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Dabo Swinney on preparing for roster limits in 2025: ‘Worst thing in my whole coaching career’
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Dabo Swinney expressed some frustration regarding a new rule college football programs will have to manage in 2025 and beyond.
With the House vs. NCAA settlement expected to be finalized this spring, college football roster limits will be set at 105 beginning with the 2025 season. That number includes walk-ons, which means Swinney and his coaching staff will have to make some difficult choices regarding who gets to stay in the program for another season.
Swinney called the upcoming roster trim “one of the worst things” in his career.
“Obviously we have to cut a lot of guys this year,” Swinney said. “It’s terrible. It’s the worst thing in my whole coaching career. We’ve got to cut a bunch of kids that have been in our program.”
Swinney said there will be some 4th-year walk-ons who would have ordinarily returned to Clemson for a 5th season, but will now be part of Clemson’s senior day ceremony on Saturday.
“I’ve given all of them an option, if you are a 4th-year, then they have the option to be honored as a senior,” Swinney said. “They’ve earned that. Some of these kids would be back for their 5th year next year and they’re not going to have the opportunity to do that. That’s sad but that’s the way it is. So we’ve given them an opportunity.”
Clemson has a robust walk-on program in addition to its scholarship players. Even with a scholarship limit set at 85, the Tigers have 136 players listed on their official online roster for the 2024-25 season.
Clemson will face Citadel on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET.
Spenser is a news editor for Saturday Down South and covers college football across all Saturday Football brands.
