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Come Fan with UsWednesday, August 5, 2026

Remember ‘Clemsoning?’ Now it’s a national championship slogan

In this context, the old word has a different meaning.

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Sometimes, a piece of clothing sends exactly the right message. This Clemson national championship hoodie is definitely one of those pieces of clothing.

Nike

“Clemsoning” has a new meaning in light of the Tigers winning it all this year.

The phrase is old jargon for when the Tigers would lose winnable games in painful ways, perhaps blowing an opportunity right at the end. It was a funny little joke for a while, but Clemson coach Dabo Swinney really didn’t like it. When ESPN’s David Hale asked him a question about it in 2015, Swinney got mad.

“I think it’s ridiculous that you’re even asking me that question,” Swinney said, and then spoke with fury for more than three minutes.

Hale’s question wasn’t even, “Why is your team Clemsoning?” The Tigers were not Clemsoning, and in fact they were on their way to the Playoff that year. Hale merely asked whether Swinney’s team had stopped thinking about that Clemsoning moniker altogether, and Swinney still didn’t appreciate it in the slightest.

Anyhow, someone at Clemson, or perhaps just at Nike, is now having fun with a joke that’s mostly died off as Clemson has found more consistent success.

Credit to Hale, who’s having fun with it, too:

Winning national championships allows everyone to be at ease. Clemsoning has pretty much died, but this hoodie brings it back in the best way possible.

The cost of this ironically enjoyable hoodie is $75.

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