Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney expressed frustration this week over what he described as the worst officiating he has ever seen in his career, particularly in 2024. His comments followed a controversial 17-14 loss to South Carolina, where questionable calls became a point of discussion.
Swinney acknowledged that Clemson had opportunities to win the game, but he couldn’t ignore some of the “huge plays” affected by poor officiating, including a bizarre play where a completed pass was whistled dead before being reviewed—a first in his long coaching career. He voiced his dissatisfaction with the lack of accountability for referees, pointing out that while officials sometimes admit mistakes, there’s no public acknowledgment of their errors.
When asked about potential solutions to the officiating problems, Swinney indicated the issue is widespread across the country and suggested that it’s one of the worst years for officiating in his coaching experience. He criticized inconsistencies in reviewing targeting calls and the lack of transparency, adding that this is a nationwide issue affecting all teams.
Officiating controversies have been frequent in college football this year, including the no-call on a helmet-to-helmet hit in the Miami-Cal game, a controversial offsides call in the Minnesota-Michigan game, and a pass interference reversal during Texas-Georgia that halted the game due to fan protests. Swinney believes that both the rules and the training of officials are at fault, advocating for full-time officials to handle these high-stakes games. He also emphasized the need for a national standard for officiating, rather than conference-based crews, citing an example from the Palmetto Bowl where the SEC crew called the game differently from how Clemson had seen it all season.
Swinney’s call for changes comes as the officiating in college football continues to impact the outcome of critical games. His ideas for reform should be seriously considered by the NCAA to ensure the integrity of the game.
