Dabo Swinney Reveals Clemson’s Secret Sauce To Take Down Bill Belichick, North Carolina

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Orlando Silva | Last updated May 29, 2025 1:39 PM ET

Clemson Tigers coach Dabo Swinney revealed what he has in store for the North Carolina Tar Heels' new head coach, Bill Belichick, when they clash in the upcoming NCAA season.

Belichick, who will be making his college debut at Chapel Hill this season, has admitted he feels like a rookie when attending meetings with other coaches who have spent more years coaching at this level.

After an honored career in the NFL, winning a total of eight Super Bowls as a coach, the former New England Patriots' helmsman is set to lead the Tar Heels to compete in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), where iconic programs such as Clemson, Miami (FL), Florida State, SMU and Stanford will be ready to take them out.

Swinney, who led the Tigers to the 2024 ACC Championship with a game-winning walk-off 56-yard kick, sat down with Rece Davis and Belichick on Thursday's edition of "College GameDay Podcast."

After Davis highlighted that Swinney has a strong pull when it comes to recruitment, they recalled the moment that Clemson clinched the title against SMU. The Clemson coach then joked about beating the Patriots in 2024 after playing North Carolina, the team coached by Belichick, and Boston, a team that many Patriots supporters follow in the NCAA.

"I'll tell you another one is, we played the New England Patriots this year," Swinney said. "We go to North Carolina, and then we go to Boston College and play Bill O'Brien. I feel like I'm playing the whole Patriots organization in about a two-week span there."

He also revealed he had a secret weapon to make life hard for Belichick and beat them in 2025.

"But we went and got our own Patriot. I think he's got three Super Bowl champions, but Ryan Allen, who was a punter for you. He's our specialist coach and my secret sauce to finding a way to beat the Patriots in October, whenever we play."

The Tigers, a team that developed future NFL stars such as Deshaun Watson, Trevor Lawrence and DeAndre Hopkins, will visit the Tar Heels on Saturday, Oct. 4, at Kenan Stadium.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: