Heather Dinich: ‘I will be shocked’ if Clemson isn’t better in 2026
By Mark Kern
Published:
ESPN writer Heather Dinich is high on the Clemson Tigers entering the 2026-27 season.
The Tigers had a ton of hype entering last season, but a Week 1 loss to LSU started a disappointing 7-6 season. While the team may not have quite the players on paper that it did last season, Dinich doesn’t see the Tigers having a season quite like last year.
“They got to earn it, but I will be shocked, absolutely shocked, if Clemson is not better this year and playing Miami in the ACC Championship Game,” Dinich said on the Pat McAfee Show Monday. “They obviously have to find a quarterback like a lot of these other teams we are talking about. I like the hire of Chad Morris as their offensive coordinator. It’s the second year under Tom Allen, the defensive coordinator. I think they’re on the upwards trajectory. I think they get Miami at home this year, which is a big deal.”
There were many issues for the Tigers last year, but one area where the Tigers really struggled was to stop the pass. Clemson gave up 251.2 passing yards per game last season, which ranked 118th in the country. Coach Dabo Swinney knew it was an issue, and Dinich said during the summer that Swinney told her it was the worst secondary he has had during his coaching career.
For Swinney, things haven’t been as easy since the transfer portal and NIL became big in college football. With Miami looking like its back to its glory days under coach Mario Cristobal, the Tigers are going to have an uphill battle getting back to the College Football Playoff.
