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title: "Clemson sports news and analysis: Clemson Kickoff News & Reign Supreme Alway Podcast | Staff Report"
description: Get the latest commentary on Clemson sports news and analysis as the latest sports updates happen around the teams, from Daniel Shirley and Bill Zimmerman plus occasional guests
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# What time is Clemson kickoff?

 **• Clemson at Florida St., Saturday, Oct. 31, 7 p.m., ACCN  
• Clemson at Syracuse, Saturday, Nov. 7, TBD**

## Staff Report

### Recent Posts

## [Clemson Unravels in Loss to Virginia Tech: Dabo Swinney & Tigers’ Coaching Flaws Exposed](https://clemsonkickoff.com/news/clemson-unravels-loss-virginia-tech-dabo-swinney-tigers-coaching-flaws-exposed)

 Posted by [Staff Report](https://clemsonkickoff.com/news/author/staff-report) on October 25, 2026 | 5:54 PM

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Hey college football fans, we’ve got some good news and a lot of bad news after Clemson’s loss to Virginia Tech, 20-16 on Saturday night. The game included some Dabo Swinney halftime comments as Virginia Tech led and the veteran Tigers coach provided some rare transparency on his feelings about what was going on during the game: “Pitiful” coaching was part of the problem. He clarified more about that comment in his postgame coaching reaction. We break that down as well as providing our own Clemson football coaching analysis from the outside looking in as longtime observers. Our postgame reaction podcast digs deep on both this game and the ACC season outlook overall, including some progress for the Clemson defense (except the late breakdown), some progress for Tait Reynolds’ quarterback performance and the Clemson offensive play calling (although more is needed), and more. Catch our Clemson football Week 8 reaction right here. We're glad you found us -- y'all be sure to watch on [YouTube.com/ClemsonKickoff](http://youtube.com/clemsonkickoff) so you can share your reactions in the comments, and find us on social media @ClemsonKickoff!

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 Tags: [Reign Supreme Alway podcast](https://clemsonkickoff.com/news/tag/reign-supreme-alway-podcast)

## [Is Clemson an ACC Contender? Where Dabo Swinney Needs Progress](https://clemsonkickoff.com/news/is-clemson-an-acc-contender-where-dabo-swinney-needs-progress)

 Posted by [Staff Report](https://clemsonkickoff.com/news/author/staff-report) on October 19, 2026 | 12:15 AM

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Hey college football fans – Clemson’s 37-0 win Saturday over Charleston Southern didn’t tell us much about the Tigers, but a few details were noticeable. Dabo Swinney and Chad Morris need to find solutions for improved play along the offensive line and at quarterback, and with no midseason transfer portal the progress must come from within. A key stretch of five remaining conference games will tell us where Clemson fits into the ACC football standings. Daniel Shirley and Bill Zimmerman take a look at the second half of the 2026 season for Tigers football and close things out by trying to answer the question: What word would you use to fill in the blank for “\_\_\_\_\_ Is The Standard” for this season’s Clemson football team? We're glad you found us -- y'all be sure to watch on [YouTube.com/ClemsonKickoff](http://youtube.com/clemsonkickoff) so you can share your reactions in the comments, and find us on social media @ClemsonKickoff!

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 Tags: [Reign Supreme Alway podcast](https://clemsonkickoff.com/news/tag/reign-supreme-alway-podcast)

## [Clemson's Top 15 Budget Falls Short: Is Dabo Swinney Solving Pay for Play by Adapting His Ways?](https://clemsonkickoff.com/news/clemsons-top-15-budget-falls-short-is-dabo-swinney-solving-pay-for-play-by-adapting-his-ways)

 Posted by [Staff Report](https://clemsonkickoff.com/news/author/staff-report) on October 19, 2026 | 12:09 AM

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All right, college football fans -– Even as Dabo Swinney faces a wave of criticism in recent years, the arc of his career makes it hard for our latest guest to imagine Clemson football without him at the helm. What’s more, there’s reason for optimism as Swinney and his staff are searching for answers, Larry Williams tells us in this episode of our podcast. Yep, this is a long one. But it’s worth the time to sink into the details being offered up by one of the longest-tenured writers on the Clemson beat. Why has Clemson slid in recent years despite reports that estimate the Tigers having top-15 money in the sport? We also get into how highly former athletic director Terry Don Phillips thought of Swinney upon promoting the young assistant to head coach, how closing a resource gap changed things, the fortunate timing of some major rivals in the southeast slipping for a bit, and how one or two particular positions in 2026 tend to reflect the bigger picture. We’re glad to have Williams, of Tiger Illustrated, join us! We're glad you found us -- y'all be sure to watch on [YouTube.com/ClemsonKickoff](http://youtube.com/clemsonkickoff) so you can share your reactions in the comments, and find us on social media @ClemsonKickoff!

## [Click here for our free Substack newsletter](https://clemsonkickoff.substack.com/subscribe?next=https%3A%2F%2Fclemsonkickoff.substack.com%2F&utm_source=profile-page&utm_medium=web&utm_campaign=substack_profile&just_signed_up=true)

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![2026 schedule horizontal (2)-2](https://clemsonkickoff.com/hs-fs/hubfs/2026%20schedule%20horizontal%20(2)-2.png?width=960&height=282&name=2026%20schedule%20horizontal%20(2)-2.png)

 

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 Tags: [Reign Supreme Alway podcast](https://clemsonkickoff.com/news/tag/reign-supreme-alway-podcast)

## [Dabo Swinney's Culture Won Two Natties. Does it Hurt the Tigers' Cause Now?](https://clemsonkickoff.com/news/dabo-swinneys-culture-won-two-natties.-does-it-hurt-the-tigers-cause-now)

 Posted by [Staff Report](https://clemsonkickoff.com/news/author/staff-report) on October 6, 2026 | 8:23 PM

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BHey there, college football fans – Our series about Clemson’s arc with Dabo Swinney as head coach kicks off today – and a fantastic interview with David Hale gets us started talking about the things Swinney did to turn the Tigers into a playoff dynasty. We also talk about how those positives helped Clemson football not just win two national championships, but become a six-year college football playoff stalwart during the four-team era. And of course we discuss the potential reasons for Clemson's lesser results since 2021, including a 7-6 mark in 2025 – yet still solid enough to win the ACC in 2025 and reach the playoff again. We’re glad you found us! Be sure to check back for Part 2 of this series in a few days -- and head over to [YouTube.com/ClemsonKickoff](http://youtube.com/clemsonkickoff) so you can share your reactions in the comments!

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▫️See bonus analysis that isn't in our podcast    ▫️Get alerts whenever we post new episodes

![2026 schedule horizontal (2)-2](https://clemsonkickoff.com/hs-fs/hubfs/2026%20schedule%20horizontal%20(2)-2.png?width=960&height=282&name=2026%20schedule%20horizontal%20(2)-2.png)

 

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 Tags: [Reign Supreme Alway podcast](https://clemsonkickoff.com/news/tag/reign-supreme-alway-podcast)

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