to their three. That was a bad run, but we were a good team, and they were a good team. But you hang in there, and I’m glad that Clemson people didn’t give up on me.

“That was a bad stretch, but we were winning big — we were beating Ohio State, we were beating LSU, we’re beating Oklahoma, we’re winning big games, we’re doing a lot of stuff, but we’re coming up short in this game. Like I said, I had a lot of people come up to me say, ‘Yeah, yeah, 11-2. Congrats. I’d rather go 7-5 and beat the Gamecocks.’ That’s a true story, but most of the people hung in there, and you just gotta keep battling. Eventually, these things find a way. I’m not gonna evaluate for the Gamecock people, but all I can tell you is Coach Beamer, he’s a good coach, he cares, he’s about the right things, and I got a lot of respect for him.”

Dabo Swinney was asked about what his message would be to South Carolina fans frustrated with Shane Beamer's first five seasons in Columbia: "I'm glad Clemson people didn't give up on me." pic.twitter.com/louYaKVz4Y

— Clemson Sports (@ClemsonSports) November 29, 2025

Whether South Carolina fans care what Swinney has to say or not, Beamer will be back for at least one more season as the Gamecocks’ head coach, as Jeremiah Donati, the university’s athletic director, confirmed earlier in the week that Beamer would return in 2026.

In five seasons, Beamer is 17-6 in nonconference games and 16-24 in SEC play, including a career-worst 1-7 this year. The Gamecocks finished the 2025 season with only four wins, also the lowest mark of Beamer’s tenure, despite entering the season coming off a 9-4 campaign and with considerable College Football Playoff (CFP) buzz.

As for Clemson, the last few seasons have been anything but pretty for Swinney and the Tigers, who went 9-4 in 2023, which was the first season without double-digit wins since 2010, before rallying to a 10-4 record and an ACC championship in 2024. This year, Clemson sank to 7-5, the worst record for the program in 15 years.

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