Clemson's Dabo Swinney has ‘secret sauce' to take down Bill Belichick's UNC ‘Patriots'
Clemson's Dabo Swinney is set up for an NFL-fueled ACC challenge next year, which he has described as facing the 'New England Patriots.'
The Tigers will be visiting the Bill Belichick-led North Carolina on Oct. 4, followed by Boston College, coached by former Patriots offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien.
In a joint interview of Swinney and Belichick by ESPN's Rece Davis, Swinney admitted he isn't fazed by the changes in the conference since Belichick's arrival.
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5 Head coach Dabo Swinney of the Clemson Tigers looks on during the spring game at Memorial Stadium on April 05, 2025 in Clemson, South Carolina.
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5 Head coach Bill O'Brien of the Boston College Eagles reacts during the second half of the game against the Southern Methodist Mustangs at Gerald J. Ford Stadium on November 16, 2024 in Dallas, Texas.
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'We play the New England Patriots this year,' Swinney said light-heartedly. 'We go to North Carolina, and then we go to Boston College to play Bill O'Brien. So, I feel like I'm playing the whole Patriots organization in about a two-week span there.'
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Swinney also joked the Tigers have a 'secret sauce' to beat them, that secret being former Patriots punter Ryan Allen, who is currently Clemson's specialists coach.
'We're going to lean on him heavy to figure out how to defeat y'all's punt block team or whatever else,' he added of Allen.
5 Head coach Bill Belichick of the North Carolina Tar Heels coaches at Kenan Stadium on April 12, 2025 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
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5 Clemson's Dabo Swinney (l.) and North Carolina's Bill Belichick (r.) during an interview with ESPN's Rece Davis.
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Swinney has won 14 games over the Tar Heels since coaching at Clemson, starting in 2008. Their last meeting came in 2023, and the Tigers took a 31-20 victory.
North Carolina is on a six-game losing streak against Clemson. In their last 10 meetings, the Tar Heels are 1-9, and they hold a 15-34-1 overall record against the Tigers.
Swinney also holds an impressive 39-5 record against teams from North Carolina overall.
5 Head coach Dabo Swinney of the Clemson Tigers looks on with Cade Klubnik #2 during the spring game at Memorial Stadium on April 05, 2025 in Clemson, South Carolina.
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Even so, North Carolina is the least of Swinney's worries for 2025, as Clemson has struggled to compete for a championship.
Their most recent national championship win was in 2018 with Deshaun Watson under center.
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